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penfably neceffary: indufiry, frugality, and economy. These will perform wonders; thefe will work out your falvation. Are they painful and felf-denying? You will find them very little fo when you have once entered heartily into the practice of them: they will rather improve than diminish the health of your bodies, the peace of your minds, and every laudable enjoyment. Ye farmers, look over your lands, and fee what parts may be cultivated to more advantage, how you can raife more grain and flax, keep more cows and sheep, fat more cattle, fell more beef and pork, and other articles of produce. Study agricul ture; carry it to the greatest perfection: it is the bafis of our wealth, of manufactures, and of all gainful commerce. Gentlemen and ladies, old and young, look over your expenfes and manner of living. You will fhow the trueft and moft reputable patriotism by retrenching fuperfluities. Caft an eye back frequently upon the plain, cheap, and frugal manner in which your worthy and pious ancestors lived a century ago. Need we be afhamed, in this difficult day, to conform more to it than we do? Yea, would it not be to our honour? Don't murmur at, or envy thofe, who you fee are able to pay their taxes seasonably, and at the fame time to live in what is called a more fafhionable ftyle than you, Perfect equality, as to property, can never take place, even in the most popular governments: could it be brought about to-day, a thousand things, which nothing but Omnipotence could effect, would be neceffary to continue it for a year, confiftently with the natural rights and liberties of mankind, under any form of government which allowed any fuch thing as private property. Some always did, and always will obtain more money than others, from numerous caufes too obvious to be mentioned. There is a greater equality in this country than in almoft any other; and it may continue if it be not

our

our own fault: few freeholders need ceafe to be so, unless by influence of pride, indolence, and luxury.

Be jealous of your privileges; but let not your jealoufy grow into ill-natured and groundless fufpicions. Attend not to the complaints and murmurs of factious discontented perfons; for fome fuch will be found in all communities. Seek the redrefs of real grievances, if any fuch you have, in a conftitutional way, and not by mobs and riots; by these you will lofe more time, and money, and good temper, than can be compensated by all their influence. Be careful not to anticipate, by an anxious apprehenfive temper, troubles which may never come. Those best confult their own happiness, as well as the good of fociety, who ftudy to be quiet, and to attend to their own proper business. Don't be uneafy at the continuance of public burdens, as if they could be removed in a day or a year: time and patience, with a proper line of conduct, will daily leffen them, till they be all done away.

The fentiments, the confolation, and the line of conduct expreffed above, I have adopted, believing them to be dictated by reafon and the complexion of the times. I am no legiflator, hold no office under Government, nor ever fhall. I have realized what many profeffed a willingness to fubmit to at the beginning of the war-the lofs of near half the small property I had. I confider it as an honourable facrifice to the cause of liberty and of my country, and bear it patiently. I am, and always expect to be, in private and low life. I feel high fatisfaction in the freedom and independence of America, and doubt not of its growing profperity and welfare, if the conduct which I have flightly fuggefted is gone into by the people in general; which is accordingly recommended with earneftnefs and affection by

AN HONEST CHEERFUL CITIZEN.

On Redress of Grievances *.

By fome refolves of the discontented people of this State (Maffachusetts), it appears that the true cause of public grievances is miflaken, and confequently the mode of redrefs will be mistaken. It is laughable enough to hear the people gravely refolving, that the fitting of the General Court at Bofton is à grievance, when every body may recollect that about twelve years ago the removal of the Legiflature to Cambridge was a grievance-an unconftitutional ftretch of power, that threw the province into a buftle. A great change fince Hutchinfon's time! Boston then was the only proper feat of the Legif

lature.

Lawyers, too, are fqueezed into the catalogue of grievances. Why, Sir, lawyers are a confequence, not a cause, of public evils. They grow out of the laziness, dilatorinefs in payment of debts, breaches of contract, and other vices of the people-juft as mushrooms grow out of dunghills after a fhower-or as diftilleries fpring out of the taste for New-England rum. The fober, induftrious, frugal Dutch in NewYork, and the Quakers and Germans in Pennfylvania, have no occafion for lawyers-a collector never calls upon them twice-and they feel no grievances. Before the war there was, in Orange county, New-York, but one action of debt tried in eighteen years. O happy people! happy times! no grievances!

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Now,

* Published in the State of Massachusetts, during the time of the conventioneering.

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This fact having fallen in my way, I fhall enable the reader to compare it with another fact, contained in the following article, taken from a New-York paper, called the Commercial Advertiser (formerly the Minerva) of the 13th of March, 1798:

"The following statement is given from the beft poffible calcu ❝lation and regular information which can be obtained, and though "confiderably

Now, in my humble opinion, there are but two effectual methods of redreffing grievances; one depends

"confiderably under-rated, will how that an amount of dollars "almost incredible is annually bestowed on the lawyers and fe"riffs in the city of New-York.

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Average fuits of law commenced in the city of New-York from "the third Tuesday in November, 1797 (a fpace of four months), "is twelve thousand five hundred, the termination of which is "proportioned as follows:

"Council fees, writ, and service, average fix dols. fifty "cents each

"[Two tenths fettled on fervice of the writ, or with drawn by the plaintiff.]

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"Three tenths continued to declaration, and judgment
"confeffed, average coft at twenty-five dols. each
"Two tenths fettled after judgment is obtained and en-
"tered up, ditto forty do.
"Three tenths execution ferved, cofts, and poundage, will
frequently amount to one hundred dols. average at
fifty dols. calculated (whilft fome have from ten to
twenty) for three executions to be lodged against
"each imprisoned debtor, or fuch who fettle without
"imprisonment

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"Annual diftribution amongst the lawyers and fheriffs of New-York

"One hundred and fifty citizens of New-York on the "average are imprifoned for debt in the county jail "and elsewhere. Their fupport for one year, each per day feventy-five cents

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ἐσ "One third have families. Fifty families fupport for do. do. two dols. fifty cents

·

"The annual lofs of property facrificed to prevent an "equal diftribution, exclufive of the lofs fuftained by "the debtor's living deprived of attending his affairs, "cannot be ascertained. For one year the lofs, only at about twenty individual insolvents, which actually devolves on creditors, is upwards of

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Dollars

81,250

118,750

100,000

187,500

477,500

40,959

45,625

500,000

1,541,575

Thus, before the war, Orange county faw but one action of debr tried in eighteen years; and, fince the war, the city and county of New-York (in the fame State) have feen upwards of twelve thou fand actions of debt commenced in four months. The city anCountyof New-York are much more populous, and more commerciad

thal,

pends on the people as individuals-and the other on the fupreme executive authority.

As to the first, let every perfon, whether farmer, mechanic, lawyer, or doctor, provide a small box (a fall box will be big enough), with a hole in the lid. When he receives a thilling, let him put fixpence into the box, and use the other fixpence in providing for his family-not rum or feathers, but good bread and meat. Let this box remain untouched until the collector fhall call; then let it be opened, the tax paid, and the overplus of cash may be expended on gauze, ribands, tea, and New-England rum. Let the box then be put into its place again, to receive pence for the next collector. This method will redress all grievances, without the trouble, noise, and expenfe of town meetings, conventions, and mobs.

As to the other method, I can only fay, were I at the head of the executive authority, I fhould foon put the queftion to a decifive iffue. It fhould be determined, on the first insurrection, whether our lives and our properties fhall be fecure under the law and the conftitution of the State, or whether they muft depend on the mad refolves of illegal meetings. Honeft men then would know whether they may reft in fafety at home, or whether they must seek for tranquillity in some distant country.

AN INDUSTRIOUS MAN,

The Devil is in You*.

That the political body, like the animal, is liable to violent diseases, which, for a time, baffle the healing

than Orange county; but, at this time, I dare fay there are two thoufand actions of debt commenced annually in Orange county, where there was, before the war, only one action of this fort tried in eighteen years.

* Published in Boston shortly after the preceding letter.

art,

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