THE TOWN OF WHITE PLAINS. 561 



How then can they justify their choice of a committee ? or how can they presume 

 to impose upon the world, and to insult the Loyal County of Westchester in so 

 barefaced a manner ? It is well known here that two-thirds, at least, of the in- 

 habitants of this county are friends to order and government, and opposed to 

 committees and all unlawful combinations ; and it will be made apparent to the 

 world that they are so, as soon as certain resolves, now signing freely by the 

 people, shall be ready for publication. And one principal reason why the friends 

 to government did not assemble in greater numbers than they did, on Tuesday 

 last, was that many of them had already, by signing those resolves, testified their 

 loyalty to the king, their attachment to the constitution, their enmity to the com- 

 mittees, and their acquiescence in the prudent measures taken by the Assembly 

 in the late session, for accommodating the unhappy differences between the 

 mother country and the colonies ; and consequently thought they had done their 

 duty. The committee that was chosen, may, with some kind of propriety, be 

 said to represent those particular persons who chose them ; but how they can be 

 denominated the Representatives of the County of Westchester, who, in general 

 abhor committees and committee men, and are determined to take no steps that 

 may lead them into rebellion, we cannot conceive ; certainly the friends to gov 

 eminent who were collected at Captain Hatfield's, had a better right from their 

 number to determine that there sSiould be no committee than the opposite party 

 had to appoint one, and might with much greater propriety be said to show the 

 sense of the County than the few who acted without authority and in direct op- 

 position to government, and to the determinations of our worthy Assembly ; and 

 we doubt not but the impartial public will consider the matter in this light, 

 and not esteem the act of a few individuals, unlawfully assembled, as the act 

 (which most assuredly is not), of the very respectable, populous, and Loyal 

 County of Westchester. « 



In answer to the above protest, occurs the following letter from Lewis 

 Morris, addressed "to the public:" — 



Moeeisauia, May 7th, 1775. 

 "A very extraordinary paper called a protest against toe proceedings of the 

 freeholders of the County of Westchester, relative to the election of Deputies for 

 the late Convention, and said to have been subscribed by the several pers >na 

 whose names are printed with it, was published in Mr. Rivington's and Gum's 

 Gazette, a few weeks ago. 



By whom this performance was given to the public is uncertain ; and, being 

 as little distinguished by decency as by truth, there is reason to suspect tn< au- 

 thor's name will remain a secret. The falsities contained in this representation, 

 are too flagrant to impose upon any person in this colony ; and, nothing but the 

 apprehension of its gaining credit in other parts of the world, would have in- 

 duced me to have made it the subject of animadversion. 



I shall pass over the many little embellishments with which the author's fancy 

 has endeavored to decorate his narrative ; nor, is it necessary to call in (juestion, 

 the reality of that loyal enthusiasm, by which it was said these good people were 



a American Archives, fourth series, vol. il, 321. 



