134 Benjamin Franklin [1768 
are immediately repealed by the crown; nor dare he 
pass any law contrary to his instructions, as he holds 
his office during the pleasure of the crown, and his 
securities are liable for the penalties of their bonds if 
he contravenes those instructions. This is what they 
say as to governors. 
As to judges, they allege that, being appointed 
from this country, and holding their commissions, not 
during good behaviour, as in Britain, but during 
pleasure, all the weight of interest or influence would 
be thrown into one of the scales (which ought to be 
held even), if the salaries are to be paid out of duties 
raised upon the people without their consent, and 
independent of their assemblies’ approbation or dis- 
approbation of the judge’s behaviour. That it is 
true, judges should be free from all influence; and, 
therefore, whenever government here will grant com- 
missions to able and honest judges during good be- 
haviour, the assemblies will settle permanent and 
ample salaries on them during their commissions; 
but, at present, they have no other means of getting 
rid of an ignorant or an unjust judge (and some of 
scandalous characters have, they say, been some- 
times sent them) left, but by starving them out. 
I do not suppose these reasonings of theirs will 
appear here to have much weight. I do not produce 
them with an expectation of convincing your readers. 
I relate them merely in pursuance of the task I have 
imposed on myself, to be an impartial historian of 
American facts and opinions. 
The colonists being thus greatly alarmed, as I said