Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1836-12-14

- ~ ~ 0&AA
interest, the agents ofthe people 10 the
. State governments are repressed, and
kept within the limits Of q Just econo-
my. But If the necessity of leyying
the taxes be taken from those who
make the appropriations, md thrown
upon a nor distant and less RESPONSE.
bio set Of public agents, who have pow
er 70 approach the people by an indi~
rect and stealthy taxation, there IS rea-
son TO fear hat prodigality will soon
superccde those characteristics which
have thus far made us look with so
much pride and confidence to the State
Governments, as the main stay Of our
Union and liberties. The State LIE.
gislatures, instead of studying how to
restrict their State expenditures TO the
smallest possible sum, will claim credit
for their p~rofusion and harrass the
General Government for increased sup.
plies. Practically, there would soon
be but one taxing power, and that vest
ed in u body of men far removed from
the people, in which the farming and
mechanic interests would scarcely be
represented. The States would gra.
dually lose their purity as well as their
independence /; they would not dare to
murmur at the proceedings oil the Ge.
neral Government, lest they should
lose their supplies all would be merg.
ed into a practical consolidation, ce-
mented by wide spread corruption,
which could only be eradicated by one
of those bloody revolutions which oc>
~casionally overthrow the despotic sys
TENS of the old world.
In all the other aspects in which
have been able to look at the effect o.
f such a principle redistribution upon the
t best interests of the country, | can see
nothing to compensate for the disad.
vantages to which | have adverted.-
If we consider the protective duties
which are, in a great degree, the source
ofthe surplus revenue, beneficial to one
9 section OF the Union, and prejudicial tc
t another. there is no corrective for the
d evil in such a plan Of distribution. Or
the contrary, there is reason to feal
t that all the complaints which have
sprung from this cause would be aggra.
waited. Every n must be sensible
a that a distribution of the surplus mus
: Ebeget a dispositionto cherish the means
, which create it; and any system, there.
fore, into which it enters, must have q
, powerful tendency to increase, rather
1 than diminish the tariff. If it were
even admitted that the advantages o
such ii system could be made equal tc
. all the sections of the Union, the req,
g sons already SO urgently calling for /;
n reduction OF the revenue, would, new
e ertheless, lose none oftheir force; fol-
I it will always be improbable that ar
intelligent and vlrtuous community car
consent to raise u surplus for the mere
t purpose Of dividing it, diminished as il
must inevitably be by the expenses o.
2 the various machinery necessary &c
. the process.
The safest and simplest mode of OBJ.
Waiting all the difficulties which have
{ been mentioned, is to collect only re.
| venue enough 10 meet the wants ofthe
4 Government, and let the people keer
the balance of tho property in theil
7 own hands, to be used for their own
. profit. Each State will then support
t It's own Government, and contributor its
, due share towards the support of the
General Government. There would
: be no surplus to cramp and lessen the
t resources of individual wealth anI EN-.
terprise, and the banks would be left
to their ordinary means. Whatever
agltations might arise from our unfor.
t1nate paper system, they could never
be attributed, justly or unjustly, to the
action of the Federal Governments
There would be some guaranty thai
: the spirit of wild speculation, which
seeks to convert the surplus revenue
n INTO banking capital, would be %efiectu
9 ally checked, and that the scenes O
generalization, which ale now so pre-
. valent through the land, would disap
pear.
Without desiring to conceal that thu
S experience and observation of the las
G two years, have operated a partia
7 change In my views upon this interest
b ing subject, 1t is nevertheless regretted
that the suggestions made by me in my
. annual message of 1929 and 80 have
!, been greatly misunderstood. At tina
time, the great struggle was begun
G against that latitudinarian construction
I al the constitution, which authorizes the
5 unlimited appropriation ofthe revenue.
: OF the Union to internal Improvement:
within the States, tending to invest ir
the hands and place under the contro
of the General Government, all the
principal roads and canals of the cou
try, IN violation of State rights, and il
derogation of State authority. At the
same time, the condition Of the manu-.
featuring interest a such as TO create
an a~pDrehensiOn that thc dutieS m i'm