An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, Volume 1Hewatt, Alexander
History
An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, Volume 1
Hewatt, Alexander
Georgia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775; South Carolina -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
"When I sent for you the other day, I intended to have desired you to
have chosen your speaker, to be presented to me as usual, and then I did
propose to have spoke to you in the following manner:
"Your being met together at a time when there was never more occasion for
a ready dispatch of public business, and a good harmony betwixt the upper
and lower house; I must recommend that to you; and nothing will be
wanting on my part to promote a good understanding betwixt the Lords
Proprietors and the people, at present (to my great affliction) I fear
too much interrupted: I must, therefore, in the first place, recommend to
you, that you will without delay, or other matter intervening, fall upon
proper methods for raising money for finishing the repairs of the
fortifications, and providing stores of war, which are much wanted. The
intelligence which I have of the designs of our enemies, which makes this
work so necessary, shall be laid before you.
"I am sorry the Lords Proprietors have been induced (by a necessity, to
defend and support their just prerogatives) at this juncture to disannul
some of your laws; if they had not thought the letting those acts subsist
might have rendered their right of repeal precarious, they would have
suffered them still to continue. I hope from you, therefore, a
respectable behaviour towards them, that we may not feel any more their
displeasure in so sensible a manner, as the loss (in this time of need)
of our duty-law, and which has also occasioned an injunction to me and
the council, from acting with an assembly who shall dispute their
Lordships undoubted right of repealing laws, and appointing officers
civil and military.
"I find some are jealous and uneasy on account of rumours spread, that
you design to alter the tax-act, for sinking your paper currency. Public
credit ought to be sacred, and it is a standing maxim, That no state can
subsist longer than their credit is maintained: I hope therefore you have
no such intentions, which would put me under a necessity of doing what I
have never yet done; I mean, disagreeing with you. I expect therefore you
will make good what the public is answerable for, and proceed to such
farther methods for paying our debts, as shall be both honourable and
proper, and best adapted to our circumstances.
"The alarm from the southward, about five months since, obliged me to be
in a posture of defence, and occasioned some charges, the accounts of
which shall be laid before you; and I desire you will provide for the
discharge of them: I think also the militia-acts want some amendments;
and that you should contrive to keep a good watch in Charlestown.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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