Petition from the Committee of Privates

v5:685

Post Meridian.

A Petition from the Committee of Privates of the Military Association for the City and Liberties of Philadelphia was presented to the House, and is as follows, viz:

"To the Honourable the Representatives of the Freemen of the Province of PENNSYLVANIA, in General Assembly met.

"The Petition of the Committee of Privates of the Military Association for the City and Liberties of PHILADELPHIA, humbly showeth:

"That your Petitioners, observing that this honourable House had, in the Introduction to the Articles of Association, expressed an intention of altering such articles, rules, and resolutions, respecting the Military Association, as should be found inconvenient; and being desirous of obtaining such alterations as would give general satisfaction throughout the Province, and to save this honourable House the trouble of repeated applications for amendments, opened a correspondence with the country Battalions, to know what objections they had to the Resolutions of this honourable House; designing, if possible, to express the sense of the whole Province in their Petition. But as these objections did not come to hand in time, your Petitioners request this honourable House to take the amendments proposed in the enclosed papers into their serious consideration, and grant redress in such manner as shall appear most consonant to their wisdom and justice. They particularly recommend the article to your Honours respecting the provision which ought to be made for the support of the families of such Associators during their absence on actual service, whose maintenance depends on their labour; as no man who is able, by his industry, to support his wife and children, could ever consent to have them treated by the Overseers of the Poor as the law directs; we therefore pray, that such a fund be fixed for their supply as may be more worthy of men who are risking their all in defence of their country.

"And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will pray, &c.

"Signed by order of the Committee of Privates:

"WILLIAM ADCOCK, Chairman."

The papers referred to in the above Petition, containing divers amendments proposed by the Committees of Privates of the Elk, or Fourth Battalion, in Chester County, and Colonel Galbreath' s Battalion, in Lancaster County, to the Rules and Regulations drawn up by the House at their last sitting, were read by order, and referred to the Committee of the House appointed to consider and report on sundry other papers of the same kind.