P L F A 
 
 f OR T ll E 
 
 Poor and Diftreffed' 
 
 Agiinft tKe BILL 
 
 For granting an Excife upon Wines and 
 Spirits di/tilled, fold by Retail , oh 
 covfumed within this Province, &c. 
 
 . B O s t 6 n, 
 Printed in the Year 17$4-. 
 
( *) 
 
 A Plea for the Poor and Diftreflfed, 
 
 Againft the BILL 
 
 For granting an Excife upon Wines and 
 Spirits dtfitted , fold by Retail , or 
 confumed within this Province , &c. 
 
 I T has been faid of this Aft, that it is intended tet 
 caufe fuch as fpend their Money unneceflarily in 
 ftrong Liquors, luxurious living, He. to pay fome- 
 thing more than others towards the Support of Got 
 vernmentwhether as aPunifhment, or to reflrain them, 
 if it could be confin’d only to fuch Perfons, the L'nd pro- 
 pofed would be good ; and no doubt the good Intention 
 of the Legiilators in palling this Bill was fuch ; but to di-, 
 ftrefs the Poor and Needy could not be intended by it i not 
 do we fuppofe it was to prevent the frugal and neceflary 
 Uie of Spirituous Liquors, but to tax the Excefs and un- 
 neceflary Ufe of them. Therefore (as we have Leave) let 
 vs examine and find whether this Aft will anfwer tha 
 propofed find, without doing more Hurt than Good; and 
 this may be done by comparing the diflerent Manner of 
 Living and Circumftances .of three fevcr>l Sorts ot Peifons 
 in the Province- 
 
 i. The prudent, frugal', induftrious honeft Farmers 
 and Hufbandmen, who live in Plenty, Peace and Safety, 
 cot acquainted with the Way and Manner that others live. 
 
 ' i The 
 
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 2. The poor expofed fuffering People in the Frontiers, 
 labouring and expofing themfelves to Danger, and patiently 
 enduring Cold and Hunger, and many other Hardships fa 
 the Woods, endeavouring to make Settlements for them¬ 
 felves and their Children, in doing of which they are a 
 Wall, Cover and Defence to ’the-Inland Plantations. 
 
 3. The Fifhermen, neceflary and profitable to the Coun¬ 
 
 try; whole Labour is great, their Profits little, arid their 
 Comforts lefs. '■ ' '• ' 
 
 Firjl then, thole Farmers and Hulbandmen living in 
 old Towns and Plantations, who have other Towns fettled 
 frutfide them, live and enjoy their Families and Eftates in 
 Peace and Safety; they can attend their Bufinefr and La¬ 
 bours without Fear; they have all the Blellings'of the 
 Heavens ; every Rain and Dew refrelhes the Fruits of their 
 Lands, which bring them'plenty of the bell Food and 
 good Raiment as the Earth' can produce, and great variety 
 of good Liquors (much better thaii Rum, the principal 
 Thing aim’d at in this Bill to pay Excife for)' they can 
 and do make excellent Beer, Cider, and a variety of Spi¬ 
 rituous Liquors, all of the Fruits of their Farms, the Lands, 
 Vines, Trees, Bufbes and Herbs, which with Only tbe Care 
 and Labour of the Hufbandmanand his own Family, with 
 no other Expence, produce Plenty of rich Food, Raiment 
 and exhilerating Spirits; equal as. to its Ufefulnefs to any in 
 the World,; They have it not only in plenty for their own 
 Ufe, but a great deal to Ipare, which they fel.1 for Money 
 and enrich themfelves.—They Seep quietly ;n their Houles, 
 their Fields are well fecured from Danger, every one fits 
 quietly under his Vines and Fruit Trees, and none can 
 tpake thern afraid, • Thpy hea,r' rtpt (or at leaft they fear 
 not) the Alarm of War; their Perfons, Families and Ellate$ 
 ire fecure, protefled and defended by the bell Government 
 upon Earth, and Laws which are as a Wall or Fence round 
 about them, that hone dare to touch them or theirs to'their 
 jiurt, but may expedt to be fevyrely pupil^ed,-—Th? good. 
 
Providence of God has made a Hedge about them in fiicfy 
 Manner as their Civil and Religious Liberties'and Privileges 
 are fo fecured to them, as there is.no Place in any Country, 
 in any Nation or Kingdom, in more happy Circumftances 
 ithan thefe are in'; it is -much' better than the Condition 
 their Fore-Fathers were in, for they in Times part had 
 War and Trouble. Then furely thefe People who now 
 thus enjoy the Bleflings of Heaven to fuch a. Degree in all 
 Re/pedts,-would'take it as a great Injury done them (and it 
 may be fo) to fay of them that they are unwilling to bear 
 a due Proportion according to their. Ability, of the Charges 
 of the Support of fuch' a Government under which they en¬ 
 joy fo much Good: They :live as they lift, t'neir Eftates 
 are their own, abfolutely their own in Fee. No Lords 
 over them, nor Quit Rents to pay,' all are free Men and 
 their Eftates free, and they like Gideon's Brethren, each am 
 refemlleo the Children of a King. " 
 
 Secondly. The poor expofed fullering People in the From 
 tiers, thofe who go into the Wildernefs to clear and fubdue' 
 (he Lands to make Settlements, are generally very poor) 
 and they muft Puffer great Hardlhips and Dangers; the 
 Wildernels produces them no Corn for Bread, they mult 
 with great Pains clear the Land before they can till itc— 
 A little Land takes .many Years Labour to fubdue and 
 make if profitable,'dr in any confiderable Meafure ufeful; 
 and while they are doing that, theyjnuft fuffer for want of 
 
 Victuals_,If they can • have the Lands given them for 
 
 flearing'and fettling it, they'muft firft cut their Wood and 
 [Timber fo fell for Food to fupport Life. Many of them 
 [are not able to buy Oxen to hale their Wood and Timber 
 [fo a Landing Place for fale, but'are obliged to carry Wood 
 and Timber-upon their Shoulders, to buy Bread and Cioath- 
 ing for themfelves and their Children, ready to.'faint under 
 their Burdens, yet prePled, on by pinching .Want, get 
 fomething to fell to relieve them ; -but then they muft ven¬ 
 ture it over Sea for Corn and Pork, and other Ncceffarics 
 pf Life, and wait the return, which is fometimes long com- 
 
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 iog, feme times no return at all; but if they do receive 
 the returns of their Labour, that is perhaps a little In¬ 
 dian Com for Bread, and' a little lean fait Meat, which 
 may help to keep them alive as long as it lafts ; but what 
 is their Drink? Generally in the Woods their Drink is 
 Water, not from good and wholfom Springs, but from 
 Bivalets ifluing from unwholfom Ponds and Marfhes, oft 
 ten poifoned with Spawns of Toads, Frogs, creeping 
 Things, hateful Infedts and Vermine, ibakin°y through 
 iJeaths and Box and other poifonous' Bogs, Roots and 
 jhifhes, which render the Waters very unwholfom, cauf 
 ing many Sickneffes and Deaths.—And when they have 
 dear’d a few Acres of Land, and can keep a Cow or two, 
 tiiis is fomething, but will not fupport them, their Depen- 
 dance mud ftill be chiefly upon their Lumber for their 
 living their Lands not yet affording half fufficient for the 
 fupport of their Families..—Then .comes War, or a Ru¬ 
 mour of War ; Indians do Mifchief, their Houfes are like 
 weak and defencelefs Wigwams, they muff fly or die; 
 feme get together into fmall Huts fenced in with Poles, 
 to lave their Lives, and all they had at home laid Wafte 
 and deftroyed.— To keep in their weak Garrifons without 
 Work, is Death; if they venture out, there is nothing 
 but melancholy Afpects, Defolations and Fear on every 
 Side j they are in continual Diftrefs, the Enemy fculking 
 to catch them; the Famine is within-their Walls ; the 
 Sword of the Wildernefs without; difficult which Death 
 to choofetheir Living is without any real Comfort 
 Their Food but mean and fcanty, their Cloathipg rent 
 and torn, fcarcely fufficient to keep them tolerably warm 
 an the Winter; Wool and Flax they have none, or very 
 little, their Wants are fuch as cannot be ealily cxpreft; 
 none knows their Sufferings, Fears, Dangers and Sorrows, 
 but thofe who have fuffered with them.; neither can they 
 themfelves exprels it.—Sometimes, when foms of theft 
 poor Wretches have feme Returns for their Wood and 
 Timber, perhaps they may get a Bottle or Gallon of Rum 
 to drink in the Woods, to prevent the. evil Effefts of thofe 
 
m 
 
 confider that frime muft be o.utfide. next to the Indians’, 
 and it is inipoffibie but they muft fuffer and endure many 
 Hardihips.—And to .add weight to their heavy Burthens; 
 by exafting an Excife upon them for the Neceflaries ol 
 Life they ufe, fuch as Rum, and other fpiritiious Liquors; 
 to them in the Woods* is extreme hard. 
 
 'Thirdly. The Filhertnen; their Calling is honeft, and 
 2 great Benefit to the. Country in many refpecls.—The 
 Fife and Lumber is all that-this Country has .of its owii 
 Produce, to export and trade with. in. other Farts of the 
 World, to. import Commodities. from other. -.Countries 
 which .are neceffary to be ufed here, and that the Filhery 
 ought to be encouraged none will deny-:—The Work and 
 Bufinefs is dangerous, hard. and difficult. The Men are 
 always expofed to the Indian and French Pirates at Sea; 
 alfo in their open ,Boats to the. Storms, Rocks and. Tern- 
 pefts, many Times not having a dry Garment for many 
 Days or Weeks together; the .Sea raging and breaking 
 over them, looks as if they Ihould be immediately- fwah 
 lowed up; they fuffer Wet and Cold, and Watching in 
 bad Weather, and when the Weather is fair, the unwliol- 
 fom Scent which always attends their, Bufinefs from which 
 they cannot go, but muft endure it and work.too; all 
 this will try the ftrongeft Conftitution ; and in this Bufi- 
 iiels it is neceffary, and they muft take a little Rum 
 or other Spirits to keep up their Spirits, or they muft 
 forfeit or faint in their nafty, tho’ neceffary Employment, 
 Thefe Men, fo much cxpofcd every Day .and -Hour to 
 the Danger of the Seas, and in Perils which way foevet 
 they turn, all Men who are acquainted with .that Bufinefs 
 -allow,that they need and Ihould .ufe more, plum than is 
 neceffary- in any other Calling whatfoever : Yet no Far¬ 
 mer or Hulbandman would care -to exchange Conditions 
 with thefe for the fake of their Rum.—-Huibandmen can 
 lay dry in their Beds in ftormy Weather, when Fifhermen 
 are mnft expofed to the Weather, they muft endure it or. 
 fink. Wet,'Cold and Hunger too, or .eat rayy Meat,, as is 
 
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 iometim'es the Cafe; and notwithftandirig all the Fiftier” 
 fern’s Labours and Sufferings and great pains he takes to 
 live, they are generally vefy poor and in Debt, all they 
 can get in the Year, will fcarcely pay the Farmers for 
 Corn and Meat to fupply their poor Families in. their 
 Abfence. Let them he ever fo irtduftrious, their Living 
 is but mean and low* yet becaufe they drink pretty much 
 Runi, feven times their Share of the Support of GoVetti- 
 riient mult be laid Upon them by Way of Excife: Thefe 
 have little or no Eftates to be faved or loft, and thofe 
 that have great Eftates fate and fecure from Danger, are 
 thereby eafed of their Taxes, tho’ much better able to 
 pay them. 
 
 It is well known, that the Fishery and Lumber Trade 
 is all that this Country has of its own Produce to trade - 
 and purchafe Rum, Salt, Molaffes, Cotton, Sugar, Wine 
 and other Neceflaries, from all parts Of the World where 
 we can Trade; and if thofe who; labour in Peril of theif 
 Lives, and procure thofe very Things rieceffary to carry 
 OH our Trade and Merchandize, and procure Rum, £sV„ 
 
 I have no Liberty to make free Ufe of what comes by theic 
 >wn painful Labour and Care ; they are in worfe Con¬ 
 dition than were the Oxen in old Times, whofe Mouths 
 vere not to be muzzel’d when they fread out the Corn.-**, 
 Ml their doleful Circumftances claim Pity and Com*- 
 laflion : And if inftead of taking pny Excife of thefe poor 
 People in the Frontiers and Fifliery for the Rum they 
 Irink,- by an Excife upon Cider and Malt, there fhould 
 ie a Soldiers Allowance:of Rum and fome other Bounty 
 ;iven to each of them, to encourage them and quicketi 
 heir flow Motions towards their Settlements and Fifliery* 
 this would be more profitable for the Country than this 
 Irange fort of Excife. The Frontiers would be foonef 
 fettled ftrong and defenceable, and be a Wall to all the 
 inland Parts of the Country, and they within fafely faife 
 Supply for the Filhefy, Which would be of great Service 
 a all in every State and Condition in the Country, much 
 8 rnotp 
 
ihore than this Excife will ever be.— 
 
 But here I am aware of an Obje&ion, viz. That Cider 
 and Malt is their own Produce* Anfwer, fo is Rum as 
 much the Fiflfe'rmen and Lumber Men’s. Work and Pro¬ 
 duce as that is of the others, ar|d is as much the Blood of 
 thefe Men who venture their Liv.es in -Jeopardy for it, ail 
 the Water of the Well of Bethlehem was . the Blood o!i 
 David’s three mighty Men, and fhould thefe now pa} 
 Excite to favour thofe who never knew Danger? 
 
 , Taxes for "the Support of Government is the b'ei! 
 Money we lay opt, whatever any may think of it; it is 
 fieceftary next to Life itfelf, for without Government Life 
 Would be but a Burthen; it is a juft Debt due froni 
 every one that lives in and hath the Benefit and Pro- 
 teilion of the Government, in Proportion to their Sub- 
 fiance kept and iecured to them by it; and to take from 
 the poor and needy to eafe thofe Who are able and ought 
 io pay it, it is not equal. 
 
 StC^The Fifh and Lumber cannot be all ufed here, but 
 Is fent to the Weft India Iflands, and part of the Rum 
 purchafed by thefe Commodities is lent to Virginia, Ca- 
 Tolinai and other Places, to procure Corn and Pork, to 
 enable them to go on with their Labours and Fifhery, 
 far it muft ceafe* for this Country can’t fupply them with 
 ali Things neceilary. 
 
 The Eaftern Frontiers, more than a hundred Miles iii 
 length by the Sea (is all that the Province has now to 
 defend) not one Town in it but what lies expofed both 
 to the Sea and Land Rovers, has been the Seat of Wat 
 in all Times of War ever ftnce New-England was firft 
 fettled; every Town except three have been feveral 
 Times wholly broken up. and deftroyedj and laid Walh 
 iiiany Years, and thofe three have had but a miferabil 
 Life ; fometimes one part of a Town deftroyed by the 
 Indians} and fometimes another part of the fame* and this 
 
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 wi; the Cafe with all the three, always in Fear and in 
 Danger; they could not improve their Lands: Never 
 was any Town in the Country able to raife fuftkient 
 Provifion for their own Inhabitants, by reafon of their 
 continual Troubles: Their Dependence has been and ftiU 
 is in almoft every Town in the Country for their Victuals, 
 and Cloaths to be procured by their Lumber and Fifhery, 
 both which for fome Years part hayc fail’d and come 
 fhort of a fuffieiency: They have not had Times of 
 Peace fufficient to raife Orchards and Fruit Trees: In if 
 few Years of War their defected Fields are grpwn over 
 with Bufhes, and upon rcfcttling requires new fencing and 
 clearing, and Time to bring it fit to till.—They need 
 fome Cordial to comfort them in their Lahours, which, 
 their Lands will not produce. They are glad of popt 
 Food, and drink Water without any Thing clfe.—Then 
 is there any Sin in the neceflary and temperate Ufe of 
 Rum ? Muft thefe be denied the ufe of a little Rum, 
 the Fruit of their own Labour, or pay Excife for it, 
 becaufc others have no need of it, but live without it bet¬ 
 ter than thefe can with it ?—Does it; hurt any Body for 
 thefe to have a little fuch Spirits, which the Country 
 think .neceflary to allow. Soldiers in thek Service ?—What 
 Injury is it to thofe who ufe little or no Rum themfeives, 
 
 i '' r thefe at their own Coft do ufe fome ? 
 
 An Excife upon Cider and Malt would raife more 
 aney than this, and as I conceive would be a much 
 tter way, for thofe beft able vyould pay if.—A,s to the 
 ethod of coliefling this new Sort of Excife, fevpral have 
 itten their Thoughts, take mine alfo, Concerning the 
 haviouy of the Deputy Excife-Man towards feveral forts 
 Perfons, who muft fubmit to be examined and fvvora* 
 the Excife-Man or his Deputy pleafes, he can exaj?s or 
 pence with the Oath ; he is at Liberty, and thofe fub- 
 fed to his Authority are the Honourable Coimcpllars, 
 r Judges and Magiftratcs of the Land, the Gentleman 
 roman and Ttadefman, every Degree, Office and Cal- 
 
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 inexorable, and are almoft driven to Defpair.—Tho‘ the 
 .General Court did not know who would be the Man, 
 they have made Law enough for him to manage, and 
 triumph (not as they expected) but as. he pleafes.—uThca 
 if he in his abundant Lenity (hall .after much threatning, 
 fignify that the poor Man may be pxcufcd from, a Pro* 
 fecution, and from paying the Fine upon .Terms hp offers 
 to faye ithe Man and [hi* family from ruin, , the poor 
 'Wfonian,. who always intended Honefty,.$rid now bad 
 lather continue fo than otherwife5 yet, r tq,;p.revent .what 
 ihe'fewedjvdiild be a worfejpvil, conipn^. (jy. fubhiits .to 
 Sacrifice her Virtue to the lefcherous Humour of 3 brawny 
 1 I^eoutypExpifeman. ■ . ~■ ■ , 
 
 no uncharitable Surmife, but natural, tnfup- 
 pofe; and I am fully of Opinion, that if this BilEpsffes 
 the Seal of the Province, there will-be,many.Inftances of 
 this Kind in Town and,Country, to the great OillinV 
 bancp of both. 
 
 This Aft a? I apprehend it, is big with many arbitrary 
 Powers, Authorities and Advantages unwarily (not de-i 
 fignedly) given to Perfons. who the LegiCators. know 
 jiot, nor how they .will pfe,,their Authority; the 
 of Men may be recommended, and obtain that Office 
 too late to fceremedied, and fo this Aft may eventually 
 put 3 Sword into the Hand of a Rogue, to deftroy the 
 Poor, and he will doubtlefs make Ufe of it. , • 
 
 No Courts of Judicature have any difpencing Power 
 like this of the Excifeman.—They are bound to do Jut 
 tice according to the Laws. They may not fay, this innocent 
 Perfon lhall be punilbed, and that guilty Perfon go free: 
 But all this at the abfolute Will- and Pleafure of a De T 
 puty Excifeman may be done, perhaps by fuch a Fellow 
 as caufed the Infurreftion called Wat Tyler’s Rebellion, 
 Which coll many thoufand Perfons Lives. 
 
 The 
 
04 ) 
 
 The Govcrnour's difcerning Eye, and fatherly Care of 
 the Province, in not pafling this Aft, is very confpicunus, 
 and ought never to be forgotten : It is having Companion 
 on this People;—faving them with Fear, pulling them 
 out of the Fire.—It is to be hoped, as he had IVifdom to 
 forefee the evil Confluences of it, and Jufticc with Com¬ 
 panion to (lay this Aft frorry taking Effeft, that he will 
 ftill continue his good Will and fatherly Kindnefs to¬ 
 wards the Country, and finally to put a flop to this Aft ; 
 in'doing of which, he will, as I imagine, prevent manjj 
 Evils that otherwife would unavoidably follow. -- - -; . ^. , 
 
 As the Honourable Houfe of Reprefentatives has ptA- 
 lifhed part of the Excife Bill, on Purpofe that the MyndS 
 of the Inhabitants of the Province concerning it may be 
 known ; it is fuppofed that they expeft and defire fuch 
 Perfons as do not like the Bill, to let them know their 
 Thoughts about it with freedom: Nothing herein is meant 
 or intended to give Offence to the Houfe, or to any par¬ 
 ticular Perfon, but to (hew the Opinion of the Writer, 
 Which is call’d for, (however differing from others) it is 
 here publilhed, and he hopes will be favourably inter¬ 
 preted ; and that if anv Excife be granted, it may not ex¬ 
 tend to private Families, and that thofe poor Perfons in 
 the Frontiers and Fifhery may be excufed from paying 
 any ;—encouraged in their Buftnefs ;—and fome better 
 Method found for collefting the Excife that may he 
 granted ;—which is humbly fubmitted by their Ad¬ 
 vocate.-—