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

An Address to the Rev. Dr. Alison - 21

Counties to be formed out of the old Ones, never requested in any of their Petitions to have a separate Election.— All the Inconveniencies therein complained of, were the Distance from the Courts of Justice, and the Difficulty of attending them to bring Malefactors to Justice, or to recover their civil Rights, when invaded. And the Government might have remedied the Mischiefs pointed out to them, and left the People of these Counties to attend the Election of Representatives in the old Counties, without any reasonable Complaint, as has been done in two neighbouring Provinces.

BUT what fully evinces the Absurdity of some of the back Counties complaining that their Interest suffers by the interior Counties having a greater Number of Representatives than they, and shows that they have been put upon this Measure to answer Party Purposes, is, that they have generally elected a Part of their Representatives from among the Inhabitants of Philadelphia, owing to their having hardly any Persons of sufficient Liesure and Property in their own Counties, who would be at the Trouble and Expence of serving them in that Capacity. So that if they were to have an additional Number allow'd them, they would be obliged to elect them from the City likewise, which would make the Ballance, if at present against them, still greater in their Disfavour. Even those Members who are chosen among themselves, can scarce ever be got to attend more than half a Sessions, alledging, that they cannot afford to be absent so long a Time from their Families and Business; and I am convinced, that if those Counties were obliged to send 8, or even 4 Members each, to the Assembly, from among their own Inhabitants, and their Wages to be paid by the County, we should have much louder Complaints on that Head, than any we have yet had for Want of Representatives.

I shall add to the Evidences already given of the charitable Disposition of the Quakers towards the Presbyterians on the Frontiers, what you mention in your Letter

Contents of this annotation: