The colonial assemblies found that control of the governor's salary was an effective weapon in encouraging him to sign bills that they wished to adopt. Occasionally, as was the case with Governor Glen of South Carolina, the assembly offered "large sums of money, to . . . be raised under collour of reimbursing me my Expenses amongst the Indians" if he, in this particular instance, would approve a controversial money bill.
To counter this weapon, the Crown issued in structions to the governors asking for the establish ment of a permanent revenue by the respective colonial legislatures to pay the governor's salary. Virginia, for example, enacted an export tax on tobacco for this purpose, but more often than not the colonial assemblies refused to honor the royal request. The response of the Massachusetts House of Representatives to the royal instructions is indicative of other colonial responses because it employs the provisions of the colonial charter, the validity of colonial experience, and the precedence of British theory and practice to support its case.