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L. H. J.
Liber No. 52
Dec. 4
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T. Johnson, Esq brings in, and delivers to M.r Speaker, the
following Resolves, prepared by the Committee appointed Viz
On reading the second Time the Message of the Upper House,
of the Second Instant, with the Bill, entitled, An Act for the
Payment of the Public Claims, for emitting Bills of Credit, and for
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p. 477
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other Purposes therein mentioned, by Benedict Calvert, Esq
Unanimously Resolved, That the said Bill is a Money Bill; that
it is the fundamental and undoubted Right of this House, solely
and exclusively, to frame all Money Bills, and therein to limit the
Matter, Manner, Measure and Time of all Grants and Dispositions
of Public Money whatsoever, and that this House never will give
up, wave, or weaken, in any Manner, that great Privilege of the
People. That the Upper House clearly have no Right or Constitu-
tional Power to propose or offer any the least Amendment to
Money Bills, but ought solely to pass, or reject the same.
Unanimously Resolved, therefore, That the said Message, pro-
posing Amendments to the said Bill, is unconstitutional, and an
Attempt to infringe the most valuable inherent and essential Right
of the Freemen of this Province.
Resolved further, That were some of the Matters proposed by
the said Message, rather to be adopted, than the present Frame
and Language of the Bill, yet it is sufficiently perfect to answer
the intended Purposes; and that, if Amendments should be neces-
sary, Omissions or Defects may be supplied by a Supplementary
Bill, as is frequently done, with their Honours hearty Concurrence
in many Instances, of which the Inspection Law is a recent Example.
But, Resolved, That the said Bill does not require the Commis-
sioners safely to keep the Stamps and Flowers longer in their
Office, than the Duration of their Power. They are not directed
to keep them longer than they are to have the Custody and Keys
of the old Paper Money Office, which is till an Examination of
their Proceedings had by a Committee of both Houses of As-
sembly. That the Upper House thinking it proper there should be
two Commissioners present at the Delivery of Bills of Credit, but,
in Case of the Inability of one of them, from Sickness, or other
reasonable Cause, to attend some Provision was requisite, in Order
to prevent a total Stop to the Business, includes the Idea of more
than two Commissioners being necessary, which may well coincide
with Views of Power, but is burthensome and hurtful to the People.
That the present Bill goes in this upon the same Principle of the
old Paper Money Law, from whence Experience affords no In-
stance of Inconvenience, that of making the Presence of all the
Commissioners necessary at every Opening of the Iron Chest, that
all may be answerable for any Mal-Conduct, and the greater the
Number of Commissioners, the more probable it is there would be
a total Stop to the Business, from Sickness, or the like, unless
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