Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-08-28

1 fray the ordinary expences Of government
and to pay the interest on the pupiic deos' III
Guiding that on new loans" .
| In regard to the second proposi'ion, we
shall quote Mr.. Gallatin's own words - CON
sidering the rigorous restrictions lad oy
France on the commerce of the United States
with her own dominions and other countries
under her influence the dangers to which
our commerce with the Baltic and with CHI
ma will be exposed the Secretary might have
said the annisilation to which 1t VIII DC expos
| ed1; the relations of England with SPAN &
Portugal; and also that no small part OF the
cantsrcs made by our privatecrs will be sent
| into foreign ports, great deialcatioh mus DC
Expected To which we may add tha'
smuggling will be cause OF no inconsioefa-
BILE diminution ofreyenue, There was inaeeo
time, when the patriotism and honor OF the
Epeople spurned the idea OF fraud on the go
Iyernment. But the two last administrations
by those restrictive acts, the Embargo, Non
intercourse and Non-lmpo rtation, have not on
Nv taught the people hozu to elude detectlon-
Ithey have unfortunately done more; they
| have taught them TO believe that their worst
enemy is their own government and that IN e.
lyadng the laws they are acting in self defence;
and, still more lamentab!e, they have by that
course of weak and accursed measures, taken
of the opprobrium which formerly attended
the crime We do not hesitate to say, that
the moral evil which thoss pernlclous acts
have occasioned, is greater. infinitely greater,
than all the political benefits they could have
produced, had even the prediction OF their
warmest admirers been fully realized. On
the subject of smuggling, the Secretary has
an observation which we cannot let pass with
out notice. He says there will be less dan
ger of smuggling when the double duties are
imposed than there was before the war at the
| old rates" We believe that War, merely as
an alteration in the state OF society," so tar from
tending to diminish, will increase tho pracuce
of smuggling; and this IS certainly the first
time VIC ever beard that the magnitude OF a
duty was security for its payment. We had
generally considered 1t as an established lndls-
putabe principle, that the eyaslons OF the law
would be in proportion to the exhorol ancy q
the inpost. We therefore are OF opinion that
,be estimate of niposts, as stated In the Sc
cretary's report is incorrect,-that alter the
present year, the amount actually Received
from that fund will not exceed Que halt the
computed sum, and will not equal that which
might have been collected from the old rates.
AS TO the sales ofpublc lands, i, is Of minor
consequence. The report acknowledges that
the product of this fund cannot be increased
without diminishing the price OF the land.
There is great reason however to believe, that
there will be diminulion Of that source, from
: fNf yy1II
incline 10 invest money in wild lands, which
can produce them no income, Which are not
tikely to advance, even in the event OF peace,
much above their present prlce,and on which
heavy direct taxes are now 10 be levied. But
whatever deficiency may arise either on this
fund or on that of imposts, ii mustbe supplied
by loans OF by an increase of the land and ex-
else taxes, the latter Of which comes next on
the Secretary's report.
This fund, the internal taxes, the report
sa, S, is estimated at its maximum. we per-
fectly agree with the Secretary, that the sum
FIVE millions is its maximum. We think
Government will find it very difficult to raise
any thing beyond this sum and Though the
Secretary declares "that This aDaount is mode
rate comhcred with the burden laid on Earohe-
an nations" we believe that he VIII had that
argument very inadequate to console the peo-
pie, or to induce the farmers to pay with cheer
fulness: On the contrary, we have no doubt 1t
will be considered wretcbed attempt, to rem
derpalatable ajax which will be highly oppres-
sive on the people, and very unproductve to
the treasury. The Yeomanry of our country,
unlike the merchants, who by fortunate spe-
culations, draw from abroad their thousands
dtens of thousands, their little wealth
by slow and laborious means, and their posses
sions are literally !" the sweat OF their brows."
This class of people, though highly honorable
and patriotic, will consent with great reluc-
lance to pay tax which must diminish pro-
perry so arduously acquired At all times OPP
posed, because unaccustomed, to tax OF this
sort, the payment at this time, when great