than endure some small present inconveniencies? Will you not
take a little trouble to transmit the advantages you now possess
to those, who are to come after you? I cannot doubt it. I would
not suspect you of so much baseness and stupidity, as to suppose
the contrary.

Pray who can tell me why a farmer in America, is not as
honest and good a man, as a farmer in England? or why has
not the one as good a right to what he has earned by his labour,
as the other? I can't, for my life, see any distincition between
them. And yet it seems the English farmers are to be governed
and taxed by their own Assembly, or Parliament; and the Ame-
rican farmers are not. The former ar to choose their own Re-
presentatives from among themselves, whose interest is connected
with theirs, and over whom they have proper controul. The
latter are to be loaded with taxes by men three thousand miles
off; by men, who have no interest, or connexions among them;
but whose interest it will be to burden them as much as possible;
and over whom they cannot have the least restraint. How do
you like this doctrine my friends? Are you ready to own the
English farmers for your masters? Are you willing to acknow-
ledge their right to take you property from you, and when they
please? I know you scorn the thought. You had rather die,
than submit to it.

But some people try to make you believe, we are disputing
about the foolish trifle of three pence duty upon tea. They
may as well tell you, that black is white. Surely you can judge
for yourselves. Is a dispute, whether the Parliament of Great-
Britain shall make what laws, and impose what taxes they please
upon us, or not; I say, is this a dispute about three pence duty
upon tea? The man that affirms it, deserves to be laughed at.

It is true, we are denying to pay the duty upon tea; but it
is not for the value of the thing itself. It is because we cannot
submit to that, without acknowledging the principle upon
which it is founded, and that principle is a right to tax us in all
cases whatsoever.

You have, heretofore experienced the benefit of being taxed
by your own Assemblies only. Your burdens are so light, that
you scarely feel them. You'd soon find the difference if you
were once to let the Parliament have the management of these
matters.