254 Assembly Proceedings, May 1-June 12, 1739

U. H. J.

No. 734

By the Lower House of Assembly 4 June 1739

May 1t please Your Honours
The Arguments used in Your Message of the 31^st of May by
George Plater Esq^r for not passing the Bill to raise an Annual
Revenue for the better Support of his Lordships Government and
Governor within this Province serve only to confirm us the more in
the Justice of Our Proceeding in this Matter not doubting that if
anything better could have been said on that Head, Your Honours
could not have been at a Loss to find it out
The Conclusion You draw, from Our declaring Our Intention not
to deprive his Lordship of a support of Government, We beg Leave
to say will not follow, for that as a Person may possess so may he
be deprived of a thing to which he has no Right, which we take to
have been his Lordships Case with Regard to the Twelve pence p
hh^d ever since the year 1733; nor is it from the Repeal of the Law
in the Year 1704 by other temporary Laws, that we deny his Lord-
ships Rigrht of levying that Money upon Us but because his Lordship
never had any such Right by that Law
Whatever your Honours may think of raising Money on a People
by perpetual Laws, We imagine it a Doctrine would sound harsh in
the Ears of Our Mother Country and what We in Justice to Our-
selves and Our Posterity are resolved, as much as in our Power to
avoid

p. 47

We cannot see that the Application of the. Money to be raised as
mentioned in the Body of Our Bill can be called new, unless that
directed by all the former Acts made for the granting the like Sup-
port to his Lordship and his Ancestors can be termed so
However, it seems, this Matter must be determined by a Judge
indifferent both to his Lordship and us, and as it cannot be negotiated
on Our Part without Money to employ some fit Persons to act in the.
Countrys behalf, We expect Your Honours Concurrence to the Bill
herewith sent for taxing Ourselves for that Purpose lest if that
should be refused, the World might say that We are attacked un-
armed, and denyed the necessary Means of doing Ourselves Justice
in a Dispute wherein the most essential Branch of the Privileges and
Liberties of British Subjects are in Contest, and of that great Ad-
vantage due to his Majestys American Subjects of applying to his
sacred Person for Redress and Protection
Signed p Order M Macnemara Cl Lo H.

the Bill aforementioned is Read the first time in this house and
Ordered to lye on the Table
A Message from the Lower house by Mess^rs Colvile & [Mr Hall]