Second Supplement to Maryland Gazette, of the Week Before Last October 1765

(:Unkn) Unknown
1765
September 9, 1765. \ACopyof to <R E.M ON STRANGE / the Freeheidtrs and Freemen of Anne-Arundel County', /a Me/uurt Worthington, Ham-toond, Hall, «rf Johnfon, their Reprefentatives in Afembbf; acumfanied with fame Inflnfliom tt them. GENTLEMEN, T HE Shock received by AMERICA, and our Province in particular, . from feme \*temcmftitutionalMeaftees, ptirfued by the Britijb Parliament, in Perogatron, as we conceive, of our ancient inherent Rights and Privileges., as Frttmen and Jiege Subjects 'of
more » ... Crown of Great-Britain, requires us to be exceedingly circumfpefr. with Regard to our LIBERTIES, and early to remonftrate to you Our Rcprcfentatives in Aflembly convened, in Support of our RIGHTS thereto ; giving you at the fame Time, Come few Instructions, which we entreat you will fpecially attend to, and punctually obferve. ' By the unalterable Law of Nature, we look upon ourfelres to be Freemen : Providence feemingly averfe to the Miferies tf Slavery, bath placed us in the happy Eftate of Free-4m: And we are confcious to ourfelves, that wenave in no wife forfeited, or departed with our natural Right thereto. By the Common Law of Great-Britain, the Law tf mar.Land, and declaratory in this Refpcft of the Law of Nature, and confequently of the Liberty «f the Subject, w.e look upon ourfelves alfo to be FREEMEN : Equally Free, with our FelUw-Suljlfli, refident within the Reaim tf Great-Britain : And we truft we (hall be «fteemed fo, by our Sovereign and The~WoH~d, until it can be rationally Biewn, that mm Mairtancy in America, or any where elfe, ^within tht Dominion) of the Crown of Great-Britain, but without the Land thereof} is fufficient of itfelf to ftrip an ENGLISHMAN or his PostIRITY of their natural and civil BirrHfciotftv we mean, their FREEDOM : On thU Freedom of the Subjeft aflerted by us,' dependeth, in our Opinions, the Nece/ity of his AJJenting by him/elf, orchis Reprefentat'roety to Laws, in order to his beine bound thereby; and from fuch Affent, arilcth, as we take it, the Obligation of all human Laws. How then in Point of NATURAL or CIVIL LAV, are we rightly chargeable, or liable to be burdened, by the STAMP-ACT, attempted to be impofed upon us by the Mother-Country t Have -we aflfcnted to it ptr-foHaty or rtpnfintativofy t If we have not, which U notorious to the World, the MINI-STIR'S virtual Reprefntatitn, adduced argumentatively, in Support of the TAX on us, is fantaftical and frivolous. Can the Parliament by the Fiaitn of a virtual Reprefmtation impofe tne Law on us, without tur Ajjtut', they may al(b another ; and fo on, adinfiwtum: \Ve cannot fee where the Line is to be drawn: And each ntw Law So impofed on us, may pave the Way to fome ncu)Tax\ each Htw Tax, to fome tunu Opprtjfitn; Oppre/fon (unrefifted) leads in a direct and open Path to Bondage ; and that to the immediate Pri-Opinion, no very inconclufive Argument to the Being and Exiftence of fuch a Power, in the Ltginature of any State whatsoever, much more of that of Great-Britain, which glories in the FREEDOM of its SUBJECTS. By the Conjiitutional Laws of our Mother-Country, the Birthright of every Englijb Subject, and confequently of us Americans, liege | Subjects alfo of the Crown ; It is Ordained and Enacted, " That no Aid, Prize, Tax, " Tallage, fuc. fball be taken tr levied without " tin Good-tViU, and Affent of the Freemen of "tttt Land." And by the CHARTER of our PROVINCE, it is Exprefsly granted, " That the King, his Heirs and Succe/ors, " (hall at no Time hereafter, fet or make, " or caufe to be fet, any Impefttion, Cujtom, " or other Taxation, Rate or Contribution " whatfoever, in or upon the Dwellers and h-** habitants of "he aforefaid Province, for their " Lands, Tenements, Goods or Chattels, (< within the faid Province, or to be laden " and unladen within any the Ports or Har-" hours of the faid Province : And it is '^charged and commanded, -that the above "TJeclaration be henceforward, from Time " to Time, received and allowed in all his " Courts, and before all the Judges of the " King, his Heirs and SucceJJors, for a fuffi-" cient and lawful Difcbarge, Payment and '« Acquittance. And all Officers and Afiniflers " of the King, his Heirs and Succeflorsi are " Enjoined, upon Pain of High Difpleafure " of the Crown, that they do not prefume, ** at any Time, to attempt any Thing to " the contrary of the Premifes, or that they " do in any Sort with/land the fame; but " that they be at all Times aidihg and affift-** ing, as is fitting, unto the Proprietor of " our Province, &(. and to the Inhabitants, " and Merchants thereof, their Servants, " Minifters, Factors and Afligns, in the full " Vft and Fruition of the Bent/it of this the " Charter." And by another Paragragh in the fame Charter, the Privilege tf Legislation is cxprefily confined to the Proprietor, and the Frtmen of our Province. The Words of it are at follow : " And we do grant, free, full and. «« abfolute Power, unto the Proprietor and " his Heirs, for the good and happy Go-" vernment of the faid Province, to ordain, " make, ena£t, and under his arid their " Seals, to publish any Laws whatfoever,
doi:10.13016/m23t9d71v fatcat:nbpk3tiujjdxzcayf5g2kblid4