Search -
The life and public services of Samuel Adams
The life and public services of Samuel Adams Author:William Vincent Wells Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: the British Constitution, founded on the common rights of mankind. It is certain that we were in no sense represented in the Parliament of Great Britain where th... more »is act of taxation was made, and it is also certain that this law admits of our properties being tried in controversies arising from internal concerns by courts of admiralty without a jury. It follows that at once it annihilates the most valuable privileges of our charter, deprives us of the most essential rights of Britons, and greatly weakens the best security of our lives, liberties, and estates, which may hereafter be at the disposal of judges who . may be strangers to us, and perhaps malicious, mercenary, corrupt, and offensive. " Moreover, this act, if carried into execution, would become a further grievance to us, as it will afford a precedent for the Parliament to tax ns in all future time, and all such ways and measures as they shall judge meet, without our consent. " We therefore think it our indispensable duty, in justice to ourselves and posterity, as it is our undoubted privilege, in the most open and unreserved, but decent and respectful terms, to declare our greatest dissatisfaction with this law. And we think it incumbent upon yon by no means to join any public measures for countenancing and assisting in the execution of the same ; but to use your best endeavors in the General Assembly to have the inherent, inalienable rights of the people of this Province asserted and vindicated, and left upon the public records, that posterity may never have reason to charge the present times with the guilt of giving them away." After expressing the satisfaction of the town at the consent given by most of the other Colonies to the Congress proposed by the Massachusetts House, Mr. Otis is expressly enjoined " to c...« less