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

Apology of the Paxton Volunteers - 5

Let this unjust infringement of our Rights be removed before they ever pretend to be influenced by the Principles of common Justice, the Dictates of Conscience or the miseries of their fellow Subjects? Tis true they gave up some of their Seats in the Assembly in the last War, when they could no longer hold them, & when we were obliged to deny some of our murdered Brethren the Privilege of a Grave until we had brought them to Philad. & exposed them with all their Wounds to open View; if peradventure we might thereby excite their Compassion for our Distress. But they still left the Root of the Evil, & retained the Power of filling the House when they had pleased; which Power they have again exercised; & had not Providence Favoured us the last Summer in preserving Coll. Boquett with his little army, they had again involved our Frontier in one general Devastation. Notwithstanding previous & warm Remonstrances against their Resolutions of affording him no Assistance, they persevered in their Determinations, & absolutely putt it out of the Power of the Governor & Provincial Commissioners to send any escort with him to Fort Pitt, when every Person in the Government saw that if he was defeated or cut off in his March that important Fortress must have shared the same fate with the unhappy Presque Isle, Sandusky, Mihillimakinac, Miiamis, St. Marys and St. Josephes which with many of our Indian Traders must have fallen a Sacrifice to Indian cruelty; and four whole Counties have inevitably deserted their Habitations, & left the Means of their Subsistence in the Hands of the Savages. [Quakers may talk what they will of the Happiness & Justice of their Administration, but these are glaring Evidences of their unjustifiable Usurpation, their thirst of Power, their Want of the Principles of Justice & the common Feelings of human Nature for the distressed; that we cannot but blame them as the Cause of many of our Sufferings.

Does this Conclusion seem to [sic] severe to [any?] or not sufficiently supported? Let us attend a little to some other Facts, which appear to us to confirm the same Judgement of them.] ‘Tis true that the Assembly last year voted 800 men to guard the Frontiers. But had the Design been to have sent so many to have only looked on the Ravages that were committed amongst the back Setlers without giving them the least assistance, it could not have been more effectually executed. They were prohibited by Law from going over the Boundaries of the purchased Lands after the Enemy altho this power was granted to the Gov. by the Royal Ch. Every Person in the Province saw that his was only to insult our Distresses. For 100,000 men could not have guarded 200 miles of a Frontier against the Invassions of the Savages in this manner. Whereas 800 men might have done great Service, had they been allowed authorized [sic] to follow them into their own country. There were a thousand chances to one

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