The Arkansas advocate., 1833-09-25

west, class of independent laborina men, clothed with the right of suffrage, who have no motive Ill their political acts but the pros ioailty of ofr common country
 Ne hope the western States Nillneyer be tfoHght into the delusiYe scheme of this bin. 1y the btibe held OH 10 asiis, made i, s,f a small part Of d large sum exacted from their own settlers and citizens. Ii would be sel Ing their best interests at a paltry price, to De paved by themselves. For one CT i've dollars paid back, it would be an agreement to be taxed eight. It would be barterine away, tor triiling amount oi cash in hand, of much iargersum taken outof theirpoekefs. the ill4alaahle aseafss oi rapidly increasing then population, wealth, and power.
 We hope inc time IS not far distant when 1 1he people of all the States. olll as vel ..s new, will cease to look to the 1sreasllrfs af the U. States as a source of individual or seetlonal wealth. They cannot forget thai It's contents come from the people. Heol- ieeted by an equal tax, there Is still inius- tiee m the distribution, and fl by an unequal 1 tax the injustice is doubled. It Is mpossi- ble m the nature of government, that the people i1f can be benefited by taking money rom them Tn one shape that t may De re- turned in another. If every man in the U. States were taxed ten dollars, tlle whole proceeds brought into the Treasury and then directed to beannually distributed, the original payers would not probably receive nlne piece. It would take at least one dollar m ten to pay the salaries, lees and i commissions oi those employed in assess Ing, collecting and distributing the taxes to- gether with loss.
 And there would be no other distribution which would be equally just to the people.
 Itmay, therefore, be assumed as an estab- llshed fact, that 1t can never be the interest of the country that money shall be eollec- ted as revenue merely, that 1t may be d. gain distributed among the people or the States. Nor IS this one of the legitimate l objects for which governments are estab- lished
 - -GoYefnmentnex made the people rich. The best of them only protect the people in acquiring riches by their own exertions. l If the people could be perfectly protected m all their rights of personal property, With- out any government. they would be more rich and happy than they are. Every man could then pursue the occupation of his choice and apply the whole proceeds to his own use, without contributing any thing to ft1y tiS 4.sfst tals,s It tedtfI0l- ity. But this the passions and vices of our Traces will not permit. Men are obliged to associate together in communities and nations, to adopt laws and regulations, em- i ploy agents to enforce them, and in conse- quence contribute a portion of their income to pay the necessary expenses. Now 1t IS a the obvious interest Of those associated, that I the number of persons employed in the pub- lie service shall be as small as possible; that their powers shaii be confined to the objects which induced the association, and that the expenses and consequently the a. mount to be raised from the people, shall be as small as possible.
 The principle applies with peculiar force l to the government of the United States, whose powers, are limited and confined. Surely no power can be found delegated to 1t in the constitution, to lay taxes or raise revenue for the benefit of the States, or for the mere purpose of distribution among them or the people. And if it had that power, we have seen that 1t would be unjust and impolite to use 1t.
 Let us abandon all these neresnary mo- lives and objects iii legislation. Let us make the wants of our government as small as possible and reduce our revenue so as to barely meet them. As we do not now need the revenue arising from the sale of the Western lands, let Us reduce their price to not more than 50 cents to the acre, to be 
 market few years, selling them only to settlers, or at least restricting the amount which any man shall be permitted to pur- chase. Thus the compact of cession will be observed; no injury will be done to the east; justice will be done to the west; all motive for mercenary and corrupt leglsla- ton, in connexion with the public lands, will be removed; a question which may en- danger the Union will be disposed of; the population, wealth, power and morality of our nation will be increased; the States and general government will maintain their prop- CT relations; and we shall have an addition al guarantee for the improvement and per- petdity of our invaluable institutions.
 There are many points we have moi touched in the numbers, because q notice 1 of them did not seemnecessary to the cham of our argument. We may consider them thereafter in a supplement number. Ihe Pepe.iation efthe fZ,aited states.--II The Boston Journal has some interesting suggestions on this subject, derived from the last Quarterly Register.
 The greatest population to square mile is in the District of Columbia, where