The National Intelligencer And Washington Advertiser

Chillicothe, Nov. 26th, 1801.

CHILICOTHE, December 5.

Yesterday a committee from the honorable House of Representatives waited on the Governor, and presented the following answer to his communication delivered to both Houses of the Legislature the 26th ult.

To His Excellency Governor ST. CLAIR.

SIR,

In contrasting our situation with many countries in the old world, we have great reason to thank that Supreme Being, the author and giver of all good (whom you have been pleased to remind us of, at this first meeting of the second General Assembly of the Territory) for the blessings of peace and plenty which attend this happy country; nor can we withhold our gratitude from the general government of our country, for their anxious care to preserve us from all the calamities which have been experienced by those unhappy countries involved in war.

The time you have thought proper to convene the General Assembly, we trust, will be found, upon experiment, to be as convenient as the nature of our domestic occupations would admit of.

To review such of our laws as may appear from their operation to be defective, to enact such laws in addition to those already made, to preserve the peace of society from being endangered, & to attend to the several objects which you recommended to the consideration of both Houses, together with such others as you may think proper to communicate, shall receive our timely and attentive consideration.

Although the state of our treasury, at this time, is not a pleasant one, yet, we hope, that when the money arising from our revenue law is deposited, it will enable us to discharge all the demands against the Territory at this time. It is true, sir, that which has been produced has arisen chiefly from a tax on uncultivated lands, a great proportion the property of non-residents; but when it is considered that those lands in passing to the resident from the non-resident receive an additional value from the improvement of the country, greater than the small amount they have been called upon to contribute to the support of our government.

To examine our sources of revenue, and to endeavor to make the taxes that may be necessary as equal as the nature of our infant country will admit shall meet our early attention.