The Upper House, 349

By the Upper House of Assembly

Oct^r the 19^th 1722
Gentlemen. On reading your Message of yesterday by M^r
Tyler and seven others, and the Reasons referr'd to in your
former message relating to the Bill for Encouragem^t of Til-
lage &c. We are still of opinion that Officers ought not to be
comprehended within that Law, for that their Circumstances
are very different from other Creditors
1. In Regard that the Fees of the Secretary, Commissary
&c. become due in all Parts of this Province, and many of
them in very small Parcels, so that should they be paid in the
Commodities mentioned in this Bill, no Persons would take the
Trouble to Collect them, if they might have them for their
Pains.
2. Officers are obliged to Credit all Persons who apply to
them, and have not the Liberty of Choosing who they will
Credit, and whereas other Creditors have, and
3. When such ffees are received in small Parcels as many
of them must necessarily be, the Officers had better let them
lye and perish (which they would in a short Time) than be
at the Expence of fetching them
And we further observe that the Sherriffs of the several
Counties who have the Collecting of Officers Fees, if they
should be oblig'd to take the af^d Commodities, would be there-
by disabled from making up Hogsheads of Tobacco and be
obliged to receive great part of their Tobacco in parcels,
which would ruin them and very much prejudice the publick
Credit.
And we cannot think it would be any Advantage to the
poorer sort of People, who seldom have more of those Com-
modities than will supply their family Occasions, but would
rather give advantage to some dishonest Persons to divest
themselves of the Species they are sued for and procure those
Commodities purely to disappoint and perplex their Creditors,
Besides the Fees of the several offices are already so reduc'd
that they are scarce sufficient to support the Officers; & We
cannot but think it for the honour of our Country that they
should be handsomely supported in their several Stations, For
which reasons and many more that might be alledg'd We
cannot consent that the Bill should pass.
Signed p order Sam^l Skippon Cl. Up. ho.

Which Answer is sent to the Lower house by Col Ward

U.H.J.

p. 13

James Bowles Esq^r and John Rousby Esq^r who return & say
they delivered it

p. 14