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The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle
Portsmouth, Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
In a letter dated February 9, 1770, 'An Enemy to Oppression' protests the imprisonment of five Quakers in Worcester, Massachusetts-Bay, for refusing to pay taxes supporting a town minister, comparing it unfavorably to the Stamp Act and arguing it violates liberty, justice, and conscience.
Merged-components note: The dateline 'Feb. 9, 1770.' immediately follows and pertains to the letter to the editor about the Quakers, as indicated by spatial adjacency and content flow.
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As you lately intimated that the Freedom of the Press was the principal means of preserving a nation from tyranny, I doubt not you will readily insert the following, by which you will oblige a number of your readers, as well as your Humble Servant,
An Enemy to Oppression:
One day last week five of the people called Quakers, who had refused to pay the taxes, (or, if you please, you may call them duties, for the express purpose of raising a revenue,) for the support of a town minister, were committed to close goal at Worcester, in the province of the Massachusetts-Bay, and not allowed either fire or bed; which treatment far exceeds the inhumanity of Turks, and I believe is equal to that of down-right asses !---surely, imprisoning people in order to make them pay a tax, to support a minister of different principles from themselves,and which it is against their consciences to pay, is worse than enforcing the Stamp-Act : against which all North-America so loudly, vehemently, and justly; remonstrated. And I will appeal to the whole Continent. whether confining one set of people in close jail, in the rigour of winter, to extort from them a maintenance for those of a different persuasion, who are able to support, themselves, be not highly inconsistent With that spirit of LIBERTY; which so eminently distinguishes all the Colonies for Patriotism at this time, as well as repugnant to justice, reason, or even common sense ?
Do as you wou'd be done unto, is the Law of nature and of God.
Feb. 9, 1770.
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Letter to Editor Details
Author
An Enemy To Oppression
Recipient
The Printer Of The Newport Mercury
Main Argument
imprisoning quakers for refusing to pay taxes to support a minister against their conscience is tyrannical, worse than the stamp act, inconsistent with colonial liberty, and repugnant to justice and reason.
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