The Writings of Samuel Adams - Volume 3 — John Shaqi
The Writings of Samuel Adams - Volume 3Adams, Samuel
History
The Writings of Samuel Adams - Volume 3
Adams, Samuel
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1809
PERHAPS no measure that has been taken by the Town of Boston
during our present Struggles for Liberty, has thwarted the
designs of our enemies more than their Votes and Proceedings on
the 20th of November last.1 If we take a Retrospect of two or
three Years past, we shall find that what our "PRETENDED
patriots", as they were stiled in the Court Gazette, so zealously
forewarn'd us of, has since turn'd out to be a Fact; that every
art would be made use of to lull the people of this Province and
Continent into Security, in order that the Conspirators against
our Rights and Liberties might carry on their Schemes and
compleat their system of Tyranny without Opposition or
Molestation. The first part of their plan, they imagin'd they had
finish'd; that is, the Establishment of a Revenue: And though
this was far from being sufficient to answer their whole purpose,
they thought that if they could put the people to sleep, they
might the more easily add to this revenue, at some future time,
and plead the present submission for a precedent. They therefore
began upon the second and equally important part of their plan,
which was to appropriate the revenue they had rais'd, to set up
an Executive, absolutely independent of the legislative, which is
to say the least, the nearest approach to absolute Tyranny.
The Governor, who was the first American PENSIONER, had now an
exhorbitant Salary allowed him out of the monies extorted from
the people: And although this was directly repugnant to the
obvious meaning, if not the very letter of the Charter, much was
said by CHRONUS and the Tribe of ministerial Writers in Mr.
DRAPER'S paper, to reconcile it to the people. But the people,
whom they generally in their incubrations treated with an air of
contempt, as an unthinking herd, had a better understanding of
things than they imagined they had. They were almost universally
disgusted with the Innovation, while the advocates for it were
yet endeavoring to make the world believe, that the opposition to
it arose from a few men only, of "no property" and "desperate
fortunes," who were "endeavoring to bring things into confusion,
that they might have the advantage of bettering their fortunes
by plunder." Little did they think that it was then known, as it
now appears in fact, that those who were assiduously watching for
places, preferment and pensions, were in truth the very men of NO
PROPERTY, and had no other way of mending thier shattered
fortunes, but by being the sharers in the spoils of their
country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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