Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1814-12-26


.taring him in the face, your new Secre-
tary, the frelh hand at the treafury bel
lows, who has labored 70 hard TO blow
up public credit, had the elfrontery to de-
clare, in his firlt report, that the reiourc>
es of the nation remain almoit untouched
by the hand of the government becauie,
fuppofs bis hand had not before touch
ed them And this, fir, is one of the
evils attendant on the perpetual fiuctua-
ton Of officers in fome of your depart-
ments. No fooner is one leach braihed
from the veins Of the people, than frclh
one is faitened on them, to fuck the lait
drop of their blood. ~ ~
You attempt to raife revenue in two
ways; by direct and indirect taxes |;
though the genius of the administration,
| think, leads them to the indirect mode,
thar the hand of the government. fhould
as feldom as poilible BE- feen by the peo-
pie, while they are picking their pockets.
The jnitice OF this mode may well be
queitIened. When you impole dire6t
tax every cisizen knows what he has to
paw but when you tax articles in the
hand of the manufacturer, the retailer,
or the merchant, they add what they
pleaie. certainly never lefs than the tax,
for advance Of money and intereit; and
thus the citizen is often obliged to pay
more than double the amour. OF the tax.
Though indeed, fir, in the preent i'm
poveriihed iituation of the people, can
fee but little other difference in the two
modes Of taxation, than between petit
larceny and robbery The difpoGtion
that would induce an Administration, at a
time like this, to adopt the indirect mode,
would urge an unfortunate being, in
humble lite, clandeitinely to pick pock-
ct, or rob hen-rooft and the evil gen.
ius that would hnpeI the former to relort
to the direct mode, would embolden the
latter to attack the citizen, and demand
his money at the point ofthe bayonet, or
the muzzle Of the pittol.
[Mr. King was here cautioned by the
hon. fpeaker no, to violate that order
and decorum in debate which the rules
of the houfe require. Thanking the hon.
ipe aker for the caution, Mr. K, replied (:
his, fir, is fubjsa which never will
debate but with the contribution in my
hand, l will boldly march to the extreme
verge of its powers, and there be ready,
at all times, to give to my political op.
ponents practical illuitra,ion of my
ideas Of the rights Of representative and
OF the privilege of member ; never
will wantonly invade the territory of my
adveriary, nor without it1uggle be driv
en- from my own
On the fubjea taxes, Gr, your pre6d,
ent'in his frit meiiage at this isilion, fays,
we have feen them 1.-THE peoplcl every
where paying their taxes, direct and in
direct, with the greateit promptne.s and
alacrity." And the late iecretary, Mr.
Campbell, taking his pitch from the
preGdent, celebrates in the fame itrain,
i" the promptitude and chcerfuineis with
which the prefrns taxes are paid"
What reward do the people receive for
all this patriotiim and devotion to their
country /? You double their burdens,
aud incrrafe your exactions. You have
retolyed to double your land tax, making
it iix million of dollars to double the
auction aud carriage taxes to add fifty
per cent. to the taxes on retailers, and
on the poitage Of letters and newspapers |;
it is natural, fir, that you fhould increafr
the latter tax by taxing the prcls many
of the people. will be compelled to give
up their newspapers, and thus be lefs a.
bic to icrutinizc the conduct of this ad-
ninlitration. On domeitic diltilled
ipiri,s, you have increafed the tax 400
per cent. lett the people ihould obtain
drop ofcomfort from thar fourcc. And
to crown the whole, you have refolved
to add twenty one new items to your lift
of taxable articles. Many Of which.
fuch as the taxes on hats, leather, nails,
iron, &c SC will fall peculiarly heavy
on thofe who are poorly able to pay. If
fuch be the reward Of their patriotiim,
you will compel the people to Try the
effecf of manly IeGltance to fuch op
preilion.
But happy, happy woul it be for this