History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. I
3 The Associalimi, which was thus "signed by the Committee" -- if any others than Slembers of the Committee had been present, they also would have signed it -- was not that Association which the Continental Congress had decreed and promulgated, in the preceding October, but another and entirely different affair, which had been drawn up by James Duane, John Jay, and Peter Van Schaack, and " set on foot in "New-York," on the twenty-ninth of April. It had been largely signed, in the City, and copies of it had been sent " through all the " counties in the Province ; " and the action taken at the White Plains, concerning it, was only responsive to the request of the Conmiittee of One hundred, which had superseded the Committee of Inspection, in the City of New York. The following is a copy of that yl««ocia/i<*H, carefully copied from Iticington' a New-York Gazetteer, Ho. 107, New- York, Thursday, May 4, 1775 :
PERSUADED that the salvation of the right* and liberties of -L "America, depends, under God, on the firm union of its in- " habitants, in a vigorous prosecution of the measures necessary for its " safety, and convinced of the necessity of preventing the anarchy and " confusion which attend a dissolution of the powere of government ; "we, the freemen, freeholders, and inhabitants of the city and county of " New-Y'ork, being greatly alarmed at the avowed design of the minis- ' ' try to raise a revenue in America, and shocked by the bloody scene " now acting in the Massachusetts- Bay ; do, in the most solemn manner "resolve never to become slaves; and to associate under all the ties of "religion, honour, and love to our country, to adopt, and endeavour to " carry into execution, whatever measures may be recommended by the " continental congress, or resolved upon by our provincial convention, "for the purpose of preserving our constitution, and opposing the exe- " cution of several arbitrary and oppressive acts of the British Parlia- "ment, untila reconciliation between Great Britain and America, on "constitutional principles, (which we most aidently desire) can be ob- " tained ; and that we will, in all things, follow the advice of our "general committee, respecting the purposes aforesiiid, the preservation " of peade and good order, and the safety of individuals and private prop- "erty.