the quaker colonies-第16节

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eir　best　lands　were　taxed　at　the　rate　paid　by　the　people　on　their　worst。　This　obvious　quibble　of　course　raised　such　a　storm　of　opposition　that　the　Quakers；　joined　by　classes　which　had　never　before　supported　them；　and　now　forming　a　large　majority；　determined　to　appeal　to　the　Government　in　England　to　abolish　the　proprietorship　and　put　the　colony　under　the　rule　of　the　King。　In　the　proposal　to　make　Pennsylvania　a　Crown　colony　there　was　no　intention　of　confiscating　the　possessions　of　the　proprietors。　It　was　merely　the　proprietary　political　power；　their　right　to　appoint　the　Governor；　that　was　to　be　abolished。　This　right　was　to　be　absorbed　by　the　Crown　with　payment　for　its　value　to　the　proprietors；　but　in　all　other　respects　the　charter　and　the　rights　and　liberties　of　the　people　were　to　remain　unimpaired。　Just　there　lay　the　danger。　An　act　of　Parliament　would　be　required　to　make　the　change　and；　having　once　started　on　such　a　change；　Parliament；　or　the　party　in　power　therein；　might　decide　to　make　other　changes；　and　in　the　end　there　might　remain　very　little　of　the　original　rights　and　liberties　of　the　colonists　under　their　charter。　It　was　by　no　means　a　wise　move。　But　intense　feeling　on　the　subject　was　aroused。　Passionate　feeling　seemed　to　have　been　running　very　high　among　the　steady　Quakers。　In　this　new　outburst　the　Quakers　had　the　Scotch…Irish　on　their　side；　and　a　part　of　the　Churchmen。　The　Germans　were　divided；　but　the　majority　enthusiastic　for　the　change　was　very　large。

There　was　a　new　alignment　of　parties。　The　eastern　Presbyterians；　usually　more　or　less　in　sympathy　with　the　Scotch…Irish；　broke　away　from　them　on　this　occasion。　These　Presbyterians　opposed　the　change　to　a　royal　governor　because　they　believed　that　it　would　be　followed　by　the　establishment　by　law　of　the　Church　of　England；　with　bishops　and　all　the　other　ancient　evils。　Although　some　of　the　Churchmen　joined　the　Quaker　side；　most　of　them　and　the　most　influential　of　them　were　opposed　to　the　change　and　did　good　work　in　opposing　it。　They　were　well　content　with　their　position　under　the　proprietors　and　saw　nothing　to　be　gained　under　a　royal　governor。　There　were　also　not　a　few　people　who；　in　the　increase　of　the　wealth　of　the　province；　had　acquired　aristocratic　tastes　and　were　attached　to　the　pleasant　social　conditions　that　had　grown　up　round　the　proprietary　governors　and　their　followers；　and　there　were　also　those　whose　salaries；　incomes；　or　opportunities　for　wealth　were　more　or　less　dependent　on　the　proprietors　retaining　the　executive　offices　and　the　appointments　and　patronage。

One　of　the　most　striking　instances　of　a　change　of　sides　was　the　case　of　a　Philadelphia　Quaker；　John　Dickinson；　a　lawyer　of　large　practice；　a　man　of　wealth　and　position；　and　of　not　a　little　colonial　magnificence　when　he　drove　in　his　coach　and　four。　It　was　he　who　later　wrote　the　famous　〃Farmer's　Letters〃　during　the　Revolution。　He　was　a　member　of　the　Assembly　and　had　been　in　politics　for　some　years。　But　on　this　question　of　a　change　to　royal　government；　he　left　the　Quaker　majority　and　opposed　the　change　with　all　his　influence　and　ability。　He　and　his　father…in…law；　Isaac　Norris；　Speaker　of　the　Assembly；　became　the　leaders　against　the　change；　and　Franklin　and　Joseph　Galloway；　the　latter　afterwards　a　prominent　loyalist　in　the　Revolution；　were　the　leading　advocates　of　the　change。

The　whole　subject　was　thoroughly　thrashed　out　in　debates　in　the　Assembly　and　in　pamphlets　of　very　great　ability　and　of　much　interest　to　students　of　colonial　history　and　the　growth　of　American　ideas　of　liberty。　It　must　be　remembered　that　this　was　the　year　1764；　on　the　eve　of　the　Revolution。　British　statesmen　were　planning　a　system　of　more　rigorous　control　of　the　colonies；　and　the　advisability　of　a　stamp　tax　was　under　consideration。　Information　of　all　these　possible　changes　had　reached　the　colonies。　Dickinson　foresaw　the　end　and　warned　the　people。　Franklin　and　the　Quaker　party　thought　there　was　no　danger　and　that　the　mother　country　could　be　implicitly　trusted。

Dickinson　warned　the　people　that　the　British　Ministry　were　starting　special　regulations　for　new　colonies　and　〃designing　the　strictest　reformations　in　the　old。〃　It　would　be　a　great　relief；　he　admitted；　to　be　rid　of　the　pettiness　of　the　proprietors；　and　it　might　be　accomplished　some　time　in　the　future；　but　not　now。　The　proprietary　system　might　be　bad；　but　a　royal　government　might　be　worse　and　might　wreck　all　the　liberties　of　the　province；　religious　freedom；　the　Assembly's　control　of　its　own　adjournments；　and　its　power　of　raising　and　disposing　of　the　public　money。　The　ministry　of　the　day　in　England　were　well　known　not　to　be　favorably　inclined　towards　Pennsylvania　because　of　the　frequently　reported　willfulness　of　the　Assembly；　on　which　the　recent　disturbances　had　also　been　blamed。　If　the　King；　Ministry；　and　Parliament　started　upon　a　change；　they　might　decide　to　reconstitute　the　Assembly　entirely；　abolish　its　ancient　privileges；　and　disfranchise　both　Quakers　and　Presbyterians。

The　arguments　of　Franklin　and　Galloway　consisted　principally　of　assertions　of　the　good　intentions　of　the　mother　country　and　the　absurdity　of　any　fear　on　the　part　of　the　colonists　for　their　privileges。　But　the　King　in　whom　they　had　so　much　confidence　was　George　III；　and　the　Parliament　which　they　thought　would　do　no　harm　was　the　same　one　which　a　few　months　afterwards　passed　the　Stamp　Act　which　brought　on　the　Revolution。　Franklin　and　Galloway　also　asserted　that　the　colonies　like　Massachusetts；　the　Jerseys；　and　the　Carolinas；　which　had　been　changed　to　royal　governments；　had　profited　by　the　change。　But　that　was　hardly　the　prevailing　opinion　in　those　colonies　themselves。　Royal　governors　could　be　as　petty　and　annoying　as　the　Penns　and　far　more　tyrannical。　Pennsylvania　had　always　defeated　any　attempts　at　despotism　on　the　part　of　the　Penn　family　and　had　built　up　a　splendid　body　of　liberal　laws　and　legislative　privileges。　But　governors　with　the　authority　and　power　of　the　British　Crown　behind　them　could　not　be　so　easily　resisted　as　the　deputy　governors　of　the　Penns。

The　Assembly；　however；　votedtwenty…seven　to　threewith　Franklin　and　Galloway。　In　the　general　election　of　the　autumn；　the　question　was　debated　anew　among　the　people　and；　though　Franklin　and　Galloway　were　defeated　for　seats　in　the　Assembly；　yet　the　popular　verdict　was　strongly　in　favor　of　a　change；　and　the　majority　in　the　Assembly　was　for　practical　purposes　unaltered。　They　voted　to　appeal　to　England　for　the　change；　and　appointed　Franklin　to　be　their　agent　before　the　Crown　and　Ministry。　He　sailed　again　for　England　and　soon　was　involved　in　the　opening　scenes　of　the　Revolution。　He　was　made　agent　for　all　the　colonies　and　he　spent　many　delightful　years　there　pursuing　his　studies　in　science；　dining　with　distinguished　men；　staying　at　country　seats；　and　learning　all　the　arts　of　diplomacy　for　which　he　afterwards　became　so　distinguished。

As　for　the　Assembly's　petition　for　a　change　to　royal　government；　Franklin　presented　it；　but　never　pressed　it。　He；　too；　was　finally　convinced　that　the　time　was　inopportune。　In　fact；　the　Assembly　itself　before　long　began　to　have　doubts　and　fears　and　sent　him　word　to　let　the　subject　drop；　and　amid　much　greater　events　it　was　soon　entirely　forgotten。



Chapter　VIII。　The　Beginnings　Of　New　Jersey

New　Jersey；　Scheyichbi；　as　the　Indians　called　it；　or　Nova　Caesarea；　as　it　was　called　in　the　Latin　of　its　proprietary　grant；　had　a　history　rather　different　from　that　of　other　English　colonies　in　America。　Geographically；　it　had　not　a　few　attractions。　It　was　a　good　sized　dominion　surrounded　on　all　sides　but　one　by　water；　almost　an　island　domain；　secluded　and　independent。　In　fact；　it　was　the　only　one　of　the　colonies　which　stood　naturally　separate　and　apart。　The　others　were　bounded　almost　entirely　by　artificial　or　imaginary　lines。

It　offered　an　opportunity；　one　might　have　supposed；　for　some　dissatisfied　religious　sect　of　the　seventeenth　century　to　secure　a　sanctuary　and　keep　off　all　intruders。　But　at　first　no　one　of　the　various　denominations　seems　to　have　fancied　it　or　chanced　upon　it。　The　Puritans　disembarked　upon　the　bleak　shores　of　New　England　well　suited　to　the　sternness　of　their　religion。　How　different　American　history　might　have　been　if　they　had　established　themselves　in　the　Jerseys！　Could　they；　under　those　milder　skies；　have　developed　witchcraft；　set　up　blue　laws；　and　indulged　in　the　killing　of　Quakers？　After　a　time　they　learned　about　the　Jerseys　and　cast　thrifty　eyes　upon　them。　Their　seafaring　habits　and　the　pursuit　of　whales　led　them　along　the　coast　and　into　Delaware　Bay。　The　Puritans　of　New　Haven　made　persistent　efforts　to　settle　the　southern　part　of　Jersey；　on　the　Delaware　near　Salem。　They　thought；　as　their　quaint　old　records　show；　that　if　they　could　once　start　a　branch　colony　in　Jersey　it　might　become　more　populous　and　powerful　than　the　New　Haven　settlement　and　in　that　case　they　intended　to　move　their　seat　of　government　to　the　new　colony。　But　their　shrewd　estimate　of　its　value　came　too　late。　The　Dutch　and　the　Swedes　occupied　the　Delaware　at　that　time　and　drove　them　out。　Puritans；　however；　entered　northern　Jersey　and；　while　they　were　not　numerous　enough　to　make　it　a　thoroughly　Puritan　community；　they　largely　tinged　its　thought　and　its　law