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4.26 PREFACE to Mu Galloway': Spear/J. ‘ ported, That he had then, in behalfofthe houfe, ‘ prefented their certificateof FiveliundredPounds ‘ to the Governor; who was pleafed to fay, hewas ‘ obliged to the houfe for the fame.'--Thus we fee the praétice of purchafing and paying for laws is interwoven with our proprietary conflitution, ufed in the belt times, and under the befiGovernors.---And yet, alas poor aficinblyl how will you {tear your brittle bark between thefe rocks ? [P. P.] Proprietarz'er Objeétions to a Law. 427 repofed in the Lieutenant-Governor by the royal charter to the rights of the people, whofe welf it was his duty to promote; and to the natureare of the contract made between the Governor and the governed, when the quit-rents and lice nce fees were ePtablifhed, which confirmed what the pro- prietaries call our " undoubted right" to nece flar laws.--But in the mouth of the Proprzi'tarler, or their creatures, "contrary to his duty, and to " every tie ofjuftice and honour," means his paf- If you pay ready momy for your laws, and thofe laws are not liked by the proprietaries, you are charged with bribery and corruption : If you wait ing laws contrary to proprietary inflrué'tions ; and a wlzile before you pay, you are accufed of detain- contrary to the bonds he had previoufly given to ing the Governor's cui‘tomary right, and dunned obferve thofe inflrué‘tions : as a negligent or diflionef't debtor, that refufes to ever, that were unjufl: and unconf'citutional ; and bonds, that were illegal and void from the be- difcharge a juf't debt ! Inf'truétions how. ginning. But Governor Denny's cafe, I (hall be told, differs from all thefe ; for the aCts he was induced to pafs Were, as the Prefacer tells us, ‘ coizzrrzry ‘ to lair duty, and to every tie qf lwzzour and ya ‘ ticc.' Such is the imperfection ofour language, and perhaps of all other languages, .thatlnotyvithllanding we are furnifhed with dictionaries innu‘ merable, we cannot precifely know the import of words, unlefs we know of what party the man is that utes them.-In the mouth of an qflmblyman, or true Penfylvanian, " contrary to his duty " and to every tie of honour andjuflice," would mean; the Governor's long refula] to pafs laws, however juft and necei'lary, for taxing the pro- prietary eltate: A refute], contrary to the truth 3 repofed Much has been {aid of the wickedmfi of Governor Denny in pafiing, and of the aflEmblyin prevailing with him to pafs, thofe 21618.. By thePrefacer's account of them, you. would think thelaws f0 obtained were all bad; for he {peaks-of but five"; of which fix he fays wererepealed, and the feventh reported to be ‘ fundamentally WRONG‘ ‘ and UNJUST,' ‘and ought to be repealed, 2m- ‘ lgfi fix certain amendments were made there-» »‘ in*.' Whereas in faét there were nineteen of ' "them ; and feveral of thofe mull: have been good. ‘laws, for even the Proprietaries did not object to them. Of the eleven that they oppofed, only; ' This aét is intitled, An aft for granting trr his Majelty the, fum of one hundred thouland pounds ; {hiking the fame in bills of credit, and finking the bills by a tax on all eflares real and perfonnl. 1112 fix, |
