16 - Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

Penned as a heartfelt letter to his son, Benjamin Franklins autobiography is not just a chronicle of his life, but also a pioneer in the self-help genre in America. The book is an intriguing blend of personal history and timeless advice on success, beautifully edited by Frank Woodworth Pine (1869-1919). Join us as we delve into Franklins wisdom-filled world. (Summary by Gary)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Chapter fifteen. This is a
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The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, edited by Frank Woodworth Pine,
Chapter fifteen quarrels with the proprietary governors. In my journey

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to Boston this year, I met at New York with
our new governor, mister Morris, just arrived there from England,
with whom I had been before intimately acquainted. He brought
a commission to supersede mister Hamilton, who tired with the
disputes his proprietary instructions subjected him to, had resigned. Mister
Morris asked me if I thought he must expect as

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uncomfortable an administration. I said, no, you may, on the contrary,
have a very comfortable one, if you will only take
care not to enter into any disputes with the assembly.
My dear friend says he pleasantly, how can you advise
my avoiding disputes? You know I love disputing, It is

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one of my greatest pleasures. However, to show the regard
I have for your counsel. I promise you I will,
if possible, avoid them. He had some reason for loving
to dispute, being eloquent, an accurate sophister, and therefore generally
successful in argumentative conversation. He had been brought up to

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it from a boy, his father, as I have heard,
accustoming his children to dispute with one another for his
diversion while sitting at table after dinner. But I think
the practice was not wise, for in the course of
my observation, these disputing, contradicting, and confuting people are generally

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unfortunate in their affairs. They get victory sometimes, but they
never get good will, which would be of more use
to them. We parted, he going to Philadelphia and I
to Boston. In returning, I met at New York with
the votes of the Assembly, by which it appeared that,
notwithstanding his promise to me, he and the House were

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already in high contention, and it was a continual battle
between them as long as he retained the government. I
had my share of it, for as soon as I
got back to my seat in the Assembly, I was
put on every committee for answering his speeches and messages,
and by the committees always desired to make the drafts

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our answers as well as his messages were often tart
and sometimes indecently abusive, And as he knew I wrote
for the Assembly, one might have imagined that when we
met we could hardly avoid cutting throats. But he was
so good natured a man that no personal difference between
him and me was occasioned by the contest, and we

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often dined together. One afternoon, in the height of this
public quarrel, we met in the street. Franklin says he
you must go home with me and spend the evening.
I am to have some company that you will like,
and taking me by the arm, he led me to
his house. In gay conversation over our wine. After supper,
he told us jokingly that he much admired the idea

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of Sancho Panza, who, when it was proposed to give
him a government, requested it might be a government of blacks,
as then if he could not agree with his people,
he might sell them. One of his friends, who sat
next to me, says Franklin, why do you continue to
side with these damned Quakers? Had not you better sell them,

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the proprietor would give you a good price. The governor says,
I has not yet blackened them enough. He indeed had
labored hard to blacken the Assembly in all his messages,
but they wiped off his coloring as fast as he
laid it on them, and placed it in return thick
upon his own face, so that, finding he was likely

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to be negrofied himself, he as well as mister Hamilton,
grew tired of the contest and quitted the government. These
public quarrels were all at bottom owing to the proprietaries
our hereditary governors, who, when any expense was to be
incurred for the defense of their province, with incredible meanness,

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instructed their deputies to pass no act for levying the
necessary taxes unless their vast estates were in the same
act expressly excused. And they had even taken bonds of
these deputies to observe such instructions. The Assemblies for three
years held out against this injustice, though constrained to bend

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at last. At length, Captain Denny, who was Governor Morris's successor,
ventured to disobey these instructions. How that was brought about
I shall show hereafter, But I am got forward too
fast with my story. There are still some transactions to
be mentioned that happened during the administration of Governor Morris

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War Being in a matter commenced with France, the government
of Massachusetts Bay projected an attack upon Crown Point and
sent mister Quincy to Pennsylvania and mister Pownall. Afterward, Governor
Pownall to New York to solicit assistance. As I was
in the Assembly, knew his temper and was mister Quincy's countrymen,

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he applied to me for my influence and assistance. I
dictated his address to them, which was well received. They
voted an aid of ten thousand pounds to be laid
out in provisions, but the Governor, refusing this, assent to
their bill, which included this with other sums granted for
the use of the Crown unless the clause were inserted

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exempting the proprietary estate from bearing any part of the
tax that would be necessary. The Assembly, though very desirous
of making their grant to New England effectual, were at
a loss how to accomplish it. Mister Quincy labored hard
with the Governor to obtain his assent, but he was obstinate.

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I then suggested a method of doing the business without
the Governor, by order of the trustees of the loan Office,
which by law the Assembly had the right of drawing.
There was indeed little or no money at that time
in the office, and therefore I proposed that the order
should be payable in a year, and to bear an
interest of five percent. With these orders, I supposed the

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provisions might easily be purchased. The Assembly, with very little hesitation,
adopted the proposal. The orders were immediately printed, and I
was one of the committee directed to sign and dispose
of them. The funds for paying them was the interests
of all the paper currency then extant in the province
upon loan, together with the revenue arising from the excise,

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which being known to be more than sufficient. They obtained
instant credit, and were not only received in payment for
the provisions, but many moneyed people who had cash line
by them vested in those orders, which they found advantageous,
as they bore interest while upon hand, and might on
any occasion be used as money, so that they were

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eagerly all bought up, and in a few weeks none
of them were to be seen. Thus the important affair
was by my means completed, mister Quincey returned, thanks to
the Assembly and a handsome memorial, went home, highly pleased
with this success of his embassy, and ever after bore

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for me the most cordial and affectionate friendship. End of
Chapter fifteen.