A Plea for the poor and distressed, against the bill for granting an excise upon wines and spirits distilled, sold by retail, or consumed within this province, &c. Approx. 25 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 14 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI : 2011-05. N05746 N05746 Evans 7296 APY0615 7296 99027670

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Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 7296. (Evans-TCP ; no. N05746) Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 7296) Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 7296) A Plea for the poor and distressed, against the bill for granting an excise upon wines and spirits distilled, sold by retail, or consumed within this province, &c. 14, [2] p. ; 18 cm. (8vo) Printed [by Thomas Fleet], Boston, : in the year 1754. Ascribed to the press of Thomas Fleet by Evans.

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eng Alcoholic beverage industry -- Taxation -- Massachusetts. Liquor laws -- Massachusetts. 2009-03 Assigned for keying and markup 2009-03 Keyed and coded from Readex/Newsbank page images 2010-03 Sampled and proofread 2010-03 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2010-04 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

A PLEA FOR THE Poor and Diſtreſſed, Againſt the BILL For granting an Exciſe upon Wines and Spirits diſtilled, ſold by Retail, or conſumed within this Province, &c.

BOSTON, Printed in the Year 1754.

A Plea for the Poor and Diſtreſſed, Againſt the BILL For granting an Exciſe upon Wines and Spirits diſtilled, ſold by Retail, or conſumed within this Province, &c.

IT has been ſaid of this Act, that it is intended to cauſe ſuch as ſpend their Money unneceſſarily in ſtrong Liquors, luxurious living, &c. to pay ſomething more than others towards the Support of Government; whether as a Puniſhment, or to reſtrain them, if it could be confin'd only to ſuch Perſons, the End propoſed would be good; and no doubt the good Intention of the Legiſlators in paſſing this Bill was ſuch; but to diſtreſs the Poor and Needy could not be intended by it; nor do we ſuppoſe it was to prevent the frugal and neceſſary Uſe of Spirituous Liquors, but to tax the Exceſs and unneceſſary Uſe of them. Therefore (as we have Leave) let us examine and find whether this Act will anſwer the propoſed End, without doing more Hurt than Good; and this may be done by comparing the different Manner of Living and Circumſtances of three ſeveral Sorts of Perſons in the Province.

1. The prudent, frugal, induſtrious honeſt Farmers and Huſbandmen, who live in Plenty, Peace and Safety, not acquainted with the Way and Manner that others live.

2. The poor expoſed ſuffering People in the Frontiers, labouring and expoſing themſelves to Danger, and patiently enduring Cold and Hunger, and many other Hardſhips in the Woods, endeavouring to make Settlements for themſelves and their Children, in doing of which they are a Wall, Cover and Defence to the Inland Plantations.

3. The Fiſhermen, neceſſary and profitable to the Country, whoſe Labour is great, their Profits little, and their Comforts leſs.

Firſt then, thoſe Farmers and Huſbandmen living in old Towns and Plantations, who have other Towns ſettled outſide them, live and enjoy their Families and Eſtates in Peace and Safety; they can attend their Buſineſs and Labours without Fear; they have all the Bleſſings of the Heavens; every Rain and Dew refreſhes the Fruits of their Lands, which bring them plenty of the beſt Food and good Raiment as the Earth can produce, and great variety of good Liquors (much better than Rum, the principal Thing aim'd at in this Bill to pay Exciſe for) they can and do make excellent Beer, Cider, and a variety of Spirituous Liquors, all of the Fruits of their Farms, the Lands, Vines, Trees, Buſhes and Herbs, which with only the Care and Labour of the Huſbandman and his own Family, with no other Expence, produce Plenty of rich Food, Raiment and exhilerating Spirits, equal as to its Uſefulneſs to any in the World. They have it not only in plenty for their own Uſe, but a great deal to ſpare, which they ſell for Money and enrich themſelves.—They ſleep quietly in their Houſes, their Fields are well ſecured from Danger, every one ſits quietly under his Vines and Fruit Trees, and none can make them afraid. They hear not (or at leaſt they fear not) the Alarm of War; their Perſons, Families and Eſtates are ſecure, protected and defended by the beſt Government upon Earth, and Laws which are as a Wall or Fence round about them, that none dare to touch them or theirs to their hurt, but may expect to be ſeverely puniſhed.—The good Providence of God has made a Hedge about them in ſuch Manner as their Civil and Religious Liberties and Privileges are ſo ſecured to them, as there is no Place in any Country, in any Nation or Kingdom, in more happy Circumſtances than theſe are in; it is much better than the Condition their Fore-Fathers were in, for they in Times paſt had War and Trouble. Then ſurely theſe People who now thus enjoy the Bleſſings of Heaven to ſuch a Degree in all Reſpects, would take it as a great Injury done them (and it may be ſo) to ſay of them that they are unwilling to bear a due Proportion according to their Ability, of the Charges of the Support of ſuch a Government under which they enjoy ſo much Good: They live as they liſt, their Eſtates are their own, abſolutely their own in Fee. No Lords over them, nor Quit Rents to pay, all are free Men and their Eſtates free, and they like Gideon's Brethren, each one reſembles the Children of a King.

Secondly. The poor expoſed ſuffering People in the Frontiers, thoſe who go into the Wilderneſs to clear and ſubdue the Lands to make Settlements, are generally very poor, and they muſt ſuffer great Hardſhips and Dangers; the Wilderneſs produces them no Corn for Bread, they muſt with great Pains clear the Land before they can till it:— A little Land takes many Years Labour to ſubdue and make it profitable, or in any conſiderable Meaſure uſeful; and while they are doing that, they muſt ſuffer for want of Victuals.—If they can have the Lands given them for clearing and ſettling it, they muſt firſt cut their Wood and Timber to ſell for Food to ſupport Life. Many of them are not able to buy Oxen to hale their Wood and Timber to a Landing Place for ſale, but are obliged to carry Wood and Timber upon their Shoulders to buy Bread and Cloathing for themſelves and their Children, ready to faint under their Burdens, yet preſſed on by pinching Want, get ſomething to fell to relieve them; but then they muſt venture it over Sea for Corn and Pork, and other Neceſſaries of Life, and wait the return, which is ſometimes long coming, ſometimes no return at all; but if they do receive the returns of their Labour, that is perhaps a little Indian Corn for Bread, and a little lean ſalt Meat, which may help to keep them alive as long as it laſts; but what is their Drink? Generally in the Woods their Drink is Water, not from good and wholſom Springs, but from Rivulets iſſuing from unwholſom Ponds and Marſhes, often poiſoned with Spawns of Toads, Frogs, creeping Things, hateful Inſects and Vermine, ſoaking through Heaths and Box and other poiſonous Bogs, Roots and Buſhes, which render the Waters very unwholſom, cauſing many Sickneſſes and Deaths.—And when they have clear'd a few Acres of Land, and can keep a Cow or two, this is ſomething, but will not ſupport them, their Dependance muſt ſtill be chiefly upon their Lumber for their living, their Lands not yet affording half ſufficient for the ſupport of their Families.—Then comes War, or a Rumour of War; Indians do Miſchief, their Houſes are like weak and defenceleſs Wigwams, they muſt fly or die; ſome get together into ſmall Huts fenced in with Poles, to ſave their Lives, and all they had at home laid Waſte and deſtroyed.—To keep in their weak Garriſons without Work, is Death; if they venture out, there is nothing but melancholy Aſpects, Deſolations and Fear on every Side; they are in continual Diſtreſs, the Enemy ſculking to catch them; the Famine is within their Walls; the Sword of the Wilderneſs without; difficult which Death to chooſe;—their Living is without any real Comfort:— Their Food but mean and ſcanty, their Cloathing rent and torn, ſcarcely ſufficient to keep them tolerably warm in the Winter; Wool and Flax they have none, or very little, their Wants are ſuch as cannot be eaſily expreſt; none knows their Sufferings, Fears, Dangers and Sorrows, but thoſe who have ſuffered with them; neither can they themſelves expreſs it.—Sometimes, when ſome of theſe poor Wretches have ſome Returns for their Wood and Timber, perhaps they may get a Bottle or Gallon of Rum to drink in the Woods, to prevent the evil Effects of thoſe Spawns and noxious Waters, and this is all they can have to drink (and this but ſeldom) beſides ſuch Waters; have but little Rum in all they can get; Beer they cannot have, Cider is not there, no Fruit Trees in the Woods and new Plantations; if any raiſe a Buſhel of Barley, they muſt eat it or ſtarve; they cannot ſpare any for Malt; and now if they drink a Dram of Rum they muſt keep account how much, and where and when they had it, and ſware to it, and pay Exciſe for it too, or pay £. 10 Lawful Money, as ſhall pleaſe the Deputy Exciſe Man.

Now compare theſe People's living with the former. Would the meaneſt Farmer or Huſbandman before-mentioned exchange Conditions or Livings with any of theſe? Surely no.—Yet Money to ſupport the Government (if this Bill ſhould paſs) muſt be taken from theſe poor half ſtarved People, much more than their Proportion according to their Eſtates, to eaſe the other who live at eaſe in ſafety, and were never acquainted with Hunger or Thirſt.—The Country allows Soldiers in Garriſon Beer to drink, if marching Men, a certain Allowance of Rum, which they don't pay Exciſe for, beſides their daily Allowance of Bread and Meat. Such Allowance many of theſe poor Inhabitants gladly would, but cannot get ſo much to live upon as well as Soldiers, yet tho' as much expoſed as Soldiers, and more too, they muſt pay Exciſe for every Bottle of Rum they or their Families drink, without regarding the neceſſity they are under, and without allowing them to live like other Men: The Farmer's Slaves In the Country, live abundantly better than moſt Men in the new Plantations can poſſibly live.

Farmers and Huſbandmen have no need of Rum, they have better Liquor and better living in all Reſpects, and all of their own raiſing.—And if they knew or could be made ſenſible of the miſerable Condition, Difficulties and Diſtreſſes of their poor Brethren and Neighbours who live in the Frontier Towns, they themſelves of meer Compaſſion would pay all their Taxes and their Exciſe too for them, and let theſe poor People go free.—They would conſider that ſome muſt be outſide next to the Indians, and it is impoſſible but they muſt ſuffer and endure many Hardſhips.—And to add weight to their heavy Burthens, by exacting an Exciſe upon them for the Neceſſaries of Life they uſe, ſuch as Rum, and other ſpirituous Liquors, to them in the Woods, is extreme hard.

Thirdly. The Fiſhermen; their Calling is honeſt, and a great Benefit to the Country in many reſpects.—The Fiſh and Lumber is all that this Country has of its own Produce, to export and trade with in other Parts of the World, to import Commodities from other Countries which are neceſſary to be uſed here, and that the Fiſhery ought to be encouraged none will deny.—The Work and Buſineſs is dangerous, hard and difficult. The Men are always expoſed to the Indian and French Pirates at Sea, alſo in their open Boats to the Storms, Rocks and Tempeſts, many Times not having a dry Garment for many Days or Weeks together; the Sea raging and breaking over them, looks as if they ſhould be immediately ſwallowed up; they ſuffer Wet and Cold, and Watching in bad Weather, and when the Weather is fair, the unwholſom Scent which always attends their Buſineſs from which they cannot go, but muſt endure it and work too, all this will try the ſtrongeſt Conſtitution; and in this Buſineſs it is neceſſary, and they muſt take a little Rum or other Spirits to keep up their Spirits, or they muſt ſurfeit or faint in their naſty, tho' neceſſary Employment. Theſe Men, ſo much expoſed every Day and Hour to the Danger of the Seas, and in Perils which way ſoever they turn, all Men who are acquainted with that Buſineſs allow, that they need and ſhould uſe more Rum than is neceſſary in any other Calling whatſoever: Yet no Farmer or Huſbandman would care to exchange Conditions with theſe for the ſake of their Rum.—Huſbandmen can lay dry in their Beds in ſtormy Weather, when Fiſhermen are moſt expoſed to the Weather, they muſt endure it or ſink, Wet, Cold and Hunger too, or eat raw Meat, as is ſometimes the Caſe; and notwithſtanding all the Fiſherman's Labours and Sufferings and great Pains he takes to live, they are generally very poor and in Debt, all they can get in the Year, will ſcarcely pay the Farmers for Corn and Meat to ſupply their poor Families in their Abſence. Let them be ever ſo induſtrious, their Living is but mean and low, yet becauſe they drink pretty much Rum, ſeven times their Share of the Support of Government muſt be laid upon them by Way of Exciſe. Theſe have little or no Eſtates to be ſaved or loſt, and thoſe that have great Eſtates ſafe and ſecure from Danger, are thereby eaſed of their Taxes, tho' much better able to pay them.

It is well known, that the Fiſhery and Lumber Trade is all that this Country has of its own Produce to trade and purchaſe Rum, Salt, Molaſſes, Cotton, Sugar, Wine and other Neceſſaries, from all parts of the World where we can Trade; and if thoſe who labour in Peril of their Lives, and procure thoſe very Things neceſſary to carry on our Trade and Merchandize, and procure Rum, &c. have no Liberty to make free Uſe of what comes by their own painful Labour and Care; they are in worſe Condition than were the Oxen in old Times, whoſe Mouths were not to be muzzel'd when they tread out the Corn.— All their doleful Circumſtances claim Pity and Compaſſion: And if inſtead of taking any Exciſe of theſe poor People in the Frontiers and Fiſhery for the Rum they drink, by an Exciſe upon Cider and Malt, there ſhould be a Soldiers Allowance of Rum and ſome other Bounty given to each of them, to encourage them and quicken their ſlow Motions towards their Settlements and Fiſhery, this would be more profitable for the Country than this ſtrange ſort of Exciſe. The Frontiers would be ſooner ſettled ſtrong and defenceable, and be a Wall to all the inland Parts of the Country, and they within ſafely raiſe Supply for the Fiſhery, which would be of great Service to all in every State and Condition in the Country, much more than this Exciſe will ever be.—

But here I am aware of an Objection, viz. That Cider and Malt is their own Produce. Anſwer, ſo is Rum as much the Fiſhermen and Lumber Men's Work and Produce as that is of the others, and is as much the Blood of theſe Men who venture their Lives in Jeopardy for it, as the Water of the Well of Bethlehem was the Blood of David's three mighty Men, and ſhould theſe now pay Exciſe to favour thoſe who never knew Danger?

☞ Taxes for the Support of Government is the beſt Money we lay out, whatever any may think of it; it is neceſſary next to Life itſelf, for without Government Life would be but a Burthen; it is a juſt Debt due from every one that lives in and hath the Benefit and Protection of the Government, in Proportion to their Subſtance kept and ſecured to them by it; and to take from the poor and needy to eaſe thoſe who are able and ought to pay it, it is not equal.

☞ The Fiſh and Lumber cannot be all uſed here, but is ſent to the Weſt India Iſlands, and part of the Rum purchaſed by theſe Commodities is ſent to Virginia, Carolina, and other Places, to procure Corn and Pork, to enable them to go on with their Labours and Fiſhery, or it muſt ceaſe, for this Country can't ſupply them with all Things neceſſary.

The Eaſtern Frontiers, more than a hundred Miles in length by the Sea (is all that the Province has now to defend) not one Town in it but what lies expoſed both to the Sea and Land Rovers, has been the Seat of War in all Times of War ever ſince New-England was firſt ſettled; every Town except three have been ſeveral Times wholly broken up and deſtroyed, and laid Waſte many Years, and thoſe three have had but a miſerable Life; ſometimes one part of a Town deſtroyed by the Indians, and ſometimes another part of the ſame, and this was the Caſe with all the three, always in Fear and in Danger; they could not improve their Lands: Never was any Town in the Country able to raiſe ſufficient Proviſion for their own Inhabitants, by reaſon of their continual Troubles: Their Dependance has been and ſtill is in almoſt every Town in the Country for their Victuals and Cloaths to be procured by their Lumber and Fiſhery, both which for ſome Years paſt have fail'd and come ſhort of a ſufficiency: They have not had Times of Peace ſufficient to raiſe Orchards and Fruit Trees: In a few Years of War their deſerted Fields are grown over with Buſhes, and upon reſettling requires new fencing and clearing, and Time to bring it fit to till.—They need ſome Cordial to comfort them in their Labours, which their Lands will not produce. They are glad of poor Food, and drink Water without any Thing elſe.—Then is there any Sin in the neceſſary and temperate Uſe of Rum? Muſt theſe be denied the uſe of a little Rum, the Fruit of their own Labour, or pay Exciſe for it, becauſe others have no need of it, but live without it better than theſe can with it?—Does it hurt any Body for theſe to have a little ſuch Spirits, which the Country think neceſſary to allow Soldiers in their Service?—What Injury is it to thoſe who uſe little or no Rum themſelves, if theſe at their own Coſt do uſe ſome?

An Exciſe upon Cider and Malt would raiſe more Money than this, and as I conceive would be a much better way, for thoſe beſt able would pay it.—As to the Method of collecting this new Sort of Exciſe, ſeveral have written their Thoughts, take mine alſo. Concerning the Behaviour of the Deputy Exciſe-Man towards ſeveral ſorts of Perſons, who muſt ſubmit to be examined and ſworn, as the Exciſe-Man or his Deputy pleaſes, he can exact or diſpence with the Oath; he is at Liberty, and thoſe ſubjected to his Authority are the Honourable Councellors, the Judges and Magiſtrates of the Land, the Gentleman Yeoman and Tradeſman, every Degree, Office and Calling (except a few Clergymen) Women alſo muſt endure a ſtrict Examination, and perhaps anſwer to very impertinent Queſtions, or the unmannerly Deputy will be affronted.

May it not be compared to Popiſh Auricular Confeſſion, or perhaps worſe in ſome reſpects? for whether they confeſs their Sins or not, they are like to ſuffer ſevere Pennance. A poor labouring Man that in the Courſe of the Year has had eight or ten Bottles or Pints of Rum, more or leſs, perhaps given to him by his Employers after faithful Service, to make merry, keeps no Account, nor does he know how to keep any, nor think it neceſſary, or it may be neglects it, and forgets whether he had half of it from a Perſon licenced or not; he comſumes it in his Family, don't expect to be call'd to Account for it, but finds himſelf miſtaken; when the Exciſe Man's Deputy comes, if he likes the poor Man's Wife, he will not like his Account, will not agree with him nor acquit him; it may be the Man cannot ſware to any Account; his Exciſe perhaps might amount to One Shilling, Lawful Money, and no more, yet he is threatned with the Penalty of Ten Pounds, that is £ 75. old Tenor, which is, it may be, more than ſuch a Man can get in Silver Money for his Labour in ſeven Years, and to pay that Sum would break up and deſtroy the Man and his Family. Ten Pounds, Lawful Money, is the Penalty, no Chancery in the Matter; none can remit the Fine but the Deputy Exciſeman; be this Man never ſo poor or innocent, he don't ſware, and it is the Pleaſure of the Exciſeman's Deputy that he ſhall be proſecuted, who is not worth the Money, nor is he ever like to be able to pay it; the Coſt of making any Defence will ruin him, to Priſon he muſt go, and feed the Jaylor, tho' he ſtarves himſelf; his Wife and Children have nothing to eat but his daily Earnings, Partners with him in his Sin in conſuming the Bottle of Rum.—Terrified at the Apprehenſion of his being taken from them, they find the Deputy Exciſeman inexorable, and are almoſt driven to Deſpair.—Tho' the General Court did not know who would be the Man, they have made Law enough for him to manage and triumph (not as they expected) but as he pleaſes.—Then if he in his abundant Lenity ſhall after much threatning, ſignify that the poor Man may be excuſed from a Proſecution, and from paying the Fine upon Terms he offers, to ſave the Man and his Family from ruin, the poor Woman, who always intended Honeſty, and now had rather continue ſo than otherwiſe; yet, to prevent what ſhe feared would be a worſe Evil, conſents or ſubmits to ſacrifice her Virtue to the letcherous Humour of a brawny Deputy-Exciſeman.

This is no uncharitable Surmiſe, but natural to ſuppoſe; and I am fully of Opinion, that if this Bill paſſes the Seal of the Province, there will be many Inſtances of this Kind in Town and Country, to the great Diſturbance of both.

This Act as I apprehend it, is big with many arbitrary Powers, Authorities and Advantages unwarily (not deſignedly) given to Perſons who the Legiſlators know not, nor how they will uſe their Authority; the vileſt of Men may be recommended, and obtain that Office too late to be remedied, and ſo this Act may eventually put a Sword into the Hand of a Rogue, to deſtroy the Poor, and he will doubtleſs make Uſe of it.

No Courts of Judicature have any diſpencing Power like this of the Exciſeman.—They are bound to do Juſtice according to the Laws. They may not ſay, this innocent Perſon ſhall be puniſhed, and that guilty Perſon go free: But all this at the abſolute Will and Pleaſure of a Deputy Exciſeman may be done, perhaps by ſuch a Fellow as cauſed the Inſurrection called Wat Tyler's Rebellion, which coſt many thouſand Perſons Lives.

The Governour's diſcerning Eye, and fatherly Care of the Province, in not paſſing this Act, is very conſpicuous, and ought never to be forgotten: It is having Compaſſion on this People;—ſaving them with Fear, pulling them out of the Fire.—It is to be hoped, as he had Wiſdom to foreſee the evil Conſequences of it, and Juſtice with Compaſſion to ſtay this Act from taking Effect, that he will ſtill continue his good Will and fatherly Kindneſs towards the Country, and finally to put a ſtop to this Act; in doing of which, he will, as I imagine, prevent many Evils that otherwiſe would unavoidably follow.—

As the Honourable Houſe of Repreſentatives has publiſhed part of the Exciſe Bill, on Purpoſe that the Minds of the Inhabitants of the Province concerning it may be known; it is ſuppoſed that they expect and deſire ſuch Perſons as do not like the Bill, to let them know their Thoughts about it with freedom: Nothing herein is meant or intended to give Offence to the Houſe, or to any particular Perſon, but to ſhew the Opinion of the Writer, which is call'd for, (however differing from others) it is here publiſhed, and he hopes will be favourably interpreted; and that if any Exciſe be granted, it may not extend to private Families, and that thoſe poor Perſons in the Frontiers and Fiſhery may be excuſed from paying any;—encouraged in their Buſineſs;—and ſome better Method found for collecting the Exciſe that may be granted;—which is humbly ſubmitted by their Advocate.—