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U. H.
Journal
1659-98
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innocent people & the ruin of more yet living in their Estates
& Plantations You think You have done better by giving Us
a power to maintain War without the Province by levying tobo
what signifys that Act unless by a Cessation You bring it to a
Value & Estimation could Tobacco procure so much as Credit
for meat & drink & necessary Expences at New York for per-
sons to be sent thither, Col Nicholls might perhaps procure Us
a certain & cheap peace with the Ciniquos as is manifest by
his noble Obliging & friendly Letters sent into this Province
But as the Case stands the Governour can neither arm Soldiers
to fight for You nor send Commrs to treat for You, nor indeed
accept of that Act for maintaining War without the Province
without hazarding his Honour not only to the Censuring of
our neighbouring Governments but also to the Scorn of the
Pagan & Infidell. Wherefore We now as before protest We
are innocent of the Blood already spilt having done our En-
deavours in the last Assembly to prevent it, & will hold our-
selves guiltless of all the Blood that may hereafter be shed for
want of your Care in this Assembly if You consent not to a
Cessation from planting Tobo for the Year 1667 which alone
can put the Governour into a Condition to secure You
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p. 114
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Consider further that a Glutt must needs be the Effect of
planting still as much as before, A Stint is impracticable so that
there is no Way left but a Cessation
Upon a Glutt of Tobacco necessarily follows the Ruin of the
House-holder & Master of Servants, the Tobacco they make
being so little worth that a Servants Cargo shall not Cloath
him & renew his time, the Consequence of which must be that
the Richest of us all at last must beat his own Bread for want
of Servants tho' the poor man will be the first shall feel it, be-
cause it may so fall that two Servant's Labour may clothe &
purchase One when one Man's Labour shall not purchase any
We will yet for this poor man's sake make one Instance more,
Quick Dispatch is the life of Trade, for which Reason the rich
man that can com pleat a Merchant's Freight with Speed shall
be served when a poor man his Crop not exceeding 6 or 8 hhds
Tob. shall starve for Want
If that fail the Rich have means to take freight certain in
England by which means if Freight be scant, the Rich will have
it all, if plenty the Rich being supplyed by their own Returns
or Credit the poor will be sacrificed to the rapacious Avarice
of the Trades there being none to beat the price but those
whose Wants will not permit them to expect & must therefore
perish or run more in Debt, so that upon the whole matter, if
either You will hearken to the crying Necessitys of the poor,
the groans of those that live in fear of a pagan Enemy or to
hear the honour of Government You will join with Us in a
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