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Show [243 [ 25 ] not choofe wholly to break the American fpirit, chicane, what they think the onlyadvantage worth living for. This fierce fpirit of Liberty is fironger in the Englifh Colonies probably than in any other people of the earth; and this from a great variety of powerful caufes; which, to underftand the true temper of their minds, and the direction which this fpirit takes, it will not be amifs to lay open fomewhat more largely. becaufe it is the fpirit that has made the country. Lafily, we have no fort of experience in favour of force as an infirument in the rule of our Colonies. Their growth and their utility has been owing to methods altogether different. Our ancient indulgence has been {aid to be purfued to a fault. It may be f0. But we know, if feeling is evidence, that our fault was more Firft, the people of the Colonies are defcen- tolerable than our attempt to mend it; and our {in far more falutary than our penitence. dents of Englithmen. England, Sir, is a nation, which {till I hope refpeé'ts, and formerly Thefe, Sir, are my reafons for not entertaining that high Opinion of untried force, by which many Gentlemen, for whofe fentiments in other particulars I have great refpeét, feem to be to greatly captivated. But there is fill] behind a third confideration concerning this object, which adored, her freedom. The Colonif'cs emigrated from you, when this part of your character was mofi predominant; and they took this biafs and direction the moment they parted from your hands. They are therefore not only devoted to Liberty, but to Liberty according to Englifh ideas, and on Englifh principles. Abfiraft Li- ferves to determine my opinion on the fort of policy which ought to be purfued in'the manage- berty, like other mere abf'trac'tions, is not to be found. Liberty inheres in fome fenfible object; ment of America, even more than its Population and every nation has formed to itfelf fome favourite point, which by way of eminence becomes the criterion of their happinefs. It happened, you know, Sir, that the great contefis for free- dom in this country were from the earlieft times chiefly upon the quefiion of Taxing. Mofl: of the contef'ts in the ancient commonwealths turned primarily on the right of election of magiltrates; or on the balance among the feveral orders of the Rate. The quefiion of money was not with them: and Its Commerce, I mean its Temper and Chm mfz'er. In this Charaéter of the Americans, 21 love of Freedom is the predominating feature, which marks and difiinguithes the whole: and as an ardent lS always a jealous affection, your Colomes become fufpicious, reflive, and untracitable, whenever they fee the leaf't attempt to wrefli from them by force, or fhuffie from them by chicane, to immediate. But in England it was otherwife. |
