the quaker colonies-第20部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


mighty　difference　composed。　The　Scotch…Irish　stated　their　grievances。　The　Moravian　Indians　ought　not　to　be　protected　by　the　government；　and　all　such　Indians　should　be　removed　from　the　colony；　the　men　who　killed　the　Conestoga　Indians　should　be　tried　where　the　supposed　offense　was　committed　and　not　in　Philadelphia；　the　five　frontier　counties　had　only　ten　representatives　in　the　Assembly　while　the　three　others　had　twenty…sixthis　should　be　remedied；　men　wounded　in　border　war　should　be　cared　for　at　public　expense；　no　trade　should　be　carried　on　with　hostile　Indians　until　they　restored　prisoners；　and　there　should　be　a　bounty　on　scalps。

While　these　negotiations　were　proceeding；　some　of　the　Scotch…Irish　amused　themselves　by　practicing　with　their　rifles　at　the　weather　vane；　a　figure　of　a　cock；　on　the　steeple　of　the　old　Lutheran　church　in　Germantownan　unimportant　incident；　it　is　true；　but　one　revealing　the　conditions　and　character　of　the　time　as　much　as　graver　matters　do。　The　old　weather　vane　with　the　bullet　marks　upon　it　is　still　preserved。　About　thirty　of　these　same　riflemen　were　invited　to　Philadelphia　and　were　allowed　to　wander　about　and　see　the　sights　of　the　town。　The　rest　returned　to　the　frontier。　As　for　their　list　of　grievances；　not　one　of　them　was　granted　except；　strange　and　sad　to　relate；　the　one　which　asked　for　a　scalp　bounty。　The　Governor；　after　the　manner　of　other　colonies；　it　must　be　admitted；　issued　the　long　desired　scalp　proclamation；　which　after　offering　rewards　for　prisoners　and　scalps；　closed　by　saying；　〃and　for　the　scalp　of　a　female　Indian　fifty　pieces　of　eight。〃　William　Penn's　Indian　policy　had　been　admired　for　its　justice　and　humanity　by　all　the　philosophers　and　statesmen　of　the　world；　and　now　his　grandson；　Governor　of　the　province；　in　the　last　days　of　the　family's　control；　was　offering　bounties　for　women's　scalps。

Franklin　while　in　England　had　succeeded　in　having　the　proprietary　lands　taxed　equally　with　the　lands　of　the　colonists。　But　the　proprietors　attempted　to　construe　this　provision　so　that　their　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。