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wealbk04-第53章

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the whole empire。 The care of that defence and support is not

entrusted to them。 It is not their business; and they have no

regular means of information concerning it。 The assembly of a

province; like the vestry of a parish; may judge very properly

concerning the affairs of its own particular district; but can

have no proper means of judging concerning those of the whole

empire。 It cannot even judge properly concerning the proportion

which its own province bears to the whole empire; or concerning

the relative degree of its wealth and importance compared with

the other provinces; because those other provinces are not under

the inspection and superintendency of the assembly of a

particular province。 What is necessary for the defence and

support of the whole empire; and in what proportion each part

ought to contribute; can be judged of only by that assembly which

inspects and superintends the affairs of the whole empire。

     It has been proposed; accordingly; that the colonies should

be taxed by requisition; the Parliament of Great Britain

determining the sum which each colony ought to pay; and the

provincial assembly assessing and levying it in the way that

suited best the circumstances of the province。 What concerned the

whole empire would in this way be determined by the assembly

which inspects and superintends the affairs of the whole empire;

and the provincial affairs of each colony might still be

regulated by its own assembly。 Though the colonies should in this

case have no representatives in the British Parliament; yet; if

we may judge by experience; there is no probability that the

Parliamentary requisition would be unreasonable。 The Parliament

of England has not upon any occasion shown the smallest

disposition to overburden those parts of the empire which are not

represented in Parliament。 The islands of Guernsey and Jersey;

without any means of resisting the authority of Parliament; are

more lightly taxed than any part of Great Britain。 Parliament in

attempting to exercise its supposed right; whether well or ill

grounded; of taxing the colonies; has never hitherto demanded of

them anything which even approached to a just proportion to what

was paid by their fellow subjects at home。 If the contribution of

the colonies; besides; was to rise or fall in proportion to the

rise or fall of the land tax; Parliament could not tax them

without taxing at the same time its own constituents; and the

colonies might in this case be considered as virtually

represented in Parliament。

     Examples are not wanting of empires in which all the

different provinces are not taxed; if I may be allowed the

expression; in one mass; but in which the sovereign regulates the

sum which each province ought to pay; and in some provinces

assesses and levies it as he thinks proper; while in others; he

leaves it to be assessed and levied as the respective states of

each province shall determine。 In some provinces of France; the

king not only imposes what taxes he thinks proper; but assesses

and levies them in the way he thinks proper。 From others he

demands a certain sum; but leaves it to the states of each

province to assess and levy that sum as they think proper。

According to the scheme of taxing by requisition; the Parliament

of Great Britain would stand nearly in the same situation towards

the colony assemblies as the King of France does towards the

states of those provinces which still enjoy the privilege of

having states of their own; the provinces of France which are

supposed to be the best governed。

     But though; according to this scheme; the colonies could

have no just reason to fear that their share of the public

burdens should ever exceed the proper proportion to that of their

fellow…citizens at home; Great Britain might have just reason to

fear that it never would amount to that proper proportion。 The

Parliament of Great Britain has not for some time past had the

same established authority in the colonies; which the French king

has in those provinces of France which still enjoy the privilege

of having states of their own。 The colony assemblies; if they

were not very favourably disposed (and unless more skilfully

managed than they ever have been hitherto; they are not very

likely to be so) might still find many pretences for evading or

rejecting the most reasonable requisitions of Parliament。 A

French war breaks out; we shall suppose; ten millions must

immediately be raised in order to defend the seat of the empire。

This sum must be borrowed upon the credit of some Parliamentary

fund mortgaged for paying the interest。 Part of this fund

Parliament proposes to raise by a tax to be levied in Great

Britain; and part of it by a requisition to all the different

colony assemblies of America and the West Indies。 Would people

readily advance their money upon the credit of a fund; which

partly depended upon the good humour of all those assemblies; far

distant from the seat of the war; and sometimes; perhaps;

thinking themselves not much concerned in the event of it? Upon

such a fund no more money would probably be advanced than what

the tax to be levied in Great Britain might be supposed to answer

for。 The whole burden of the debt contracted on account of the

war would in this manner fall; as it always has done hitherto;

upon Great Britain; upon a part of the empire; and not upon the

whole empire。 Great Britain is; perhaps; since the world began;

the only state which; as it has extended its empire; has only

increased its expense without once augmenting its resources。

Other states have generally disburdened themselves upon their

subject and subordinate provinces of the most considerable part

of the expense of defending the empire。 Great Britain has

hitherto suffered her subject and subordinate provinces to

disburden themselves upon her of almost this whole expense。 In

order to put Great Britain upon a footing of equality with her

own colonies; which the law has hitherto supposed to be subject

and subordinate; it seems necessary; upon the scheme of taxing

them by Parliamentary requisition; that Parliament should have

some means of rendering its requisitions immediately effectual;

in case the colony assemblies should attempt to evade or reject

them; and what those means are; it is not very easy to conceive;

and it has not yet been explained。

     Should the Parliament of Great Britain; at the same time; be

ever fully established in the right of taxing the colonies; even

independent of the consent of their own assemblies; the

importance of those assemblies would from that moment be at an

end; and with it; that of all the leading men of British America。

Men desire to have some share in the management of public affairs

chiefly on account of the importance which it gives them。 Upon

the power which the greater part of the leading men; the natural

aristocracy of every country; have of preserving or defending

their respective importance; depends the stability and duration

of every system of free government。 In the attacks which those

leading men are continually making upon the importance of one

another; and in the defence of their own; consists the whole play

of domestic faction and ambition。 The leading men of America;

like those of all other countries; desire to preserve their own

importance。 They feel; or imagine; that if their assemblies;

which they are fond of calling parliaments; and of considering as

equal in authority to the Parliament of Great Britain; should be

so far degraded as to become the humble ministers and executive

officers of that Parliament; the greater part of their own

importance would be at end。 They have rejected; therefore; the

proposal of being taxed by Parliamentary requisition; and like

other ambitious and high…spirited men; have rather chosen to draw

the sword in defence of their own importance。

     Towards the declension of the Roman republic; the allies of

Rome; who had borne the principal burden of defending the state

and extending the empire; demanded to be admitted to all the

privileges of Roman citizens。 Upon being refused; the social war

broke out。 During the course of that war; Rome granted those

privileges to the greater part of them one by one; and in

proportion as they detached themselves from the general

confederacy。 The Parliament of Great Britain insists upon taxing

the colonies; and they refuse to be taxed by a Parliament in

which they are not represented。 If to each colony; which should

detach itself from the general confederacy; Great Britain should

allow such a number of representatives as suited the proportion

of what is contributed to the public revenue of the empire; in

consequence of its being subjected to the same taxes; and in

compensation admitted to the same freedom of trade with its

fellow…subjects at home; the number of its representatives to be

augmented as the proportion of its contribution might afterwards

augment; a new method of acquiring importance; a new and more

dazzling object of ambition would be presented to the leadi
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