396 GOVERNMENT, LAWS, [PART II. 



no proud and insolent grasping Borough- 

 mongers, who make the people toil and sweat 

 to keep them and their families in luxury ; 

 5th, that seats in the Congress are not like 

 stalls in Smithfield, bought and sold, or hired 

 out ; 6th, that the Members of Congress do not 

 sell their votes at so much a vote ; 7th, that 

 there is no waste of the public money, and no 

 expenses occasioned by the bribing of electors, 

 or by the hiring of Spies and informers ; 8th, 

 that there are no shootings of the people, and 

 no legal murders committed, in order to defend 

 the government against the just vengeance of 

 an oppressed and insulted nation. But, all is 

 harmony, peace and prosperity. Every man is 

 zealous in defence of the laws, because every 

 man knows that he is governed by laws, to 

 which he has really and truly given his assent. 

 412. As to the nature of the Laws, the Com 

 mon Law of England is the Common Laiv of 

 America. These States were formerly Colonies 

 of England. Our Boroughmongers wished to 

 tax them without their own consent. But, the Co 

 lonies, standing upon the ancient Laws of Eng 

 land, which say that no man shall be taxed with 

 out his own consent, resisted the Boroughmon 

 gers of that day ; overcame them in war ; cast 

 off all dependence, and became free and inde 

 pendent States. But, the great man, who con- 



