The congress suggested by James Otis of Boston assembled on Monday, the
7th of October, 1765, Georgia had no delegates in the congress, but
was represented by a messenger who was sent to obtain a copy of the
proceedings. Such representation was not because the Colony of Georgia
failed to sympathize with the purpose for which the congress was called,
but was entirely due to the influence and popularity of Governor Wright,
the royal governor, who was not only a good man personally, but wise,
prudent, and far-seeing. Owing to his exertions, Georgia was not
represented in the person of delegates. The speaker of the Georgia
House of Assembly had indeed called a convention of the members for the
purpose of selecting delegates to the Colonial Congress called to meet
in New York, and sixteen members had responded to the call; but such
was the influence of Governor Wright, that these members of the assembly
were prevailed upon not to send delegates to the congress. But they
could not be prevented from preparing and sending a response to the
Massachusetts invitation. They had resolved, they said, to support
heartily every measure that might be suggested for the support of the
common rights of the Colonies.
We learn from the letters of Governor Wright, written to the Earl of
Halifax, that it was as much as he could do (and he was a very active
as well as a very wise governor) to prevail on the people to maintain at
least the outward show of loyalty to the King. And he was not successful
even in this, for he informs another correspondent (Mr. Secretary
Conway) on the 31st of January, 1766, that the same spirit of "sedition,
or rather rebellion, which first appeared at Boston," had reached
Georgia, and that he had been constantly engaged for the space of three
months in trying to convince the people that they ought to submit to the
King's authority until they could point out their grievances and apply
for redress in a constitutional way. Governor Wright also states to
the same correspondent that he has had much trouble in preserving from
destruction at the hands of the people the stamp papers that had been
forwarded for the collection of the tax. He received "incendiary"
letters; he had to issue proclamations against riots and "tumultuous
and unlawful assemblies;" and he had also to take measures against the
Liberty Boys, who began to have private meetings, and who had formed
themselves into a society to oppose and prevent the distribution of the
stamp papers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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