I79^« the Informer. 25 



sense it be all powerfull, consists of men wlio are 

 not infallible. The decrees of this afsembly, are 

 often weak, contradictory, unjust, and destructive 

 to the people, for whose service the members 

 of it were created. These decrees ought there- 

 fore to be canvafsed with freedom, their tendency 

 examined, and whenever they are plainly pernici- 

 ous, their faults ought to be exposed, their bane- 

 ful influence be held up to view, that the people 

 may be enabled to unite and demand that they 

 Ihould be repealed. The minister may be im- 

 peached at the bar of the House of Lords, and pu- 

 niflied for his crimes, the parliament may be tried 

 by the dictates of reason, when arraigned before 

 the tribunal of the people ; and if, by their acts, 

 they fhall be convicted of ignorance or neglect of 

 duty, they ought to be required either to correct 

 their errors, or to give place to others who are 

 better qualified than themselves to discharge the 

 important functions of that office. 



On these principles, I, who am a friend to go- 

 vernment, stand up for the supremacy of reason, 

 and lay claim to the privilege of investigating, 

 with unlimited freedom, the tendency of decrees 

 which have obtained the sanction of the legisla- 

 ture. In doing so I act the part of h friend to 

 good government, to the king, and to my country. 



The excise laws fhall be the subject of the pre- 

 sent discufsion. And here I wifh to lay it down 

 as a principle, that whatever law fhall be found 

 tobe well adapted for raising a considerable re- 

 enue to the crown ; or in other words for obtain- 



voj,, vii. O I 



