The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

122 THE FREEMAN Februarytions against the tax. Virginia ledthe way under the prodding ofPatrick Henry. He charged thatthe Stamp Act was an act of tyrannyand was reported to have declared': "Tarquin and Caesar hadeach his Brutus, Charles the Firsthis Cromwell, and George theThird -" The Speaker of theHouse interrupted him to declarethat he had spoken "Treason!"With only a brief pause, Henrycontinued: "- may profit by theirexample! If this be treason, makethe most of it."16 Not all of Henry'sresolutions were adopted bythe House of Burgesses (thoughthey were all published in newspaperselsewhere), but, of thosethat were, the following gives thecrux of the argument:Resolved. That the taxation of thepeople by themselves, or by personschosen by themselves to representthem, who can only know what taxesthe people are able to bear, or theeasiest method of raising them, andmust themselves be affected by everytax laid on the people, is the onlysecurity against a burthensome taxation,and the distinguishing characteristickof' British freedom, withoutwhich the ancient constitution cannotexist.l 1Massachusetts sought to go beyondthe action of separate reso­16 Ibid., p. 87.17 Richard B. Morris, The AmericanRevolution (Princeton: D. Van Nostrand,1955), P. 90.lutions by colonial legislatures tosome sort of common action. Theassembly of that colony, therefore,sent out a call for a congress. Itwas fulfilled, at least partia.lly, bythe meeting of the Stamp ActCongress in New York in October,of 1765. Six legislatures sent delegates,and three other colonieswere represented by delegates notso formally chosen. The delegatesin Congress assembled affirmedtheir allegiance to the king andtheir willing subordination toParliament when it acted properly.But they resolved that therewere limits to this authority, someof which they spelled out:That it is inseparably essential tothe freedom of a people, and the undoubtedright of Englishmen, that notaxes be imposed on them but withtheir own consent, given personallyor by their representatives....That the only representatives ofthe people of these colonies are personschosen therein by themselves,and that no taxes ever have been orcan be constitutionally imposed onthem, but by their respective legislatures.ISThe most dramatic action, ofcourse, was direct action. Thegroundwork was laid for directaction by the Committees of Correspondence,and much of it wasdone by the Sons of Liberty. Thefirst effort was to secure the res-18 Ibid., p. 91.