632 Assembly Proceedings, Mar. 28 - May 13, 1758.

L. H. J.
Liber No. 50
April 26

Money prescribed by this Bill, is unsuitable to our Circumstances ;
on the contrary, we think it must be agreeable to the Circumstances
of every Country, that Public Taxes should be equally imposed, and
tho' the present Mode is unexperienced, and 'til this Time unessayed
by us, it has been long experienced, and is still practised by our
Mother Country, and by almost all our Neighbouring Colonies, and
on that account has a just Title to our Regard: It imposes that
Burthen which the present Exigency of Affairs requires us to bear
(and which, tho' far beyond what this Province has ever yet felt, we
chearfully submit to) more equally and justly than any other Mode
can; and as the Sums to be raised annually are very large, 'tis the
more necessary that the Tax should be imposed with the greatest
Equality.

That this Mode will necessarily require many Officers, is certainly
True; and that these Officers ought to be equally Rewarded in Pro-
portion to the Merit of their Services, cannot be denied, and we think
this is done by the Bill, and tho' the Expence attending this kind of
Taxation, may be something greater than a Tax per the Poll, yet,
by means of the Equality with which the Tax is laid, it will, even
with that additional Expence, be less Felt, unless by those, who under
a Tax by the Poll, would bear a very small Part of the Burthen,
which, in all Justice and Reason, they ought to bear an equal Part
of with others.

p. 120

Whatever Regard is had to the Origin of our Constitution (if by
That is meant the Charter) or the correspondent Usage of the
Province, we cannot be of Opinion, the Proprietary ought to appoint
the Officers under this Bill, unless it can be shewn, that the King,
under the like Circumstances, has the Right of Appointment; and,
that when the House of Commons have named Commissioners in
Bills of this Kind, the King has usually objected to it as an Encroach-
ment on his Prerogative, and the Nomination has been accordingly
left to him; when this is done, we may be induced to think the Pro-
prietary has some Right.

We are not desirous, nor do we design, to create any Dependencies
upon the Government under the Bill; nor shall we expect your Hon-
ours to concur in an Attempt to strip the Lord Baltimore of his
Right, because it is far from our Intentions to make such an Attempt :
In the present Case he has not the Right, and therefore cannot be
stript of it. But we must desire your Honours to be assured, that if
upon the other Hand, it should be endeavoured to deprive the People
of their undoubted Right, by their Representatives, to nominate
Commissioners in Bills of this Nature, and vest it in the Proprietary,
the Attempt will prove as fruitless, as it would be unjust and un-
reasonable, and could tend only to defeat the necessary Purposes for
which the Bill is framed.