Petition to the General Court from the Town of Dracut

utentials for upholding Life) a tender at an apprised Value, in
discharge of all Demanded Debts, or in some other Way Provide an
Equitable relief.

That a more easy, & less Expensive Method of recovering Debts
may be Provided. We Request Your Honors, to repeal the Laws of the
Commonwealth Establishing the Courts of Common-Pleas, and
make Provision for the business to be done at less Expensive
Tribunals; if the business now transacted by the Courts of
Common-Pleas was Refered to the Justices of the Peace in the Com=
monwealth for Desicion, the Expence that would be Saved (taking
every Circumstance into Consideration) would in our oppinion
be equel to the Expence of Supporting Civil Government: and
We are clear that the business may be done by a Single Justice, with
the Assistance of a Jury where either of the Parties desire it, with
as much Propriety, and with as much Safety to the Property of Individu=
als, and to as General Satisfaction as it is done by those Courts; Es-
pecially as an appeal may lie to the Supreme Judicial Court, where
the Principal part of disputes in Law are now terminated.

We Also Request Your Honors, at this time of General burden, to
take into Consideration the Salaries of the Officers of Government,
and lower them so much as to comport Connectively with the
Necesseties of the People, and the Nature & importance of the office
which they Respectively Sustain. Especially the Governors Salary,
which we Esteem to be much Higher than is Necessary under the
Present circumstances of y^e Government, & Low price of y^e Necessa-
ries of Life, therefore is an Additional burden upon those who
have a full Load without it. We view Money only as the Repre=
sentative of Property: and we conceive that five hundred pounds Repre=
sents as much Property at this time.

taking