Manning, William, 1747-1814. The key of libberty : shewing the cawses why a free government has always failed, & a reamidy against it, adresed to the republicans, farmers, mecanicks & labourers in America / by a labourer : manuscript, 1797-1798. MS Am

As to forming Such a Society it May take Sume time before it will be Large & full But onlly Let the Republicans In the Lejeslations of Each State appoint a bord of Directors to Manag the bisness [?] untill the Society is formed Sefitient to Do it by Elections & Let them agree with a Good printer to print this key in an Elegant Manner also an advertisment of the Magazen & newspaper on the Lowest they tarmes they Can be afforded & Send three or four or halfe a Dusson of the Into Every town In the State to obtain as Many Signers as they Can get and would Sone have a Large number to Join the Society & they would be Increasing for a number of years

But Some May Say that thare is no need of such a Magazen & paper for the world is full of Books & newspapers alredy which is acknoledged & for this Very Reason they are proposed for a Labouring Man may as well hunt for pins in a heymow to try to git nesecary knoledg from such a promiscuous pile of Contradictions & nonsence as is printed nowadays

& Some May Say that these papers May be had as well without organ -ising as proposed as with, But what is Evert bodyes Bisness is noBodyes & never Done as to the Board Let their numbers be what they will whither 7-9 or 12 as those that Choose them think Best it is not Seposed that they will all Spend their time about it but have a Sub Committe to Inspect in their Roome or purhaps will have a printer Committe that they Can Confide in, & without this Organisation how Can we Read with Confidence what Comes in our papers as to the truth of it for it Must be Some Sattisfaction to Recive Information from Such a Bord of Direction than to Recive it from a [Quorte?] qhare he Suspects they are Interested to Desieve him, & on the other hand no person woul wish to till a ly when he new he Should be Detected Before he receivd any Benifit from it

Billerica January the [third] 1809

In this way it would Save thousands of false Representations in a year In Short the organisation Proposed is the Most assential part of the hole plan, for it is well known that the Enemies of a free Government have bin organised for Many years to Dissiminat falsehoods & misrepresentations in Elections & it is assential that Labourers should be as Compleatly organised to Detect them

But it is Said & Believed by Mant that their is a Large Majority of the Labourers & lower Clases of Men that never Did not neaver will See for themselves, Consiquently when they are Called to act In Elections & other Matters that Consarne them as freemen they are Easyle Desieved, Bribed, flattered or Drove to act Contarary to their own Interests, But it is presumed that if Such Meens of obtaining knoledge as this proposed & Carryed as it ware to their Doars without Money & without price, that their always would be a Large Majority that would Read, See, Examine, think & act for themselves & their true Interests & would zelously Support a free Government Solong as Selfe Interest Governs Men

[& Such?] May the Almighty Grant is the [Sencear?] Desire of the author

Numbers of the proposed Magazen & fill them with the Most important Events & Dooings of the American Revolution that are Equally Interpreting to the hole Union. Such as the Different Sentiments & Measured that have bin adopted by Whigs & toryes. Republicans & federallists & cc with a Compleat Congresianal Reqester from the first Meeting of Congress Down to this time & [cc?] of Such a purformance was well Executed & a Coppa Right Secured as above. Described the author Might Receive a handsome Reward for his trouble, and those printers in Each State that undertake to furnish [{third}?] Magazen might Receive the Key & three or four of the first Numbers of the Magazen cheeper than they Could [?] forme & print themselves this would opperate as a County and Incoragement to the best printers to undertake to furnish said magazen in Each State, also it would have a tendancy to hermonise the Sentiments of the Union & fecilitate the organisation of Said Society

But it is absoutely nesecary that Some Influential [Carmitors?] or body of Men, Should Move first in this Bisness, & the Republican Members of the Lejislator of Masachusets with other Republican in & about Boston Did unite together & was at Large Expence in pamphlets & Meetings to Inlighten the peopel in our Laste Elections, & although they ware unsuccesfull in the first they obtained a Compleat Victory in the Last, & it was always to be Good Pollicy & Consistant with humanity to follow up a Victory So far as to put it out of the power of the Enemy to Rally again, If that honourable Body would take this Matter up at their Next Sessions which will provably be Lengthy, & Git it formed & Launched forth According to their Best wisdom & & Influence their Can Searsely be a Dout but that the Society would Soone be formed & organised So that the [Gates against?]

A proposed Meathod for Carrying the foregoing into Execution whoever Reads this Manscrip will Readily purceive that teh Author is not Master of thr Arts of Spelling, Grammer or Composition although it is presumed that his Eydeais are Conveyed Intelligably to those that are able to Mak alowances for the want of Larning

In Carrying the forgoing into Execution& Giting the Society formed Quick Much will Depend on the are & popularrity which it is first Sent forth, In ordre to Do this Let the Key of Liberty be Revised formed & altered in the Best Manner by Men of Larning & ability then Let it be prind in the Most Eligent Manner Leaving a [?] Blank after the Covenant So that s Sefitiancy of paper May be fastned in it to Contain Signers to forme the Town or Class Meeting

In ordir to hinder undue Influelce against it by Federal printers & to Incorage Men of the best abilityes to undertake in the Bisness, Let a Coppa Right of the Key be secured to one or as Many as Shall be thought nesecary, their has bin Many a peace Liss Insteresting to the publick than this that has taken Large Sumes from the publick in this way, Hambletons peace against Addams & his Administration although the prime Cost of printing was not 8 Cents was Sold Currant for 50 Cents Because nobody Else had a Right to print it, & it is provable that 50 or perhaps a hundred thousand Coppeis of the Key Might be Sold on the Continant & as they might purhaps all be printed at one press, & Conveted to any part of the Union Cheeper than to Set the press again, the prime Cost would be Very Lowe So that a few Cents Extra on Each Coppa would Raise a Sume Sefitiant to Reward Every person that Mooves in the [Clase?] without Raising the price So as to hinder the Sale of them, Also if person of Sefitiant abilityes would undertake to Draft 3 or 4

as to the organisation proposed or Spending a few hours on the [21st?] July of July to [Choose] officer it is nomore than thousands Do now & if not one Quorter of the Member Should attend the officers Might be Chosen & the organisation kept up as well as if they ware all thare

And if the officers Should Do thir Duty without any pay But the honour thereof it would be as much as Malitia officers & Some town officers Receive for theirr, & if they Should Receave handsome pay for their trouble it would not be Much for Each Class to pay, as to the Cost of the magazen it will not be Larger than a Common Almoheck that we can buy at Retale for 8 Cents which we [Cambay?] at Retale for [?] which is not 1 Dollor a yar, But Sepo sing that by paying the officers it is [?] prefera it is not halfe the price of [Howffifcers?], & amagazen is not like a newspaper which is good for nothing but when it is fresh from the press, But May be be Red any time in the Month therefore 8 or 10 May join & take it together which would not Cost them More than a Muge of Grrog a year for such Valuable Rading for them Selves & all their familyes

As to Establishing funds for this purpose it is not a Grate thing for a Clase or an Individual to advance 25 Dollars the Intirest of which would pay the hole Cost for Ever & Save the troble of Quarterly or anual payments

But Some that their is no need of this organisation [?] Some May think that this knoledge Might be attained without the organisation proposed, But If they will thorouly way the Matter it is presumed that they will be Convencd for what is Every bodyes Bisness is nobodyes & neaver Done