To this condition the governor was unable to assent, for, according to
the constitution of the colony, to which he was bound, the lands of
William Penn and his descendants were free of all taxation. For weeks
the deadlock continued. Every day brought news of massacres of tens,
fifties, and even hundreds of persons, but the assembly remained
obstinate; until the mayor, aldermen, and principal citizens clamoured
against them, and four thousand frontiersmen started on their march to
Philadelphia, to compel them to take measures for defence.
Bodies of massacred men were brought from the frontier villages and
paraded through the town, and so threatening became the aspect of the
population, that the Assembly of Quakers were at last obliged to pass a
militia law. It was, however, an absolutely useless one. It specially
excepted the Quakers from service, and constrained nobody, but declared
it lawful for such as chose to form themselves into companies, and to
elect officers by ballot. The company officers might, if they saw fit,
elect, also by ballot, colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors. These
last might then, in conjunction with the governor, frame articles of
war, to which, however, no officer or man was to be subjected, unless,
after three days' consideration, he subscribed them in presence of a
justice of the peace, and declared his willingness to be bound by them.
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