Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/32

24 : Emigrants of property will not chooe to come to a country whoe form of government hangs but by a thread, and who is everyday tottering on the brink of commotion and diturbance: And numbers of the preent inhabitants would lay hold of the interval to dipoe of their effects, and quit the Continent.

But the mot powerful of all arguments is, that nothing but independence, i. e. a Continental form of government, can keep the peace of the Continent, and preerve it inviolate from civil wars. I dread the event of a reconciliation with Britain now, as it is more than probable, than it will be followed by a revolt omewhere or other, the conequences of which may be far more fatal than all the malice of Britain.

Thouands are already ruined by Britih barbarity: Thouands more will probably uffer the ame fate. Thoe men have other feelings than us who have nothing uffered. All they now poes is liberty, what they before enjoyed is acrificed to its ervice, and having nothing more to loe, they didain ubmiion. Beides, the general temper of the Colonies towards a Britih government will be like that of a youth, who is nearly out of his time; they will care very little about her: And a government which cannot preerve the peace, is no government at all, and in that cae we pay our money for nothing; and pray what is it that Britain can do, whoe power will be wholly on paper, hould a civil tumult break out the very day after reconciliation? I have heard ome men ay, many of whom I believe poke without thinking, that they dreaded an independence, fearing that it would produce civil wars: It is but eldom that our firt thoughts are truly correct, and that is the cae here; for there are ten times more to dread from a patched up connexion, than from independence. I make the ufferers cae my own, and I protet, that were I driven from houe and home, my property detroyed, and my circumtances ruined, that as a man enible of injuries, I could never relih the doctrine of reconciliation, or conider myelf bound thereby.

The Colonies have manifeted uch a pirit of good order and obedience to Continental government, as is ufficient to make every reaonable peron eay and happy on that head. No man can aign the leat pretence for his fears, on any other grounds, than uch as are truly childih and ridiculous, viz. that one Colony will be triving for uperiority over another.

Where there are no ditinctions, there can be no uperiority; perfect equality affords no temptation. The republics of Europe are all (and we may ay always) in peace. Holland and Swierland are without wars, foreign or dometic: Monarchical governments, it is true, are never long at ret; the Crown itelf is a temptation to enterpriing ruffians at home; and that degree of pride and inolence ever attendant on regal authority, wells into a rupture with foreign powers, in intances, where a republican government, by being formed on more natural principles, would negociate the mitake.