attended to. He who doubts of the former is a desponding coward, and
he who wilfully disturbs the latter is a traitor. Their characters
are easily fixed, and under these short descriptions I leave them for
the present.

One of the greatest degrees of sentimental union which America ever
knew, was in denying the right of the British parliament "to bind the
colonies in all cases whatsoever." The Declaration is, in its form,
an almighty one, and is the loftiest stretch of arbitrary power that
ever one set of men or one country claimed over another. Taxation was
nothing more than the putting the declared right into practice; and
this failing, recourse was had to arms, as a means to establish both
the right and the practice, or to answer a worse purpose, which will
be mentioned in the course of this number. And in order to repay
themselves the expense of an army, and to profit by their own
injustice, the colonies were, by another law, declared to be in a
state of actual rebellion, and of consequence all property therein
would fall to the conquerors.

The colonies, on their part, first, denied the right; secondly, they
suspended the use of taxable articles, and petitioned against the
practice of taxation: and these failing, they, thirdly, defended
their property by force, as soon as it was forcibly invaded, and, in
answer to the declaration of rebellion and non-protection, published
their Declaration of Independence and right of self-protection.

These, in a few words, are the different stages of the quarrel; and
the parts are so intimately and necessarily connected with each other
as to admit of no separation. A person, to use a trite phrase, must
be a Whig or a Tory in a lump. His feelings, as a man, may be