There were a bunch of MPs at the time who knew that trying to use force against the Colonies was going to be hell. The British Empire wasn't nearly as strong as it was before, and America was huge. Lord North was way too aggressive in trying to reign in the Colonies, and it was this constant blundering that eventually led the colonies to split. So Franklin wasn't alone in warning the Empire of the dangers of entangling themselves in a fight they might lose.