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Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

An Address to the Rev. Dr. Alison - 20

Members to represent it in Assembly. Calculate the Number of Members which the five Frontier Counties ought to send, by the same Rule of Proportion; and Lancaster, York, and Northampton, will be found to be entitled to send no more than what they now have a Right to send by the Laws in force; Cumberland one more than it ought, and Berks one less.* Thus you find, upon a candid and fair Examination that the Complaint which you have wickedly infused into the Heads of the Frontier Inhabitants against the Quakers, is without the least Justice or Foundation The Frontier Counties are upon the whole, as fully represented as the first and principal County in the Province.—Indeed they are not equally represented among themselves, as one of them enjoys the Right of sending one Member more than it ought, and another sends one less.

BUT supposing the Frontier Counties had not been equally represented—Why is this Charge made against the Quakers? Was not the Number of the Representatives established by an Act of the whole Legislature, in which the Governor, whom you will allow was not a Quaker, had an equal Share? And permit me also to remind you that the Inhabitants, at the Time they petitioned for these

^* Philadelphia County has 8321 Taxables, pays £. 12,466, Taxes, sends 8 Members.

Taxables.	Taxes.	Members.
Lancaster has 5635, pays	£. 6198.	sends 4	by Law, and is entitled to 4
York, 3302,	2641,	2	2
Berks, 3016,	2412,	1	2
Cumberland, 1501,	1200,	2	1
Northampton, 1989.	1392.	1	1
		10	10

In Proportion to the publick Taxes paid by any Part of the Pro|vince, we must naturally conclude there is an Interest to defend; so that whatever Number of Members Cumberland County may require to defend a Property that pays £. 1200, it must naturally follow, that Philadelphia County which pays above ten Times that Sum, should at least have ten Times the Number of Representatives, and the other Counties in the same Proportion.

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