Republican gazette — Concord, N.H., 1802-02-16 00:00:00, page 4

To the PEOPLE of
NEWHAMPSHIRE,
F,m& REPUBLICAN LEDGER.
HANTONIENSIS,
TO HIS FELLOECITIZENS.
THE right of taxing the people
and drawing from their pockets
by law a certain portion of their
earnings belongs originally to no
plan or body of men; our rulers
possess it only by express delega.
tion from the people themselves.
The article in our constitution by
which this power is surrendered,
is in the following words:
« Full power andauihority are
beieby given and granted to the
General Court, from time to time,
to impose and levy proportional
and reasonable asse ssments, ratesl
and taxes, upon all the inhabi
tants and re fidents within the said
state ; and upon all the estates
within the fame; to be iffuedl
and disposed of by warrant under
the hand of the Governor of this
state, for'.the time being, with
the advice and consent of the
Council, for the public service,
in the necessary defence and fupport\
of the government of this state, and
the protection and preservation of,
the fubjeCts thereof; according to [
such atis as are, or (hall be in'
force within the fame."
This being the only foundation
on which the right of taxation de.
pends, any assessment of taxes or
appropriation of monies for any
other purposes than are thereinl
mentioned, are unconftitutiorial;
and oppressive. At the winter
session of 1799, a tax affluent, !
faen thousand dollars was calledl
for by an a& es the General[
Court. If it can be shewn that}
such a tax was at that time Wholly I
unnecessary for the purposes con-}
templated in the constitution, !
certainly no ftockjobbing or
speculating plan could juftity it.
The following statement (which;
is believed to be accurate,-) from,
which is excluded the tax of 27,'
oco dollars, and with it the put
chafe of the bank (hares, amount
ing to 12,000 dollars, will shew
what would have been the state
of the treasury if that tax had
not been granted, nor the bank
speculation made.
On the 20th May, 1799, there Dis fen.
was in the Treasurer's hands,
as by his account rendered to
the committee, in caffi, 2553% 58
Specie taxes outstanding, 18703 3 i
Sum tot. on hand May 20:99. 44235 60
Received for principal and
interest of stock in the U. S.
funds from May 20th, 1799 to
May 20, ißoo, 12991 18
On mafonian bonds and fir
certificates and indent taxes, 162 20
57388,98
Dedna the amount of expendi
tures of every kind from May
<@, '799$ to May 20, 1800, as
by the treasurer's account, 23046 74
' Balance in the Treasurer's 1 —-
bands, May 20, 1800. 33342 24
Received for interest & prin
cipal of flock in the U.S. funds
froreMay 20 1800, to May 12,
1801, by treasurer’s account, 11533 70
On mafonian bonds, on the
certificate and indent taxes, &
on she tax for deficiency of fol->
diers, 684 5
45559 99
Deduß expenditures of every ~,
kind from May 20, 1800, to.
May 12, 1801, as by the trea
ferer's aceonnt, 26308 96
Balance in the treasurer's
hands, Mayr 2, 1801, 19251 3
which exactly agrees with his own ac
count. \
By the foregoing statement,
and by the treasurer's accounts as
reported to the General Court
in June last, it appears that there
was then in his hands 19,251,40!-
lars arid 3 cents, leaving out of
the calculation the tax of 27,000
dollars and the purchase of the
bank (hares as beforementioned;
to which may be added the sum
to be received for principal and
interest on the Rock in the U. S.
funds from May, 1801, to May,
1802,1 about £II,OOO dollars, as
mounting together to thirty thou
sand two hundred and fifty one
dollars and three cents for defray
ing the necessary expencea of
government, from May 1801, un
til some part of a tax that might
be granted some time in % far
-1801, would be realized. The
whole of the public expenditures
from May, 1800, to May, 1801, ;
has been shewn to be 26,308•
dollars ; this sum was confidera-1
bly increased by the expense at-|
tending the choice of Electors, ;
their travel arid attendance, and
the transmitting their votes to the
feat of the general government,
also by the sum expended in the
redemption of state notes, cer-;
tificaes and bills of new emiffion,[
nearly the whole of which that
have not been loft or deftroyed|
are now probably redeemed, foj
that if there had been two sessions
of the general court, as usual, the
whole expense ,of the year from
May, 1801, to May, 1802, would
no: have exceeded twenty two or
twenty-three thousand dollars'and
would leave from seven to eight
thousand dollars in the treasury, a
sum amply fufficient to defray the
whole expense of the June ses
sion ; to which may be added
two years income from the flock
in the bank, belonging to the
state, before the last purchase of
24 (hares, which has not been re.
ceived, amounting as represented
by the diredors of the bank to
two thousand five hundred dol
lars for the two years ; besides
this, on the firft of July, 1802, up
wards of five thousand dollars
more would be due from the loan
office, for principal and interest
on funded flock and the tax, the
granting of which might have
been postponed for two years, viz.
from 1799 to 1801, would be re
ceived into the treasury in season
to meet the further demands of
the year 1802, —but as the le
gislature has seen fit to hold but
one session for the last year, the
expense will be so far reduced,
that every demand until the June
session of 1803, might have been
discharged without the aid of any
tax.
The above representation, if
understood, will shew, beyond
all controversy, that the ta^laid
by the General Court in 179$
was not " necessary for the defence
and fu,port of the government of
this fate and the protection and pre.
fervation of the fubje&s thereof,"—
therefore, it was unreasonable,
unconstitutional, and oppressive.
If there be any so far overcome
by prejudice, party spirit, or a.
riftocratic influence; so far loft
to reason, to common sense, and
common honesty, as to believe
it justifiable, at all events to def
troy the property, and to violate
the constitutional rights and priv
ileges of one class of citizens to
promote the interests, or gratify
the avarice or revenge of anoth
er ; and who believe it necessary
to appropriate the monies of the
State to that purpose ; they are
shewn, that the tax was dill urn
necessary, that the twenty four
(hares in the bank might have
been purchased, and an handsome
supply left in the treasury for
public or private purposes, if no
tax had been granted until ano
ther year. r
Having shewn that the tax of
27,000 dollars in 1799, was whol
ly unnecessary for purposes re
cognized by the Constitution, &
that at the time of granting it, an
appropriation of 12,000 dollars
was made for the purchase of ad
ditional (hares in the N. Hamp
shire, Bank; it is submitted to
the candour of an impartial pub
lic, whether the original promot
ers of these a&s could have any
tther principal obje& in view,
than to perpetuate the deftru&ion
of the N. H. Union Bank, which
the TYRANNICAL reftriding
a& had begun, and to render the
privileges granted to the (lock
holders of the old bank, by their
a& of incorporation, exclusive &
permanent, by making it more &
more for the pecuniary interest
of the state to have it so? If this
be the truth, (and he must be a
fceptic indeed who can doubt it)
and if the assessment of a public
tax, for the comparatively harm
less reason chat it was not necessa
ry, be unconstitutional, and its
advocates deserving public cen
sure, and disapprobation, what
shall be said of those, who, by
positive a&s have violated the
plained and mod important prin
ciples,of the constitution ?
Fellow Citizens,
The fubjetl that has been ad
dressed to your consideration is
important, and merits your serious
and thoughtful attention ; the in
terests, the privileges and the
happiness of one class of your
brethren have been facrificed to
the ambitious & avaricious views
of another; and monies taken
from your pockets by law have
been employed for that purpose :
those whg hazarded their lives &
expended their property in ac
complishing our independence,
and who have persevered in mea
sures to secure the blessings of a
free government, have for that
very cause been persecuted and
opprefled—while the enemies of
our constitution, and to all re.
publican governments, thole who
at .the period of the American
revolution would have affided G.
Britain to enslave you—those ve
ry men, possessing now the fame
spirit, and the fame disposition to
arbitrary power, have, by some
unaccountable fatality,been load
ed with exclusive privileges, and
placed in the highest and mod
important offices in the adminis
tration of that government to
which they had once iworn the
mbitt&eft enmity. Surely these
things ought not so to be. It is
in your power, land in yours on
ly, under heaven; to arrest the
evil, and to restore the violated
principles of that constitution, by
which you have agreed to be
governed.
A FARM for SALE.
TO BE SOLD.
BY me the subscriber, a Farm
in Warner, lying on the main
road, that leads from Hopkinton
to Windsor. Said farm contains
between fifty and sixty acres of
excellent land—of which about
twenty acres are INTERVALE,
suitable either for mowing or til#
tage, and is well watered—Plea
santly fitftted within fifty rods of
the Congregational meeting house
in said Warner—with a conven
ient Dwelling House, two good
Barns, and a fine young Orchard.
Said Stand is suitable, either
for a Tavern-keeper, Trader, or
Tradesman. For further partic
ulars, enquire of Mr. Tappen
Evans, who now lives on the
farm, or at the Store of the sub
scriber.
CALEB PUTNEY.
Warner, Feb. 4th, 1802.
Samuel Butters,\Jr.
An affort&t of GOODS, many
of which ^e at reduced prices—among
which are the following articles, viz.
India Luftrings, Sattins, Modes,
Ladies Silk Gloves, Cotton Do.
and Mitts, Camel's Hair Shawls,
Furs for Muffs, Callicoes, India
Cottons, Wildbores, Calliman
coes, Broadcloths, Lambskins,
Baizes, Flannels, Swansdowns,
Worsted Hose, & Fearnaught.
ALSO,
Pewter, Bar Iron, German Steel,
Nails, Glass, Weft India Goods,
Groceries, & Crockery Ware.
WANTED to PURCHASE,
White Beans, Flax Seed, Bees-
Wax, Flax, Rags, Tow Cloth,
and House ASHES.
N. B. Payment will be expected
from all persons indebted, after a
credit for English Goods of Ninety
4ajs, and 60 days for other articles.
Concord, Jan. 25, 1802.
BLANKS for DEEDS, warrante
and quitclaim—Blank Complaints—Jus
tices write, Summonses and Executions
— Constantly for sals at this Offices
It is your prerogative, and it is
no less your duty to enquite into
these things, and to withhold
your future fuffrages from those
who have sported with your con
fidence ; —remember that it is
always dangerous to a republican
government to continue the fame
men long in office ; flattered by
repeatedappointments, that which
at firft was received with gratitude
as a favor from your hands, is at
length arrogantly claimed as a
right : absorbed in their own
ambitious views, the interests of
their constituents become a mat
ter of secondary consideration, &
are always in danger when in
competition with their own. Our
real enemies are not numerous,
but they are fubtil and persever
ing. It has been, and probably
will continue to be, then practice
to fend out their emissaries among
you, and you are in danger of
being deceived by them. Re
publicanism in Newhampfhire is
not dead, but sleeps; let us rouse
then from our stupidity before it
be too late, and shew our fixed
refoluion to preserve in purity
the blessings of that independence
for which our fathers and breth
ren fought and bled, and to hand
them down inviolate to fucceed#
i fl g generations.,
HANTONIENSIS.