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Show I 44 ] the Bleflings of their fuccel'sful Struggles, {hould .nO t be, able to mill: a‘Thought beyond the Ideas affixed to iyftematic 1 erms. It was declared alfo by the Bill ef Rig/.715, that the Elections of Aleméerr of Parlia ment oucht to be free, and the common Law laid down thoe fame Rule before, which is as applicabl e to the Election. of the Reprei Entatives of the Colonies, as of the Commons of Greet-Britain, But with the Help of the Examiner's Logic, it might be pro ved from the Letter of the Bill of Rig/Dir, tha t the Ele ctions only of Alemberr cf Parlz'm-nent ought to be freefor the Freedom exprefled in the Bill of RlO‘hts, is as much attached to Ele ctions of Membe'iis 0% Parlia ment, as the Authority to grant Money is to [be Britilh Parliament, and if the Declaration in the one Cale imp lies a Negative, there is the like Implicationin the other; If, moreover, the common Law, the great Cha rter, and the Bill of Rights, do really, as the Examiner afferts with one Voice declare, that; the Inhabitan ts of tlie Colonies ought to be taxed only by the Britt/b Parlia- men t, it IS not confident wit h that Character of Vigilance, and Jealoufy of their Power, commonly alcri‘bcd to the Brill/9 Par their hrl't regular Settlementliament, that, from to the Reion of George III, the Aiizerz'em' Aflenibliesfliould nobt onl have been itifiered, withou t any Animadverfion Without one Relolve, or even a fingle Motion td reilrain 1 hem, to encroa ch upon the Jurifdiétion and Authority of the Brim/l a Parliament - but that: the Parliament lhould nev er before the late Siam - $7, in onellni'éanlce, hav e iriipofetl an internal . ax u on tie ‘oonies i) Reta"in/1:, ‘ and that _ , even \i/~hanMngggdiiiiliflfl 0f em bl patted 1n Coniequence [45] royal Requilitions have been laid before Them, They fhould be f0 far from objeéting to thei r Validity, as actually to recognize the Authorit y of the provincial Legiflatures, and upon that Fou ndation fuperi'trucft their own Refolves and Acts. But though it hath been admitted, that the Stamp-Alf? is the firft Statute that hath impofed an internal Tax upon the Colonies for lbeflizgle Purpofe of Revenue, yet the Advocates for that Law contend, that there are many Inf'tances of the Parliament's exercifing a fupreme legiflative Authority over the Colonies, and actually impofing internal Taxes upon their Properties-that the Duties upon any Exports or Imports are internal Taxes-That an Impol't on a foreign Commodity is as much an internal Tax, as a Duty upon any Produétion of the Plantations-That no Dil'tinco tion can be fupported between one Kind of Tax and another, an Authority to impoie the one extending to the other. If thefe Things are really as reprefented by the Advocates for the Stamp ACT, why did * the Chancellor of we Exelveguer make it a Qiefiion for the ‘ lhave prefumed to mention this Fae} upon the Authority of private Intelligence, as well as the News Papers, and other Publications, and though the Chancellor of the Exchequer ‘15 not named, yet the Fact feems in general to be referred to m the Poillcript to [be end/mt Lu‘ur concerning Libe/r. Harman, Seizure ef Paper:, and Security of 1/23 Peare, &e. m the followmg Words: " Otherwife (i. e. if it were not right {or the Far" lmment to refolve general Warrants to be illegal) let me all; "‘ 110w that "lumen/0m Refolution touching an Eng/if]; Parlia- " ment's Right of taxing the Colonies could bejuf'tified? It of Minifterial inforced by " was an independent lubilantive Refolution, followed by No" thing, (i. e. that Scfiion) and yet was a Refolutzon no: SM}: royal 0.. |