Oracle post — Portsmouth, N.H., 1805-01-29 00:00:00, page 1

ORACLE POST
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OF ALL THE DEPOSITIONS AND HABITS WHICH LTAD TO POLITICAL PROSPERITY, RELIGION AND MORALITY ARE INDISPENSABLE SUPPORTS.—WASHINGTON
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THE PORTSMOUTH ORACLE
1 pubfchtd every Saturday morning for the town
b and vicinity, and
THE ORACLE POST
every Tuesday morning for the Country by
' WILLIAM and Daniel Treadwell,
W thei# Book and Stationary shop, opposite the
tourt H^use, Portsmouth Afewhamfashire ——
Terans 150 cents per Annum, 50 cents paid in ad,
tenet— Factually forwarded to all parts of this
State, and the District of Maine.
,from the Evening Post.
Democratic Confessions.
IXthe mafeubne lente which char
m&rifH the following production, con
veyed tn the ci^Be fyle of the true old
School enlivened and adorned by the
witty allufoh, the poignant irony, the
happy illufbation, our reader§ will at
once recognize the features pfone of the,
master fpints of the nation.
„ the Hworablc it: hatters of tie w,rUy in L^b Houses of
Cong'ifc,
GENTLEMEN,
AL THOUGH I neither prefefsyour
principles nor admire yout cooduft, I
take the liberty to address you,, in the
humble trust, that 1 shall have the hon
cr to observe, will not be wholly beneath
your notice. MyTubjed is of high con
cern the amendment to be proposed by,
Maffacbofetts to our. federal compact.
Iwave confident ions on the reason and
„bce of that rheafure : riot so much be
b^aufe f foppofe you to be deficient in
neither, as because yon may be led into
Ate common mistake, that policy re
quired the facrifice of both. Many of
you are laid to be'of what is called the
new fchooh and might therefore, con
fider me as a miserable pedant,' should I
found my argument on the old princi
ple that honesty is the best policy. In
order, therefore, that what I fay may
have some chance to be read & confidef
<o, 1 will accommodate myfelf to the
times and endeavour to prove that it is
your immediate personal interest to adopt
this amendment.
As the constitution now (lands; dired:
taxaric# )and representation go together
and I take the lihe ty tor mind you that,
^ generally speaking, revenue can only foe
Oawn from duties, exercises and direct
taxes. You ojedted the 'excife with so
much clamour that man„of your adher
■ ents, fhailyou attempt to re-establish it,
would lose their feats. This confidera-
J tion is Efficient to prevent such an at
tempt. It would, indeed, break your
party to pieces, and oblige Mr. Jefferfon
'to go back to private lite, which after
altering the Cenftitutien to secure his
5 cie&ion, would be very, hard. Now
you will be pleated to confaer, Gentle
men, that, the revenue dependant on du
ties becomes every day more and more
precarious. For Ml proportion as the
•doctrines of the new school prevail, the
Security of oaths nraft be diminished ; >
and in proport ron as you go on loading
commerce with additional duties, the
temptation to fmugglmg is encreafed.
[ In truth, we exhibit an-lkoncte-de excep
tiontowhat has hereto fi re; revaried among
mankind. Withthc most exteefive and
acceffable coast, and without force to
proteftfr revenue, we pay higher du
ties than are collected in any other coun
, try. You have doubtless heard of, tehat
'% tfcalkd in England, the ConMiunica-'
t@ adt. It was puff'd ¥onthe ground
that no measures could be tfi'cftual to
prevent fmu^giing, while the duties are
high, and therefore reduces tlicm con
}fi<foably ; iropofingadirca tax to make'
I op the deficiency. You will be pleated
to confidcr, gentlemen, that the naval
face of England and the cl^feulfef
^©rifher coast and climate prcfent,when|
fccow;>ar<ll with our marine ?ur coast
{/and climate, render f^u?gling fir more.
'hazardous there than it can pcffibly be
- You will recoiled also,.
that weargue this matter ondhe ground
■^^Mercftpnd according tp. the maxims
•f the new school. Ofthat ground,
then, and by those maxims you will de
termine whether a merchant in thenorth
ern Rates may not find' as good reason
for illicit trade, as your followers can find
for their votes ; and especially for that
'which is tobe given on the present quef
[ tion. But another powerful motive
may operate on the northern merchants.'
They confider the proposed amendment
as reasonable and just; confequenly the
rejection as unreasonable and unjust,
Now it cannot be heceffary, gentlemen,
/to tell you that a hundred men willing
to do injury; may more eafity be founa
than one who is willing to bear it. Neith
er are you to learn that those who have
the meatys in their own hands, will need
little persuasion to gratify their resent
ment. The forgivnels of injureous was
indeed part of an ancient system called
chriftianity ; but it has no place, I be- 1
lieve, in the doctrine of ^ilofophy,
and certainly, none in the premia of
your prime philosopher. Be pleased fur
ther to confider that, in despite of Le
giftative Omnipotence,you are completely
in the power of those Yankees you des
pise. If they fmiggle, the merchants
of New-York and Philadelphia ipuft
pursue the fame practice, or be wholly
undone. Thus the revenue would fall
off several millions, leaving you no re
source but direst taxation. I have al
ready given the fufficient reason why it
wquld not fait yourtoefcablifh an excise.
You will pardon me, however, for add
ing two considerations on the fame
fubjed. First, you could not easily de
, vise a system of that fort to bear exclu
,lively on the northern a^d eastern Bates :
which is a ftrongobjedtton. And second
ly, an excise would not touch a number,
of articles which are chiefly consumed
in this part of the Union. To make
.the matter more intelligible, speaking
always in round numbers, I beg leave
gentlemen to remind you, that the duty
formerly paid, add valorem, on articles
principally consumed north of the Poto
m^c, amounted to jhree and an half
I millions ; arX those on foreign spirits to
one and" an half. Now if these fivemil
lions are to be railed by an excise on ar^
dent spirits, fetring aside thedanger'Of
offending'that numerous and refpe&able
clals, the dram-dinikers, Who [as you
well know] are all of them ex-officio de
mocrats, it would operate prodigiously
against the southern states. Out of five
millions, as they are now levied, the
northern division pays four, But if they
ate to be collected by an excise, the fouth
^clh division would be saddled with
three. So that in effect two millions
would be taken from the Broad (bould
ers of eastern aristocrats, who follow the
plough end drink cyder, to Be laid on the
tkhbale necks of fbuthern democrats,
who udein coaches and tip whiikey .• A
meafuretoo horribly oppressive to bear
confideretion. These five millions, then
1 muffdelated by a direct tax ; for LBe
lieve that four or five more may be ob
tained by moderate duties, and a million
or two by- other expedients.
Now it appears, bylhe Idft cenfys,that
our population confined of 4,4.00,900
free inhabitants, and 900,000 slaves.
Three fifths of these amount to 540,000
which added to the '4,400,000 will make
up nearly five million. Os course the
direct tax would amount to about one
dollar per head on every free person, and
sixty cents on every-flaye. We find by
ifame cenfiis, that the not hero- states
[Delaware inclufive] contained not quite
2,670,000 freemen and about 40,000
slaves which according to the rule of the
Conftitution,>lll give for their propor
tion of five millions 2,761 @OO, leaving
for that of the Southern Bates 2,240,000.
.According to the best calculation which
I can make, this would differ from the
present ' Bate of things, in favor of the
North and against the South, at least a
million of dollars : that is to fay, half a
million taken from one and laid on the
other. But this evil, great as it is, would
lead toohe Bill greater. After the taxes
^±^L_^^—■_!!!— ——=T==—±!^=
TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, ^%
fhafl have been apportioned among the
Bates, those 10 the-northward will probably
raise th^ir.quota by an excise, which must
ruin the caute of democracy by restrain
ing the operations of that spirit from
whence derives the principal support. :
But the southern Bates will not content
' to an excise, and it is not unlikely that 1
the meafu-e of taxation adopted by the
constitution may serve as tire foundation
of their internal arrangement. The quo
ta may, and f believe wi* be apportioned
among your citizens according to the
number of rffirfffi^T. A farmer weft'
of theriUdge,, who tills his d&n land,
whose eloaths are made in his family,
who buys but little of foreign goods,'and
fells but little of his own produce, ought
not to be called on for a proportion of
this tax. I^s not bound, in justice,
to pay for purchasing a prerogative for
the owners of slaves. In this case, ju-
Bice and power being on the fame fide,
yovTcannot doubt the result. You well
know, also, that the slaves are, generally^
speaking, in what you call the low coun
try : and that the proportion they bear
to freemen encreafes as you go fouth.
We have no general designation of east
ern and weftern diftrias,in the census,
^except so, Virginia. In the eastern dif
triftof that fate, however, we find up
wards of 320,000 slaves to less than
340,000 whites. In four diftrids of
Carolina we find the following num,
bers: • / /
Chorleftawn, 1)547 whites, and 41,945 slaves,
Cellcrton, 4394 t 20.471
Beau fort, 4199 jfoi
Georgetown, 62,5 16,568
'9^4* . 95>°i§
In four countries of Georgia,
,Chatham, 3675 whites, ane t 9049 slaves ,
Bryan, ,g 2 g 230^
M'ln ofh, 841 1SI 9
Liberty, 1346 3940
6380 1,,114
By.the bye, gentlemen, that last coun?
try [configuring the Bate of the fociety]
has an odd name. It would teem as if
by Lipertyyou mean one man in four
fret end the rest slaves. But if this de
finition be extended to our national
compact, and three nothern farmers are
to be the political slaves of one Southern
gentlemen, it Is not impossible that the
prida even of Pennsylvania might revolt
atyour dominion. For notwithflanding
the ridicule with which you treat that
Bate, (not wholly without reason) and
however you may sneer it her orator's,
because they save a bit of the brogue,
depends on it the sons of St. Patrick
will not bear to be on a level with plan
tation negroes. <
But to return from this digression,
which I have been led into by the name
of Liberty given to a country in which
three out of four are slaves, you will fee
at a glance what unpleasant effeds mwft
follow from apportioning taxes according
to the number of negroes : and yet the
fourideft principles of political economy
mould recommend it to your State Le
'giflature. Taxes can be raife&from nett
revenue alone becdufe the citizen must
live. You cannot deprive him of abso
lute nec^ffaries ; jmd this you know was
a main argument against taxing coaches d
and whiskey. When thereto, the
matter shall come before your nate le
gislatures, the burthen will be cast on
those wtoown more than ten Haves ':
for ten slaves to a family is no more, per
haps, than a proper allowance, under
the bead of necessaries. Let then 350,000
' be taken for this necessary purpose, from
the 850,000 ; there will remain haif a
million to be divided among five thcu
fand genteel democrats, strenuous advo
cates for the rights of many being ^n av
erage of one hundred each. This num
ber, [aal am informedjis. bailey Effici
ent, and that too with good management ,
to support one of your gentlemen in a
manner suitable to his rank. Nay, af
ter deducing for a coach and four, half
a dozen-running horses, as many livery„
Servants and the other heceffarics of life,
he will be exceedingly straightened in °
the comforts of gaming and drinking, if ,
he has no more than a hundred negroes,
Now let us suppose that the odd 240,000
dollars of your ihare to the direct tax
could be put opdh' the tradesmen and
(hop keepers among you, and remember
-I pray, that if you,% them too high;
tis a chance if any of them do not leave
you, and then the remainder will make
you pay for the priming. Let it be ad
mitted, however, that you can in some
such way get rid of thfc 240,000 dollars,
there will remain two millions to be d^
vided among five thousand democratic
gentlemen ; being a tax of less than four
hundred dollars each, which to the mas
ter of more than one hundred slaves, ,
muff needs prove an intolerable grieve- >
ance.
Therein, I know, a method of cutting
this Gordian knot. Neither you nor
your friends owe much of the public debt^
Why need you care, therefore, whether it
be paid; Hush ! Before this argument is
weighed, let us get into elofe caucus I
for if Pennsylvania and Maryland should
hear it, there would be the devil and all
to pay. Come :wc are now in conclave
and may proceed. With humble fub^
mission, then I doubt whether this mfr
fare be so easy as it appears ; apd am
rather apprehensive that, when the flafte
i n g begins, you may cut certain "Lilli
putian ties" which hold these States to
gether. How far that may suit your in
tereß merits a little consideration. But
firft as to the practicability. You know
how necessary it was to make a parade
of paying the whole of the public debt
when you repealed the taxes appropriat
ed to that object. It is truethat your^
trusty disciples swallowed the camel as
readily as ever they Brained at agnat. I
muß acknowledge also, that the gravity
with which you handled that notable
project was truly edifying ; but to pro
ceed further in the fame trick may not -
be advifeable. If our revenue fall to five
millions (which effect would soon be pro
duced by smuggling) and you propose,
in consequence to suspend the interest of
stock, you will certainly meet with oppo
sition from Maryland^ Pennsylvania and
New-York, even though you should en
title an ad for that purpose. " A further
and more effectual provifon for paying
the whole of the public debt." There
is a certain point beyond which the moB
credulous will hot be led blindfold. You
may indeed persuade a ftuDid fellow that
a crooked, dirty lane is th^cleaneft and
shortest road, but when you thump his
head against a post, the jest becomes too
serious.•
There is another little circumstance,
Gentlemen, which I must take leave to'
mention now we are in private. By look
ing at the census you will find that the
Northern States,including Dela,ware,con
tained 2,599,883 free whites, but those
South of Delaware only 1,702,200. The
Slaves in the Southern States being
85L38Lg^ three fifths, of that num
ber, or 510,828 votes ; whereof the to
tal being divided into one hundred parts, -
the account will Band thus; • ' }
Free white es toDelaware,inclufive 54 votes
#rce whites South of Delaware, 35
Slaves South of Delaware, 11
—IOO
Now, Gentlemen, can you believe, or
in ahy'way persuade yourselves, (much
Jefe other people) tbaf fifty four gs the
the North will allow thirty five of you to
the South eleven additional votes on ac- ,
count of your Negroes ? You will fa,
that this point has been already fettled
by compaft ; which is true. But you
have thought proper to break the com
pass, and appeal to broad principles of
right. ^ Nay some of you have declared
Senators must be apportioned by the fame
rule as Representatives. Since then,
you, have opened up the whole fubjedt
anewyinfifting that in a Republic the
voice of a majority should govern I pu;
thequeftion to you again : can you fr
'ridully persuade yourlehrs that the gd
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>[No. 19. .