Home / O'Callaghan, E.B., ed. The Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. I. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1849. / Passage

Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. I

O'Callaghan, E.B., ed. The Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. I. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1849. 285 words

It wou' d likewise absolutely remove the complaints of the Merchants, so that it would generally please all sorts, excepting the owners of the large Tracts And I humbly conceive it for the Kings interest and of all those in the Administration to consent to this because the Quitrents are of no use besides paying the Salary of the Receiver and Auditor, and that Gentlemans estate would be thought to be ill managed, when it only paid his Steward and his Clerks wages. Besides when the revenue shall be fixed in this manner it will be much easier to obtain extraordinary supplies when they shall be wanted, and it will likewise be much easier for the People

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to pay them.

The chief objection, which I can conceive, that will be made to this is that if a perpetual revenue be Granted, then the Gov rS will be free'd from that dependance on the People, and check on their behaviour that is necessary in all well ballanced Governments and which is the only check which the poor people have in America and that without such check the people of the Plantations may become a prey to Rapacious Tyrannical Gov rS or other officers, tho the people do not doubt of their obtaining relief from the King, and his Ministers yet that relief is at such a distance, and must be attended

with so much charge, that few private persons can have any benefit by it, and may often prove ineffectual by being too late even when many join in the complaint. Therefore unless some effectual solid check be given to the people, in lieu of what they have at present, by granting the Revenue for