Petition of Citizens of Rowan & Orange Counties

From Legislative Papers, North Carolina Archives, Raleigh, NC.

Your Poor Petitioners having been continually Squez'd and oppressed by our Publick Officers both with Regard to their fees as also in the Laying on of Taxes as well as in Collecting together with Iniquitious Appropriations, and Wrong Applications of the same, & being Grieved thus to have our substance torn from us, and no ends nor Bounds were Like to be Set to such Illegal practices we applied to our public officers to give us some satisfaction on the several Heads which they Repeatedly denied, us. . . . We humbly supplicate your Worships to take under your serious Consideration, we labour under Extreme hardships about our Levies Money is very scarce hardly any to be had would we Purchase it at ten times its value & we exceeding Poor & lie at a great distance from Trade which renders it almost Impossible to gain sustenance by our utmost Endeavours, Gods Sake Gentlemen in an affairs of such Importance; on you Breath depends the Ruin or Prosperity of poor Families, and so to Gentlemen Rowling in affluence, a few shillings per man, may seem triffling yet to Poor People who must have their Bed and Bedclothes yea their Wives Petticoats taken and sold to Defray. . . . We Humbly begg of your Worships, to take it into your serious Considerations the sums to Erect a Publick Edifice it is a Pitiful Consideration to us poor Wretches to think where or how we shall Raise our Parts, of the sd. sums Designed for that Purpose; Good God Gentlemen what will become of us when these Demands come against us Paper Money we have none & gold or silver we can Purchase none of the Contingencies of Government Must be Paid, and which we are Willing to Pay, tho if we sell our Beds from under us and in this Time of Distress it is as much as we can support our selves under. . . . We Humbly Begg you would Consider the Laws as they now stand, Recovery of small Debts your own good sence will point out to you the hardships we Labour under by attending Courts of Justice at great Distances for small Triffles, or be forced to part with our small substance wrong. You can not but observe how Ruinous th Law as it now stands must be to the Poor but as an Honest good judge or Majestrate better even with a bad Cause that a Corapt one will do with the Best fram'd Laws on Earth we humble Begg you would be pleas'd to Use your Influence with our Worthy, Virtuous Governor, to discontinue from time to Time such Officers as would be found to be ye Bane of Society and Put in the Common Wealth, at the same time to Encourage the Poor, and Despis'd to stand for them This would Cause Joy and Gladness to Spring from every Heart, this would cause Labour and Industry to prevail over Murmuring Discontent, this would Raise your poor Petitioners from and indigent Heartless to a flourishing Opulent and Hoping people otherwise Charge and disatisfaction and Melancholy must Prevail over such as Remain and Numbers, must Defect the Province and seek elsewhere an Asylum from Tyranny and Oppression.