Southern telegraph., 1836-12-20


necessary 60 collect as well as 90 distribute
such revenue. About thrrc-6fhs Of 80
ihe duties ON imports are paid in the city of
New York, bul ii is obvious that The runun>
ic pay those duties are drawn from eyerv
quarter of the hiun. Every citizen in ov.
cry stale, who purchases aud consumes an
article which has poid a duty at Tint port,
contributes to the accumlaling mass.-
The surplus collected there must, therefore,
he made up Of monies aud properly with
drawn irum other p -iuts and other States.
Thus the WonEhund blsincss of every re.
gln from which these surplus funds proceed
must be tn some extent injured, while that
o. lht tinlace where the fInds are conccntrat-
cd, ana tmrhyed m banking, are proper
i1nably cxtenuld, BIT to:h in making the
transfer Of the lunds which are necessary
10 pay the taxes aud coliGct the surplus
and in making The re-transler which be-
cumcs necessary when the time arrives for
;he disiribati,u Of that surplus-thcre is n
considerable period when the funds cannot
be brOughr into use; and i is manifest that
besides the hiss inevitable from such an upc.
ration, its tendency is to produce lluctua-
lions in the business of the country, which
arc always productive of speculation, and
detrimental to the Interests uI regular trade.
Arguments can scarcely be necessary to
show That measure Of ibis character nGshD
ut to receive fdrohrr legislative encourage.
mcnt.
By examining the practical operation of
The ratio for distribution, adopted in The de-
rosi:o bll of the last session, we shall DIS
cover further features that appear equally
uhlecti"nablc, Let it lc assumed, for the
sake of argument, hat the surplus moneys
I" be deposited with the Suics have been
crljcctcd, and bclong 10 them in ihc ratio of
heir federal representative popuIation--1n
assumption founded Upon HE fact that any
d, liucnricS in our lllre revenue upon i'm
posts and pubic lands, must he made up hy
direct taxes, col 'cetcd from The S.atcs IN hal
ratio. Ii is proposed to distribute the SUR
pl's, say $3G,0G0,000, not according to the
ratio in which il has teen collected and be-
hngS TO the poop'e of the States, but That of
heir votes in lh,, colleges OF electors Of
President and Vice President. The cf-
feet Of distribution up II that r,io is
shown hy the annexed table marked \.
BY tho examination of That table, it will
hc perceived that the distribution ola sur
plus of S3G,GO0,G00, upon tn It basis. there
is Il great departure from the principle
which regards representation MS the true
measure Of taxation: and it will hc found
that the tendency Of that departure will he
To lnrIcaSc whaCycr inequalities have ECch
supposed to attend The operation Of our fed
eral system in respect 10 lis bearings upon
HE dllIGrCn! interests Of the Uni n. In ma
King the basIs Of rcpScscntailn the basis Of
taxation, the trainers of The Cunstitutirn in
tended to cq,mlize the burdens which are
necessary 10 support The government; and
the adopl'n Of that ratio, while it accOm
pllshed that o Ject, was also the means OI
adjusting other great topics arising out of
conflicting views respecting the political
equality Of the various members of the CON
Iedcracy. Whatever, therefore, disurhs
the literal spirit Of the compromise which
established rule of taxation Just and eQui-
table. and which experience has proved To
be 50 well adapted to the gcniu. and habits
of our people, should be received with the
greatest caution and dsrlIst
A hare inspection, in tho annexed table,
Of the differences produced by the ratio used
IN the dcposi'c act, compared with tho re-
suits Of Il distribution according direct taX-
alton, must satisfy evorv unprrludccd miud
illt The f,rntvr ratio cuntrayeucs The spirit
Of Dho constitution and produces a degree Of
injustice in The operation Of the Federal Go
rornmcut which would be fa.nl To the hope
Of fporpetualing it. By the ratio of dlrcc;
taxation, for example, ,'hc State Of Delaware,
in the collection Of S30,000,00O OF revenue
would pay into The Treasury $lSS,7l6, and
in distribution Of $]0,000,O00 she woud
receive back from the government, Accord
iag to the ratio of The deposite bill, The sum
Of $}G6, l23; and similar results would fol-
low The comparison between the small and
the large States throughout the Union, thus
realizing to the small States an advantage
which would I've doubtless as unacceptable
to them as motive for incorporating the
principle in any system which would pro-
duce il, as it would bC Inconsistent with the
rights and expectations of the large
States. 1t was certainly the intSntion
ofthat provision Of The Constitution which
declares that "al duties, imposts and ex-
cises," shall ''bo uniform throughout the
U. Sta,cs,'' TO make the burlhens oftaxaIion
fall equally upon the people in whatever
State Of the Union they may reside. Bu
what wo .!!dhe the value of such an uniform
rule, !. Ihc moneys raisc;1i hr it could be i'm
mediateIy returned by : different one Will
will give to the people # some oil tne,y. ties
much more, and TO those Of others much less
Than their fair proportions? We're the Fed
eral Governmental to exempt in express term,
the imports, products, and manufactures o
some poriiuns q, the country from all duties
while it imposed heavy ones on others, the
\ injustice could not be greater 1t would bt
easy to show how, by the operation Of sucl
a principle, the large States Of the UnioI
would not only have to contribute then jus
share towards the support of the Fedora