The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-12-08

1
| the advocates of the refolve, MIR. B. aired, whe-
Their Louitiana, acquired by fair purchaie, would
require more flaveS for its cultivation, than it
| would, If 1t had been acquired by devaitation
and carnage Is it lefs fit for the habitation of
| treemen, when obtained by honorable contract,
than it would have been if feized by force of
| arms, without right or title, in an ofenGve and
unjuit war Was the foillefs valuable than if it
| had been fertilized by husnan,blood He drew
| contrae between the conduct of the two par
! ties in congrefs, and throughout the nation, on
| that memorable queltiOn and commended that,
when the fubject occurred, by the fsfpen(ion
| OF our right of depoit at New-Oreans, both
parties were in favor of obtaining NJ Orleans
and the adjacent territory, and effectualy fecur-
| ing the navigation ofthc Mifiliippi; but differ
| ed widely as to the means. The federafR5 urg-
! ed the beRile policy of marching an army into
| the territory, then belonging to France, but re-
manning in the poaellion of Spain, and fezng
1t, by an act of open war againt both thofe ma.
tons, without any previous demand of repara-
ton o. even notice of the injury fiiftained the
republicans, with the administration at their
head, were in favor of the pacific policy of nego-
citation and purchale; by which we have in fact
happily avoided war with France and Spain
acquired the whole province of Louiiiana fe-
cured the navigation and commerce of the Milf
iitlipp from its fource to its mouth trans
terred forever, by poiic!iing both of its banks,
from foreign nation to our!eiYes and our poi
terity, the entire revenue of that vait river, and
all the weftern regions connected with il re-
moved dangerous neighbour; acquired the
means of confronting the frontier Indians and
guarding aganft their wars already obtained,
for future iae and settlement, the cefion of
large tract of their land opened to the eafern
citizens new market for their productions ard
importations, and new fources of mercantile fup-
plies, more iafe in time of war, than the Wet
Indies extended our coating and carving
trade, and increafcd the commercial intercourse
and mutual dependence of the northern and
fouthern tates. The price, faid Mr.. B. which
had been coniidercd Objectionable, was only ff
teen millions; lefs than the expeuce ofone years
war the principal part of it payable at iuch
di!tant periods, as 70 give an intervening oppor-
tunlty to difcharge the whole of the old debt
according to the fyftem of finance now in ope-
ration and one quarter OF the whole price pay
able to our own citizens for debts which had
before been dnputed, and could not perhaps
have been otherwiie fecured.
Mr.. B. defended the difcontiruance of the
direct tax; and admitted it to be maxim of
the Pretent administration and Congrefs not to
recur to it, except in cafe of war or fome great
national emergency. This he contended, was
conforrnable TO the frnfe of the nation in gene
raj, ard of this fate in particular, at the time
OF the contribution when an amendment to
that effect, was propoied by the convention of
Maiachuietts. Altho' the policy then con-
templated and expected has thus been reftored,
and is now purified; yet the constitutional rule
OF aPportioning direct taxes is of great impor-
lance, as we may, IN the courie of events, have
| occafon to reior TO that fpecies of taxation.
In vlndication of the repeal of the excfes,
MIR. B. particularly examined thofe feveral tax
4 attemntpd tO rSftl te he
tanned In the preamble, that they were unequal
IN favour of the eaftern ftates, and to thew on
the contrary, that this fate paid an undue pro-
portion of them. Of the exciies in general, and
the carriage tax in particular, he faid, Malta
chufetts paid more than Virginia, coniiderably
| larger tate; and of the latter tax, almoft twice
as much as Pennsylvania or New-York, either
OF which ought, according to the rule of appor-
| tionment to pay more than Maliachufetts
This tax, as it had been laid, was liable to fome
trong objections. 1t was double tax, carri-
ages being aliefled and taxed in common with
other property according TO their efimatedYa-
ue, and the duty on hrt rate carriages, of any
particular defcription, was no higher than on
the cheapea and sasansat Il was net, therefore,
properly tax on luxuries, Especially as the
principal part of it was collected, in this fate,
on two wheel carriages, which in general are
articles OF mere family convenience. Beiides,
4 iuSu d ldh 10 idiC, lUtTe were, III MIR. IS DBL
Mon, two deciiive reafonS why it ihould be
tate tax; one was, that we ihould have the be-
neht OF the over-portion, we paid, innead of its
gong into the federal treaiury; and collected,
IN our ieveral towns, without one additional
officer, and with very little additional expence.
Congrefs by taking off their hand from thefe
objects of taxation, have left them at the diicre-
ton of the REFLECTIVE ftates, where in ordinary
times they ought to remain. The itamp tax,
ne faid, was burthenfome and vexatious 1t
clogged buGnefS, created litigations refpeetinp
the validity of contracts and, in the interior
OF the country, occaiioned ten times as much
expence, by lofs of time, travelling, delay and
trouble, as the amount of duties paid. He be-
lieved that the principal part of the tax on di-
filled fpirits, and fils was collected from coun
try fills, of which there were. according to the
returns for the year 1900, more than twenty
thouiand, chiefly in the interior of Vermont,
New-York, Pennfylvania, Ohio, &c.--that the
inhabitants of thofe few fettlements have fur
plus of grain, beyond their confumption, but
cannot tranfport 1t to market, becaufe of the
ditanCe, and for the fame reafon, cannot be
furniihed with imported fpirits-that for years
they NUT be unfupplied with the article of cy-
| der-that, in theie circumstances, they general
ly manufacture their own fpirits, as our Allan
tic farmers manufacture cyder or beer-that
duty upon fuch domeftic fills, although ex-
tremey vexatiOus, oppreffive and expenlve in
the collection, could not be comparatively very
productive; nor could it be fairly faid to be d
Il f1y NI,,.