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

The Plain Dealer, Numb. II - 9

them,---and drops all Prosecution of their Crimes,”---because it was not a King’s Government. Now what Man in his Senses would decline petitioning for a Change of Government, seeing all those Disturbances are the Consequence of being under Proprietaries? For we were under the Government of the King, his very Name, without the Assistance of Military Force, would quell such Rioters, and make them shrink into Nothing,

SUCH are the Conclusions to which our Author’s Arguments tend: Who can consider them and not be convinced?

FROM whence proceed those Tumults? Attend to our Author and you will be informed.---”The People who think themselves injured in Point of Property, are discontented with the Government, and grow turbulent; and the Proprietaries useing the Powers of Government to procure for themselves Justice in Points of Property, render those Powers odious;” for if you examine this Matter, you will find that People of captious and dishonest Principles, never settle in any Governments under the King, and of Consequence there is no Necessity of using the Powers of Government to bring such to Reason. Can our Author view those Insinuations without a Blush? He certainly could not have been ignorant that he was grossly misrepresenting Facts, which it was impossible should pass undetected.

The Proprietaries so far from having been the Occasion of Uneasiness to the People, as to stir them up to Insurrections, that they have not only indulged them with the most extensive Credit for their Lands, but even suffered many to sit down upon them, who never entered into the lead contract for them, and they have been afterwards admitted to become Purchasers on the very Terms that those enjoyed, who had fairly agreed for their Lands,---There are even Instances of their giving up their Property for the Service of the People;---this will appear upon examining the Votes of Assembly for the Year 1738, where, our Author must have read, that on Occasion of a Bill for renewing and remit-

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Mistakenly attributed by Evans to Hugh Williamson, author of numbers 1 and 3. Cf. the Advertisement in number 3, where it is stated: The author of this is obliged to the gentleman, who wrote the piece which was published on Teusday [sic], by the title of Plain dealer, no. 2. As his endeavours to prevent the people from being deceived by the chicane of a faction, prove him to be a friend to the oppress'd inhabitants of this province. Dated May 7, 1764. Imprint supplied by Evans.