port, in which they said that the act taxing the proprietary estates
upon a common basis with those of other owners was "fundamentally wrong
and unjust and ought to be repealed, _unless_ six certain amendments
were made therein." These amendments were, in substance, the
undertakings entered into in the bond of the colonial agents. Franklin
soon afterward had occasion to review this whole business. He showed
that of the six amendments, five were immaterial, since they only
expressed with greater clearness the intent of the Assembly. He admitted
that the sixth was of more consequence. It seems that L100,000 had been
voted, appropriated, raised, and expended, chiefly for the defense of
the colony. The manner of doing this was to issue paper money to this
amount, to make it legal tender, and then to retire it by the proceeds
of the tax levy. The proprietaries insisted that they could not be
compelled to receive their rents in this money, and the lords now found
for them. Franklin acknowledged that herein perhaps the lords were right
and the Assembly wrong; but he added this scathing paragraph:--

"But if he cannot on these considerations quite excuse the
Assembly, what will he think of those honourable proprietaries,
who, when paper money was issued in their colony for the _common
defense_ of their vast estates with those of the people, could
nevertheless wish to be exempted from their share of the
unavoidable disadvantages. Is there upon earth a man besides, with
any conception of what is honest, with any notion of honor, with
the least tincture in his veins of the gentleman, but would have
blushed at the thought, but would have rejected with disdain such
undue preference, if it had been offered him? Much less would he
have struggled for it, moved heaven and earth to obtain it,
resolved to ruin thousands of his tenants by a repeal of the act,
rather than miss of it, and enforce it afterwards by an
audaciously wicked instruction, forbidding aids to his king, and
exposing the province to destruction, unless it was complied with.
And yet, these are honourable men!"

This was, however, altogether a subordinate issue. The struggle had
really been conducted to determine whether the proprietary estate should
be taxed like other estates, and the decision upheld such taxation. This
was a complete triumph for the Assembly and their representative. "But