42 Assembly Proceedings, March 17-April 21, 1762.

U. H. J.
Liber No. 36
April 24

why would they not Obviate the many other Objections [t]his House
had made to it or have at least endeavoured to shew us the propriety
of those parts of the Bill to which Exceptions had been taken, That
this House never did since the Bill was brought on the Carpet object
to the Lucrative Offices within this Government being Subjected to
a reasonable and proportionable tax when the Design of Laying such
a Tax was to raise and Support Troops for his Majesty's Service
will Appear to any one that will take the Trouble to read in the
Journal of the Lower House the Messages that Passed between the
two Houses in April 1758, and the same Message will shew that so
far as we thought was agreable to reason & Common Justice we had
no Objection to their Taxing the Proprietary Estate but tho we
were Satisfied his Lordship from his Zeal for his Majesty's Service
and Solisitude to promote it would chearfully contribute his Pro-
portion or even some what more than his Proportion of Any Sums
which the Inhabitants of this Province should be inclined to grant
for that Purpose Yet we could not in Conscience consent to his being
Subjected to so unequal a Burthen as we observed the Majority in
the Lower House were Contriving to lay on him, nor did we chuse
to do an Act of Injustice left forsooth some Evil minded dis-
contented Persons should take Occasion from our refusing to assent
to a measure which we thought inequitable to asperse our own
Characters or caluminate the Proprietary If the People throughout
the Province are so universally fond of this new System (which the
Gentlemen themselves admit to be an intricate One) as they would

p. 63

Insinuate is it not Strange that it should have so many Opponents
in their own House and that even the Members returned by the same
Counties should be divided thereupon; but was the Majority of Votes
even in every County so Captivated with it as to have given their
Representatives Instructions to grant Money on no other Terms
such a proceeding would not have had Any influence on this House
unless their Constituents should in such Instructions have furnished
them with Arguments Sufficient to Convince us that the Bill was
an equal just & reasonable one Capable of being easily carried into
Execution and not Calculated to create Disorder and Confusion
among the Inhabitants or in other Words a Bill Quite the reverse of
what it at present appears to Us, As the Gentlemen in the Message
which Accompanied their Bill gave us to understand that we were to
consider their permitting us to amend a Money Bill in the light of a
Concession we would have taken the Oppertunity to shew them
that from the first Settlement of the Province down to the time
when the last Money Bill was Passed by this Legislature the Upper
House had as often as amendments to such Bills were thought
Expedient Exercised their Right of Proposing amendments to them
and moreover that Money Bills had Frequently Originated in this
House and often been Framed by a Committee of both Houses that
this has been the Constant Practice in this Province the Records