Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

draw themselves from the Houfe: The House, on the other Hand, voted this to be a Treachery, and farther prepared and prefented the following Request to the Governor : viz.

[ocr errors]

"To the Governor and Council, fitting at Philadelphia, the twentieth Day of the third Month, 1689.

66

66

-66

"We the Reprefentatives of the Freemen of Pennfylvania, and Territories thereof, in Affembly "met, being much difappointed in our Expectation "in not finding any Bills prepared and promulgated "by you for a further Concurrence: And perceiving "three Members duly elected to ferve in Council (in "whofe Wisdom and Faithfulness we much confide) "too long kept out: And that a Member of our own, is treated with great Rigour and Severity in "the Time of Affembly, and not allowed to be with "us, though most of us have known him to have "been serviceable therein thefe feveral Years: We (being under a Strait in these Confiderations) do request your tender Regard of our Grievances already presented, and of our Answer presented to "the Governor in Council, to his Speech delivered to us there; and we do defire, you do not go to "difmifs us until we are received, and righted in our juft Complaints: And that we be not difcouraged "in charging before the Provincial Council, fuch "Perfons or Members whom we can with great

..

66

66

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Probability make appear to be ill Minifters and "chief Authors of the prefent Arbitrarinefs in Go"vernment; and who are Men unworthy, as we "conceive, to be much confulted with, and unfit "to be chief Magiftrates.-What we purpose to "do herein, fhall be orderly, speedily, and within "Bounds."

It does not appear that this Requeft met with any Regard, or that the Proprietary Intereft gained any

Ground

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

Ground in the Affemblies held the two fubfequent Years: And, in the Year 1693, the King and Queen affumed the Government of the Colony into their own Hands; under what Pretext, in Virtue of what Management, whether to gratify any Displeasure conceived against Mr. Penn, or in Concert with him, is not specified.

Colonel Fletcher was appointed Governor of NewYork and Pennsylvania by one and the fame Commiffion, with equal Powers and Prerogatives in both Provinces; as if there was no fuch Thing as a Charter

extant.

This Commiffion of his was, alfo, accompanied with a Letter from the Queen, counterfigned Notting bam, requiring him, as Governor of Pennsylvania, to fend fuch Aid or Affiftance, in Men or otherwise, for the Security of the Province of New-York against the Attempts of the French and Indians, as the Condition of the faid Colony would permit, as if the Good-Will of the Freemen was no longer worth mentioning.

To the Affembly, however, this royal Vifiter thought fit to communicate both his Commiffion and her Majesty's faid Letter. But then it was an Affembly widely different from that appointed by their Charter. Inftead of fix Members for each of the fix Counties, thofe of Philadelphia and Newcastle were reduced to four each, and the Rest to three: Difference fixteen: And, as an Act of Grace, his Excellency difpenfed with the Oaths of fuch as made it a Point of Confcience not to fwear; and accepted a written Profeffion and Declaration of Allegiance before established in their Stead. Whether fo strange an Innovation was openly and fpecially complained of or not, the Affembly had nevertheless the Spirit to open their Seffion with the following Refolution, which paffed Nem. Con," That the Laws of this "Province that were in Force and Practice before "the Arrival of this prefent Governor, are ftill in

"Force:

"Force: And that the Affembly have a Right hum"bly to move the Governor for a Continuation or "Confirmation of the fame.".

[ocr errors]

86

66

They also interwove this Vote of theirs in their Address to him, and, not unartfully, introduc'd it under the Umbrage of an Infinuation, that the King and Queen had thought fit to appoint him to be their Governor, becaufe of the Abfence of their Proprietary; but deriv'd no Benefit from it: For the Governor bluntly told them, "He was forry to find their De "fires grounded upon fo great Mistakes." Adding these emphatical Expreffions, "The Abfence of the Proprietary is the leaft Cause mention'd in their Majefty's Letters Patent, for their Majefties afferting their undoubted Right of governing their Subjects in this Province. There are Reafons of "greater Moment: As the Neglects and Miscarriages in the late Administration; the Want of neceffary Defence against the Enemy; the Danger of "[the Province must be understood] being loft from "the Crown.-The Conftitution of their Majefties "Government and that of Mr. Penn's are in direct "Oppofition one to the other: If you will be tenaci"ous in ftickling for this, it is a plain Demonstration, use what Words you please, that, indeed, 66 you decline the other.'

66

ઃઃ

66

[ocr errors]

The Affembly again, not to be wanting in Duty to the King and Queen, nor Confiftency to themfelves, admitted their Majefties Right of Government to be indubitable; but would not allow themfelves to be under any Mistake in Relation to the Proprietary's Abfence. "And to the other Reasons render'd, (faid they in their Remonftrance) for the fuperfeding our Proprietary's Governancy, we apprehend [they] are founded on Mifinformations; "for the Courts of Juftice were open in all Counties "in this Government, and Juftice duly executed "from the higheft Crimes of Treafon and Murder "to the determining the loweft Difference about Property, before the Date or arrival of the Go

66

[ocr errors]

"vernor's

"vernor's Commiffion. Neither do we apprehend, "that the Province was in Danger of being loft from "the Crown, although the Government was in the "Hands of fome whofe Principles are not for War. "And we conceive, that the prefent Governancy hath "no direct Oppofition (with Refpect to the King's "Government here in general) to our Proprietary's "William Penn, though the Exercise of thy Authority "at prefent fuperfedes that of our faid Proprietary: "Nevertheless we readily own thee for our lawful "Governor, faving to ourselves and thofe whom we reprefent, our and their juft Rights and Privi

"leges.

[ocr errors]

Proceeding then to Bufinefs, they voted a Supply; but inclin'd to have their Laws confirm'd and their Grievances redrefs'd firft: Accordingly, they fent up a Committee of ten, with the Book of their Laws to the Governor for his Acceptance and Ratification: And, after a long Debate between him, affifted by five of his Council, and them, which was terminated on his Side fomewhat equivocally, he fent two of the faid Council to affure the Houfe, in his Name, of his Confirmation of all the faid Laws (excepting one relating to Shipwrecks) during the King's Pleafure: For which they thought proper to return him a Vote of Thanks.

Nor is it much to be wonder'd at, that Men taken by Surprize out of the Hands of their Friend the Proprietary, and expos'd at once to a Wrestling Match with the Crown, which they had never had any immediate Tranfactions with before, fhould fubmit to hold their Liberties by Courtefy, rather than incur the leaft Rifque of not holding them at all.. ***

There was, however, a Party among them, who having drawn up a Petition of Right, claiming and defiring the Ufe and Benefit of two hundred and three Laws therein fpecify'd, as in all Refpects confonant to their Charter, and none of them annull'd by the Crown in Confequence of the Power referv'd to the Sovereign would hear of no Abatement; and who

had

had Credit enough with the Affembly to obtain the fending a Meffage to the Governor, fignifying, "that it was the Senfe and Expectation of the Affembly, "that Aggrievances ought to be redress'd before any "Bill of Supply ought to pafs."

And here their Hearts fail'd them :-For the Governor having return'd the Bill fent up with the Meffage which he had propos'd Amendments to, without any Specification of what thofe Amendments were to be, with the following Anfwer," that the "Affembly fhould have no Account of the Amend"ments of the Bill, till they came in a full House "before him to give the last Sanction to the Laws," -and farther, "That he faw nothing would do but "an Annexion to New-York," the Menace carry'd the Supply.

When the Bill for granting it was however fent up, they not only fent up the Roll of their Laws with it, but alfo gave that Part of their Order the first Place in their Books.

They further" Refolved, nem. con, that all Bills "fent to the Governor and Council in order to be "amended, ought to be return'd to this Houfe, to "have their farther Approbation upon fuch Amendments, before they can have their final Affent to pafs into Laws."

[ocr errors]

And tho' they did not join with their Committee of ten in the following Paper, they fuffer'd it to be enter'd in their Books, by way of Proteft on their Behalf. To wit,

66

"We whofe Names are hereunto fubfcrib'd, Re"prefentatives of the Freemen of this Province in Affembly, do declare, it is the undoubted Right " of this Houfe to receive back from the Governor " and Council all fuch Bills as are fent up for their "Approbation or Amendments: And that it is as "neceffary to know the Amendments, and debate the "fame, as the Body of the Bills: And that the Denial of that Right is Deftructive to the Freedom " of making Laws. And we alfo declare, it is the

« VorigeDoorgaan »