USA > Pennsylvania > Pennsylvania: The German influence in its settlement and development, Pat VII > Part 16
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But, while ever on the alert to render assistance of this practical kind, he was at work in still other ways, his efforts all being directed towards the end so near his loyal Ger- man nature. His name will always be revered by Penn- sylvania-Germans for his unselfish work in the interest of his countrymen, and the two letters in their behalf, ad- dressed to Governor Morris, alone constitute a monument to his memory as enduring as brass or the pyramids of Egypt. They are here given in grateful memory of his excellent service in the cause of humanity.
CHRISTOPHER SAUR'S FIRST LETTER TO GOVERNOR MORRIS ON THE TRIALS AND WRONGS OF THE EARLY GERMAN IMMIGRANTS.
" Germantown, Pa., March 15th, 1755. "Honored and Beloved Sir :-
"Confidence in your wisdom and clemency made me so free as to write this letter to you. I would not have it that anybody should know of these private lines, otherwise it would have become me to get a hand able to write in a proper manner and style to a person as your station re- quireth.
"It is now thirty years since I came to this Province, out of a country where no liberty of conscience was, nor humanity reigned in the house of my then country lord, and where all the people are owned with their bodies to the lord there, and are obliged to work for him six days in every week, viz. : three days with a horse, and three days with a hoe,
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shovel or spade; or if he cannot come himself, he must send somebody in his place. And when I came to this Province and found everything to the contrary from where I came from, I wrote largely to all my friends and ac- quaintances of the civil and religious liberty, privileges, etc. and of the goodness I have heard and seen, and my letters were printed and reprinted and provoked many a thousand people to come to this Province, and many thanked the Lord for it, and desired their friends also to come here.
" Some years the price was five pistoles per head freight, and the merchants and the captains crowded for passen- gers, finding more profit by passengers than by goods, etc.
" But the love for great gain caused Steadman to lodge the poor passengers like herrings, and as too many had not room between decks, he kept abundance of them upon deck; and sailing to the Southward, where the people were at once out of their climate, and for the want of water and room, became sick and died very fast, in such a manner that in one year no less than two thousand were buried in the seas and in Philadelphia. Steadman at that time bought a license in Holland that no captain or merchant could load any as long as he had not two thousand loaded. This murderous trade made my heart ache, especially, when I heard that there was more profit by their death than by carrying them alive. I thought of my provoking letters being partly the cause of so many people's deaths. I wrote to the magistrate at Rot- terdam, and immediately the "Monopolium" was taken from John Steadman.
" Our Legislature was also petitioned, and a law was made as good as it is, but was never executed. Mr. Spofford, an old, poor captain, was made overseer for the
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New Overseers Suggested.
vessels that came loaded with passengers, whose salary came to from $200 to $300 a year, for concealing the fact that sometimes the poor people had but twelve inches place and not half bread nor water. Spofford died and our As- sembly chose one Mr. Trotter who left every ship slip, al- though he knew that a great many people had no room at all, except in the long boat, where every man perished. There were so many complaints that many in Philadelphia and almost all in Germantown signed a petition that our Assembly might give that office to one Thomas Say, an English merchant, at Philadelphia, of whom we have the confidence that he would take no bribe for concealing what the poor people suffered; or if they will not turn Mr. Trotter out of office, to give him as assistant one Daniel Mackinett, a shopkeeper in Philadelphia, who speaks Dutch and English, who might speak with the people in their language, but in vain, except they have done what I know not.
"Among other grievances the Germans suffer is one viz : that the ignorant Germans agree fairly with merchants at Holland for seven pistoles and a half 146 ; when they come to Philadelphia the merchants make them pay what they please, and take at least nine pistoles. The poor people on board are prisoners. They durst not go ashore, or have their chests delivered, except they allow in a bond or pay what they owe not; and when they go into the country, they loudly complain there, that no justice is to be had for poor strangers. They show their agreements, wherein is fairly mentioned that they are to pay seven pistoles and a half to Isaac and Zacharay Hoke, at Rotterdam, or their order at Philadelphia, etc. This is so much practiced,
146 SAUR here means the price for carrying immigrants from Rotterdam to Philadelphia.
المحوين
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that of at least 2,000 or 3,000 pounds in each year the country is wronged. It was much desired that among wholesome laws, such a one may be made that when ves- sels arrive, a commissioner might be appointed to inspect their and agreement and judge if 712 pistoles make not seven and a half. Some of the Assemblymen were asked whether there was no remedy? They answered, 'The law is such that whatis above forty shillings must be decided at court, and every one must make his own cause appear
Francis Daniel Pastorius
good and stand a trial.' A very poor comfort for two or three thousand wronged people, to live at the discretion of their merchants. They so long to go ashore, and fill once their belly, that they submit and pay what is demanded ; and some are sighing, some are cursing, and some believe that their case differs very little from such as fall into the hands of highwaymen who present a pistol upon their breast and are desired to give whatever the highwaymen pleaseth ; and who can hinder them thinking so? I, my- self, thought a commission could be ordered in only such cases, but I observed that our assembly has more a mind to prevent the importation of such passengers than to do justice to them; and seeing that your honor is not of the same mind, and intends to alter the said bill, I find my- self obliged to let your Honor know the main points, with- out which nothing will be done to the purpose.
" I was surprised to see the title of the bill, which, in my opinion, is not the will of the crown, nor of the proprietors ; neither is it the will of the Lord, who gives an open way that the poor and distressed, the afflicted, and any people
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THE PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN SOCIETY.
VI
J. P. BACHSE, PHOTO,
PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN ENTERPRISE.
INTERIOR OF AN OLD BORING-MILL ON THE TULPEHOCKEN. HERE RIPLE BARRELS WERE MADE DURING THE REVOLUTION.
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Evil Conduct of Ship Captains.
may come to a place where there is room for them ; and if there is no room for any more, there is land enough in our neighborhood, as there are eight or nine counties of Dutch (German) people in Virginia, where many out of Pennsyl- vania are removed to. Methinks it will be proper to let them come, and let justice be done them. The order of the Lord is such : 'Defend the poor and fatherless ; do justice to the afflicted and needy, deliver the poor and needy, and rid them out of the land of the wicked.'- Ps. 82.
" Beloved sir, you are certainly a servant of the Lord our God, and I do believe you are willing to do what lies in your power ; but I am ready to think, that as you left the bill to your councillors, you will not be so fully informed of the worst of the grievances, as one of them has a great share of the interest. If these are not looked particularly into, that which is the most complained of viz : that the captains often hurry them away without an agreement, or the agreement is not signed, or, if a fair agreement is written, signed or sealed, it will not be performed, and they must pay whatever they please; and when the people's chests are put in stores until they go and fetch money by their friends, and pay for what they agreed upon, and much more, and demand their chest, they will find it opened and plundered of part or all; or the chest is not at all to be found wherefore they have paid, and no justice for them, because they have no English tongue, and no money to go to law with such as they are; and that we have no such an officer as will, or can speak with the people but will rather take pay for concealing their griev- ances-and who will speak to such an one, as it stands?
"The law is, that ' a man may get security as good as he can.' But when merchants BIND some other people to-
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gether, whose families were obliged to die, and who are famished for want, and as a prisoner at the vessel is re- tained and forced to bind himself-one for two or three, who are greatly indebted and who, perhaps, pays his own debt while the others can't-he is freed to go out of the country, and will go rather than go to prison ; and if poor widows are bound for others much in debt, who will marry such a one? Must she not go sorrowful most of her lifetime ? " Formerly, our Assembly has bought a house on an island in the river Dela- EARLY COFFEE MILL. ware, where healthy people will soon become sick. This house might do very well in contagious distempers, but if a place were allowed on a healthy, dry ground-where, by a collection, the Germans might build a house, with convenient places, and stoves for winter, etc. ; it would be better for the people in common sickness where their friends might attend them and take care of them. They would do better than to perish under the merciless hands of these merchants ; for life is sweet.
" Beloved sir, I am old and infirm, bending with my staff to the grave, and will be gone by and by, and hope that your Honor will not take it amiss to have recommended to you the helpless. We beg and desire in our prayers that the Lord may protect you from all evil, and from all en- croachments, and if we do the like unto them that are in
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poor condition and danger, we may expect the Lord will do so to us accordingly ; but, if we do to the contrary, how can we expect the Lord's protection over us? For He promises to measure to us as we do measure.
" I conclude with a hearty desire that the Lord will give your Honor wisdom and patience, that your administration may be blessed, and in His time give you the reward of a good, true and faithful servant, and I remain your humble servant,
" Christoph Saur, " Printer in Germantown."
For some reason, Governor Morris, who was on bad terms with the House, did not regard the proposed bill favorably although he had recommended such a meas- ure himself in a message to the House on December 12th of the previous year.147 This angered the Assembly who sent him a sharp message on May 15, 1755, part of which is here given. «* * The grevious Calamities we were then threatened with, the melancholy Spectacle of the Distress of so many of our Fellow Creatures perishing for Want of Change of Apparel, Room, and other nec- essaries on board their Ships, and after being landed among Us the extreme Danger of the Benevolent and the Charitable exposed them to in approaching those un- happy Sufferers, together with the Governor's own Recom- mendation, gave Us Reason to hope that he might be at Liberty and that his own Inclinations would have induced him to have passed such a Bill as might prevent the like for the future, but we are under the greatest Concern to find Ourselves disappointed in these our reasonable Ex- pectations.
147 Colonial Records, Vol. VI., p. 190.
وشارات
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" By our Charters and the Laws of this Province the whole Legislative Power is vested in the Governor and the Representatives of the People; and as we know of no other Negative upon our Bills but what the Governor him- self has, we could wish he had been pleased to exercise his own Judgment upon this our Bill without referring the Consideration of it to a Committee of his Council most of them Such, as We are informed, who are or have lately been concerned in the Importations, the Abuses of which this bill was designed to regulate and redress.
" The German Importations were at first and for a con- siderable Time of such as were Families of Substance and industrious, sober, People, who constantly brought with them their Chests and Apparel and other Necessaries for so long a voyage. But these we apprehend have for some time past been shipped on board other vessels in order to leave more Room for crowding their unhappy Passengers in greater Numbers, and to secure the Freights of such as might perish during the voyage, which experience has convinced us must be the Case of very many where such Numbers (as have been lately imported in each Vessel) are crowded together without Change of Raiment or any other Means of Keeping themselves sweet and clean. But this Provision the Governor has been pleased to throw out of our Bill; and yet we think it so essentially necessary that the Want of it must necessarily poisen the Air those un- happy Passengers breathe on Shipboard, and spread it wherever they land to infect the Country which receives them, especially as the Governor has likewise altered the Provision We had made by the Advice of the Physicians for accommodating them with more Room and Air upon their Arrival here.
"We have reason to believe that the Importations of
INTO
Currency of the Revolutionary Period.
KHALUNITED STATES? Thirty Dollars.
STATES
No.
247
GIE S
This BILL entitles the Bearer to receive THIRTY Spanifh! milled DOLLARS or the Value thereof! in Gold or Silver, ac- cording'to a Refda- tion hafed by Con- grejs, at Forknown,
NNO.
BER
B
SEVEN DOLLARS.
CONTINENTAL CURRENG
Twenty Dollars. No,
This BILL entities the Bearer so receive TWENTY SPANISH MILLED DOLLARS, or the Value thereof in Gold or Silver, according to a Rejo- Exsion pafed by con- grejs, at Yorktown, utf April, 1778.
No.
SIX DOLLARS. THIS BILL entitles the Bearer to receiver SIX SPANISH MILLEDE DOLLARS, or the Va- lue thereof in GOLD o. SILVER, according to a RESOLUTION pafied byll CONGRESS, at Fork- Town, 11th April, 1778.5
SIX DOLLARS.
CONTINENTAL CURRENCY PRINTED AT EPHRATA. Fac-simile of an uncut sheet, by Julius F. Sachse.
SEVEN DOLLARS. THIS Bill entitles the Bearer to receive SE- VEN SPANISH milled DOLLARS, or the Value thereof in Gold or Silver, according to a Refolution pafed by CONGRESS, las YORK. TOWN, III APRIL, 1778.
XXX DOLLARS. "" April, 1778.
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Thirty DOLLARS.
Printed Cy H A I. L and SEL. LERS. 1773.
TRUEOVER DOLLARS.
Prused by WeALL and SOL- LE.R.S. 1778.
SEVEN DOLLARS.
Printed by HALL and SELLERS. · 1778.
SSIX DOLLARS.§
Printed by HALL and SEL- LERS. 1778.
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Assembly's Answer to the Governor.
Germans have been for some Time composed of a great Mixture of the Refuse of their People and that the very Gaols have contributed to the Supplies We are burdened with. But as there are many of more Substance and better Character, We thought it reasonable to hinder the Importer from obliging such as had no connections with one another to become jointly bound for their respective Freights or Passages; but the Governor has thought fit to alter this also in such a manner as to elude the good Purposes in- tended by the Act, by which means those who are of more Substance are involved in the Contracts and Debts of Others, and the Merchants secured at the Expence of the Country where they are necessitated and do become very frequently Beggars from Door to Door, to the great Injury of the Inhabitants, and the Increase and Propogation of the Distempers they have brought among us. Many who have indented themselves for the Payment of their Pas- sages have frequently been afflicted with such frequent and loathesome Diseases at the time as have rendered them alto- gether unfit for the Services they had contracted to perform, for which we had provided a remedy by the Bill ; but the Governor has thought fit to strike it out and leave Us ex- posed to this grevious Imposition without a Remedy," etc.
It was this action on the part of the Governor Morris that called out Christopher Saur's second letter, which is also given.
Two months later this staunch and steady friend of his countrymen, whose wrongs were daily brought under his notice, again wrote to Governor Morris on this subject, as follows :
" Germantown, Pa., May 12, 1755. "Honored and Beloved Sir :
"Although I do believe with sincerity, that you have
moll
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at this time serious and troublesome business enough, nevertheless, my confidence in your wisdom makes me to write the following defective lines, whereby I desire not so much as a farthing of profit for myself.
" When I heard last that the Assembly adjourned, I was desirous to know what was done concerning the Dutch bill and was told that your Honor have consented to all points, except that the German passengers need not have their chests along with them; and because you was busy with more needful business, it was not ended. I was sorry for it, and thought, either your Honor has not good counsel- lers or you cant think of the consequences, otherwise you could not insist on this point. Therefore I hope you will not take it amiss to be informed of the case, and of some of the consequences, viz. :- The crown of England found it profitable to peopling the American colonies; and for the encouragement thereof, the coming and transportation of German Protestants was indulged, and orders were given to the officers at the customhouses in the parts of England, not to be sharp with the vessels of German pas- sengers-knowing that the populating of the British col- onies will, in time become, profit more than the trifles of duty at the customhouses would import in the present time. . This the merchants and importers experienced.
"They filled the vessels with passengers and as much of the merchant's goods as they thought fit, and left the pas- sengers' chests &c behind, and sometimes they loaded vessels wholly with Palatines' chests. But the poor people depended upon their chests, wherein was some provision, such as they were used to, as dried-apples, pears, plums, mustard, medicines, vinegar, brandy, gammons, butter, clothing, shirts and other necessary linens, money and whatever they brought with them; and when their chests
ad amU D
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Saur's Second Letter.
were left behind, or were shipped in some other vessel they had lack of nourishment. When not sufficient provision was shipped for the passengers, and they had nothing themselves, they famished and died. When they arrived alive, they had no money to buy bread, nor anything to sell. If they would spare clothes, they had no clothes nor shirt to strip themselves, nor were they able to cleanse themselves of lice and nastiness. If they were taken into houses, trusting on their effects and money, when it comes, it was either left behind, or rob- bed and plundered by the sailors behind or in the vessels. If such a vessel ar- rived before them, it was searched by the merchants' boys, &c., and their best effects all taken out, and no remedy for it, and this last mentioned practice, that people's chests are opened and their best effects taken out, is not only a practice this twenty five, twenty, ten or five years, or sometime only ; but it is the common custom and daily complaints to the week last past ; when a pious man, living with me, had his chest broken open and three fine shirts and a flute taken out. The lock was broken to pieces and the lid of the chest split with iron and chisels. Such, my dear Sir, is the case, and if your honor will countenance the CLOCK OF THE PRO- VINCIAL PERIOD. mentioned practices, the consequences will be, that the vessels with passengers will be filled with merchant's goods, wine, &c., as much as possible, and at
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the King's custom they will call it passengers' drink, and necessaries for the people, then household goods, &c., which will be called free of duty. And if they please to load the vessels only with chests of passengers and what lies under them, that will be called also free of duty at the custom- houses ; and as there are no owners of the chests with them, and no bill of loading is ever given, nor will be given, the chests will be freely opened and plundered by the sailors and others, and what is left will be searched in the stores by the merchants' boys and their friends and acquaintances. Thus, by the consequence, the King will be cheated, and the smugglers and store boys will be glad of your upholding and encouraging this, their profitable business ; but the poor sufferers will sigh or carry a re- venge in their bosoms, according as they are godly or un- godly, that such thievery and robbery is maintained.
" If such a merchant should lose thirty, forty, fifty or ten thousand pounds, he may have some yet to spend and to spare, and has friends, but if a poor man's chest is left behind, or plundered either at sea or in the stores he has lost all he has. If a rich man's store, or house, or chest is broken open and robbed or plundered there is abundance of noise about it ; but if 1,000 poor men's property is taken from them, in the manner mentioned, there is not a word to be said.
" If I were ordered to print advertisements of people who lost their chests, by leaving them behind against their will, or whose chests were opened and plundered at sea, when they were sent after them in other vessels, or whose were opened and plundered in the stores of Philadel- phia-should come and receive their value for it, (not four fold) but only single or half ; your honor would be wondering of a swarm from more than two or three thousand people.
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Saur Pleads with the Governor.
But as such is not to be expected, it must be referred to the decision of the great, great, long, long day, where certainly an impartial judgment will be seen, and the last farthing must be paid, whereas in this present time, such poor sufferers has, and will have no better answer than is commonly given : 'Can you prove who has opened and stolen out of your chest?' or ' Have you a bill of load- ing?' this has been the practice by some of the merchants of Philadelphia, and if it must continue longer, the Lord our God must compare that city to her sister Sodom, as he said : ' Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom : pride; fullness of bread and abundance of idleness was in her. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezekiel, 16:40) but rather weakened the hand of the poor and needy ' (18 : 2)."
In a postscript, as if he could not write too often or too forcibly of the wrongs of these poor people, he adds, con- veying a threat :
"The Lord bless our good King and all his faithful ministers, and your Honor, and protect the city of Phila- delphia and country from all incursions and attempts of enemies. But if you should insist against a remedy for the poor Germans' grievances-although no remedy is to be had for that which is past-and an attempt of enemies should ensue before the city of Philadelphia, you will cer- tainly find the Germans faithful to the English nation; as you might have seen how industrious they are to serve the . King and government, for the protection of their sub- stance, life and liberties. But, as there are many and many thousands who have suffered injustice of their mer- chants at Philadelphia, it would not be prudent to call on them all for assistance, as there are certainly many wicked
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among the Germans; which, if they should find them- selves overpowered by the French, I would not be bound for their behaviour, that they would not make reprisals on them that picked their chests and forced them to pay what they owed not ! and hindered yet the remedy for others. No! if they were all Englishmen who suffered so much, I would much less be bound for their good behaviour.
" Pray sir do not look upon this as a trifle ; for there are many Germans, who have been wealthy people are many Germans, who have lost sixty, eighty, one, two, three, four hundred to a thousand pounds' worth, by leaving their chests behind, or were deprived and robbed in the stores, of their substance, and are obliged now to live poor, with grief. If you do scruple the truth of this assertion, let them be called in the newspaper, with hopes for reme- dies, and your Honor will believe me; but if the Dutch (German) nation should hear that no regard is for them, and no justice to be obtained, it will be utterly in vain to offer them free schools-especially as they are to be reg- ulated and inspected by one who is not respected in all this Province.
" I hope your Honor will pardon my scribbling ; as it has no other aim than a needful redressing of the multitude of grievances of the poor people, and for the preserving of their lives and property, and that the Germans may be ad- hered to the friendship of the English nation, and for se- curing the honor of your Excellency, and not for a farthing for your humble servant.
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