Page:An Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress.djvu/23



would preent itelf at firt ight? The expedient, I mean, of directing the Governors, in the firt intance, to refue their aent to all extraordinary bills, affecting the trade, or navigation, or property, of its ubjects in general; or its own jut and contitutional prerogative. Thee points might, and perhaps not improperly, have been referred to the ole cogniance of the upreme legilature of the whole empire. But Government, it hould eem, apprehenive, on the one hand, that this might, in ome caes, bear hard on the Colonies; and unwilling, on the other, to entrut to the ole judgment of a local Governor, what ought to be ubmitted to the judgment of the King, better able to ee and to combine the interets of the empire at large, did not adopt this expedient.

eaier mut it have been to jutify the Crown, had the Governors been intructed not to aent to any uch extraordinary law, till a copy of the bill hould have been tranmitted, and the royal approbation obtained. But o anxious was the Crown to guard againt every unneceary inconvenience that might accrue to the Colonies, that even this expedient was not adopted without a particular qualification. Had the copy of the bills been tranmitted, they mut, when returned with the royal approbation, have waited for another aembly; have repaed through all the forms of being read, debated and approved, by the Aembly, the Council, and the Governor. Much time might have been lot, and the operation of the law, where the law was approved, upended longer than was needful.

prevent this inconvenience it was, that the Governors were empowered to give their aent, even to thee