Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1836-12-15

| N'S'N 'ihNE' i'SHtN VI ti'
; South-the wreck Of the Union-ant
the PROSTATE cause of Liberty Itself.
have the honor 10 communicate
herewith, the copy otan act respecting
the Public Monies, passed by the las
Consress-approved by the President OF
the 23d June, and shortly a!terward
forwarded TO me by the Secretary OF til,
Treasury, and, to which l beg leave t,
invite your early attention. You viii
perceive, that by the 18th section O
the said act it is provided, that the mon
icy in the Treasury of the u. S. on tht
LIST Of January next, reserving five mil
lions OF dollars. shall be deposited viii
such OF the several States in propotion &c
their respective representation in Con
grcss. Us shall be willing TO receive it,
on the terms therein specified, viz: OF
pledging the faith Of the State to the
safe keeping OF the same and to the re-
payment thereof, as from time 10 time
ii may be required by the Secretary of
the treasury tor the wants of the Gov
ernment beyond the said FIVE millions
Of dollars: provided that not more than
ten thousand dollars shall be called for
{ from any State in any one month, with
cut a notice of thirty days for every ad.
ditional sum CT twenty thousand dollars.
The i4th section provides for the trans
fer 10 the State Of one-lourth part OF said
Deposites, quarter yearly, commencing
with the Isl of January next, throughout
the year 1897.
In contemplating the interesting ex-
! hibition Of Government returning TO
the people an excess ofrevenues collect.
ed from themselves, and looking back
in vain through the history OF all the
governments Of the earth, for similar
spectacle, it is impossible for us not to
aScribe such a result TO that happy frame
! of government, which has known how
to unite, in the people themselves, the
character at once of sovereign 81 SUBJECT
and to eXult in the new testimony it
bears TO the practical superiority of free
Institutions
do not participate in the fears some
! profess to entertain, that this is but the
beginning OF system by which surpluses
[ are to be collected in order that they may
be distributed while repudiate, with
tire scorn with which every intelligent
Virginian will spurn it, the idea also
thrown out. OF oar becoming, by accept
ing our proportion ofthe present surplus,
pensioners on the bounty of of the Fed
eral Government. The absurdity of the
supposition. that any people would sys-
Dramatically lay taxes on themselves, in
order that when collected, they should
/ be returned into their own peck cts, =
an operation obviously attended with the
clear loss of the expenses of collecting,
keeping and disbursiug agents, besides
that OF the use of the money during all
the time this process should be going on
is too gross 10 need exposure. In the
present case, at least, all admit that nc
design Of creating a surplus for diSttibu,
ton, was entertained in any quarter. Ii
has arisen from the unparalleled growth
OF the wealth and population ofthiS great
country, classifying, by its rapidly, all
the calculations and estimates on which
our revenue laws have been predicated.
This excess beyond the government
wants, thus accumulated without design,
the people have simply, through their
representatives., by the law referred TO,
ordered 10 be restored to themselves
. " hat could be more reasonable, or IUst,
or wise Is not the money In the pub
lie treasury, the peoples money, and the
government their mere servant and trus-
tee? Was it not, at best. living idle un.
productive-or if not so, iilegitima.elY
used to profit those who had no shadow
Of claim to it Did it not present temp.
tation 10 those who had the coatrol oft
which the wise jealousy of 1t free pco-
pie did RICH: to remove?
In respect TO so much the surplus as may
be derived from The sales of the public do.
main, held as that domain is, by The expires:
provisions of the several deeds OF cessnn, fol
The common benefit Of the States, il woult
seem 10 be only fulfilling lis appointed pur
pose, when lairiy distributed among them
And even should il amount fur an imdelirile
period Of time, TO sum equal 10 all thci
wants and those Of the Genera! Government
supercedlng The necessity Of laying taxes al
together, there would he in such u result
cause only Tor universal COngrutulatiun. A
regards an excess oGreycrue arising from th
customs, unquestionaLly the obvious and Jus
course, under ordinary circumstances, ant
the most coufurmabIc 10 the spirit of Tire Con
stituiion, would be al once To reduce the Ia
rif 10 the extent Of such redundancy. Du
at this time, ii may ell be questioned, whe
Their Congress should not, TOR The short peri
od that is TO clapse before our revenue svs
lem will, by general expectation, again com
UP for reyISil, tolerate as the lesser eyi som
delay IN returning ,0the proper working 9th
government, rather than tpring Of sudle
upon the country, q controversy always sui
iicienIly bitter but under present circum