Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/46

38 It is by the ale of thoe lands, that the debt may be unk, without burthen to any, and the quit-rent reerved thereon will always leen, and in time will wholly upport the yearly expence of government. It matters not how long the debt is in paying, o that the lands, when old, be applied to the dicharge of it, and for the execution of which, the Congres for the time being will be the Continental trutees.

I proceed now to the econd head, viz. which is the eaiet and mot practicable plan, or ; with ome occaional remarks.

He who takes nature for his guide is not eaily beaten out of his argument, and on that ground, I anwer generally—That being a, contained within ourelves; and reconciliation a matter exceedingly perplexed and complicated and in which a treacherous capricious court is to interfere, gives the anwer without a doubt.

The preent tate of America is truly alarming to every man who is capable of reflection. Without law, without government, without any other mode of power than what is founded on, and granted by courtey. Held together by an unexampled concurrence of entiment, which is nevertheles ubject to change, and which every ecret enemy is endeavouring to diolve. Our preent condition is, legilation without law; widom without a plan; a contitution without a name; and, what is trangely atonihing, perfect independence contending for dependence. The intance is without a precedent; the cae never exited before; and who can tell what may be the event? The property of no man is ecure in the preent unbraced ytem of things. The mind of the multitude is left at random, and eeing no fixed object before them, they purue uch as fancy or opinion tarts. Nothing is criminal; there is no uch thing as reaon; wherefore every one thinks himelf at liberty to act as he pleaes. The Tories would not have dared to aemble offenively, had they known that their lives, by that act, were forfeited to the laws of the tate. A line of ditinction hould be drawn, between EnpliſhEngliſh [sic] oldiers taken in battle, and inhabitants of America taken in arms. The firt are prioners, but the latter traitors. The one forfeits his liberty, the other his head.

Notwithtanding our widom, there is a viible feeblenes in ome of our proceedings, which gives encouragement to dientions. The Continental Belt is too looely buckled. And if omething is not done in time, it will be too late to do any thing, and we hall fall into a tate, in which neither Reconciliation nor Independence will be practicable. The King and his worthles adherents are got at the old game of dividing the Continent, and there are not wanting among us, Printers, who will be buy in preading pecious falhoods. The artful and hypocritical letter, which appeared a few months ago in two of the New-York papers, and likewie in two others, is an evidence, that there are men who want either judgment or honety. It