”James Gillmore & Other Public Creditors.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

To the Honorable the Senate & House of Representtives in General Court Assembled Jan  31, 1787

The petition of the Subscribers Humbly Sheweth That Early in the Late war with Britain, when the Exigencies of Government required the Expenditure of Large Sums of Money, your petitioners Exerted themselves, to assist Government with the Loan of their Money, taking Notes payable some in the year 1781 some in 1782 & some in 1783.— In the year 1781 the Necessities of Government were so pressing; That a Law was made to Enable the Treasurer to borrow large sums of Money, in which were included the notes payable at the above discribed Dates, & also the Notes called Depreciation Notes promising a County, Exemption from Taxes &c But a further pay Day must be allowed, Relying upon the Faith of Government, your Petitioners complied, & their Notes were Consolidated by the scale of depreciation & new Notes were received, and by the same Law an Establishment was made for the payment of the Interest annually & the Redemption of the principal in part, at Different periods, since the Interest first became due your petitioners have received the same untill within about two years past since which time there has been a failure of payment,— if we apply to the Treasurer for payment which has repeatedly been the Case, The answer is he has no Money, if we take an order upon the officer of Excise & apply for payment the answer is the same he has no money, and often adds that he takes none, if we should take an order upon some former Constable who is in arrear for taxes previous to the year 1784 which the Treasurer wou’d readily Give we beg Leave to say that the Towns to which we belong have long since paid or very nearly paid all those Taxes, and we know not what Constable to apply to, unless to one who belongs to those Counties who of Late are Governed by Men Instead of Laws, our Success in the Latter Case, is too obvious to need mentioning, our necessities for the Interest of our Money is pressing, but the anxiety of our Minds for the Faith, Credit & Even Existance of the Government & its Constitution, are still more painfull, we profess our selves to be its faithfull Friends & to obey its Constitutional Commands with our best services, and we now most humbly Implore your Honours attention to our necessities & grant such Relief in the premises as to your Honors Shall seem meet —