In major colonial ports, mob action has complicated England's orderly plan to extract a revenue from the provinces. While some colonists celebrate the mob's effectiveness, others worry about its impact. If the mother country is a benevolent parent, why should an upstart America spurn the security of her loving-kindness for a short-term gain, the avoidance of a piddling tax. Rights may be an issue for the radical fringe, but rights, after all, are relative. For a man like merchant James Murray, prosperity is the end and protectionism the means. With an eye toward the future's distant horizon, the Boston merchant shares his political opinions with his brother.