496 Assembly Proceedings, April 23-June 5, 1740.

U. H. J.
Calvert
Paper
No. 735
May 30

Friday Morning 30 May 1740

This House met again according to Adjournment Present as
Yesterday
A Message from the Lower House by Mess^rs Calder and Sprigg

By the Lower House of Assembly 30 May 1740

May 1t please your Honours
We little expected that Our Readiness to offer a Bill for En-
couragement of his Majestys Levies, and Chearfulness in doubling
the Sum for Purchasing Arms and Ammunition for Defence of the
Province could have met with such Obstruction from your House
after your so many Declarations of our present necessities and
Dangers or that it could have been attended with a Consequence
on your part so very Prejudicial to the People in other Respects viz.
the Altering the Duration of Our Laws to be reenacted this Session,
whereon the Administration of Justice, the raising and Payment
of Taxes and the General Utility of the Province particularly de-
pends (many whereof have lain now three Weeks on your Table)
from ending with a Session as they always heretofore have done to
determine on a day certain merely because we contended (and We
hope with great Reason that money Bills should have such
Duration
Can it be the Safety and Welfare of the Country that move your
Honours to this Will not all the World say that it is only Calculated
to Obtain an Ascendant over the People by having it in your Power
at the Expiration of those Laws to compell the Representatives of a
Free People into Compliance with any high Demands your House
shall be pleased to make on them. And is it not without Precedent
that the Government under Pretence of imminent Danger demands
money of the People and when it is offered according to Request
it will not be accepted unless they give up their Liberties along
with it
Our Duty Obliges us to take Care of the Province in every Re-
spect, and not, while we are making Provisions against Enemies
abroad, leave it a Prey to those at home
You are pleased to say that your House never told us of this
being your Design, but pray if you had no such Intention would it
not have been easy to have said so in your Message of yesterday;
or had our former Apprehensions been upon Slender Grounds

p. 88

Can We doubt of the matter now after the indirect manner you
have answered Our Message of the 27^th Instant
The Bill for Arms and Ammunition is ready drawn up agreable
to what was consented to by the Conferees of both Houses and
nothing hinders the sending it to your Honours, but the Incer-