The Virginia Gazette

To Messrs. Purdie & Dixon.

Gentlemen,

I belong to a club in this town, that meet once a week, and who, though we differ now and then about politics, are all of us very sincere friends to liberty and America. At our last meeting a question was put how far the present modes of association are consistent with our notions of the natural rights of mankind.

Various reasoning was advanced for and against their consistency, but what made the greatest impression on all present were the observations of a worthy member, a native of this country, whose great sense, and goodness of heart, will ever secure to him the esteem of all those that have the happiness of his acquaintance, and who could never, in friendly disquisitions of this nature, confine his regard to a corner.

After expatiating on the origin and helpless state of man, as an individual, he very feelingly pointed out, both from nature and reason, the early necessity for their forming themselves into society, for mutual support; and after giving a general detail of the various modes of government, introduced into the world from the earliest ages to the present time, he concluded with observing, but with the utmost deference to characters, that the mode of our present associations had, as far as they could be supposed to operate, a tendency to defeat the original end and design of all society: For, says he, here we see property seized, detained, nay destroyed, at the arbitrary will of a few individuals. But, adds he, after some pause, every society has laws for its own protection against the incursions of individuals; and it is the felicity of community, said he, in these latter ages, that no one can in this, nor in any other civilized country under the sun, unlawfully seize, detain, destroy, or convert to his own use, the property of another, with impunity.

MERCATOR.