Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1836-05-05
Lfs'CEsAtRG s.xncx,
Thursday. May S. 1886.
lie SURPLUS RENENuE-D;s,.,
Detence-RaH Roo6x-- IN. y,

a'i'c'ea with AN Overlooking treasury
sernmenl, unrestricted by con,tirnt;or,1 : =
tons, such state OF linps conld '"aa
exist for there the treasury lecchcs are -, aY''
wise means OF absorbing whatever amo.a. II
extracted from the labors ofthe people. D.. "
us, thank Heaven, this is not vet so. Lo,,. WIN
pldly we may be tending 10 that point p, ID
ney accumulated in the treasury maybe Io, ii" =,
insolvency OF the institutions in which il, j., WI
ted, or II may be rendered worse fla, 49,, f'sl
It's appropriation to purposes which canno, 81.
tile pubic interests or promo, the wef,ra.
portion OF the community save the li,,,, ~
court iavorites Which its maggot-brec1in,i..
may awaken into life; but it canno, h, H..
orproiiigately slnandcrcd without the conr,..
OF our representatives, who are them>elv.. a..
bic directly 10 the peoplc,and who may he .,...,
however tolerantly tl,eir abstract poit.,l i "'''
may be regarded, they will be held tn ,,...,
countability for the fidelity with which TIM, a.1,
the strong box of the nation.
The great question now to be determine,
What shall be done aoaA the Suplus P,,,n..',
'''"' elo''h' Po't'oh oi II, (that derived rro,
the sales of the Public Lands,) be distriL.,,d
mong the several States in the ratio of ,l..,,
raj popuatlon,as WI, seven year, since ,,roeol.
commended by Cen Jackson, and ,li,.r,,,J
his distinguished Secretary OF the Treasury, Ico,
McLane, and as is now proposed to be dom. l.,
MIR. Cla,'s Land Bill! Or shall it be e,nenJod :.
erecting Notifications, building Ships and n,o,;
ding munitions of war! Or in buyino u, -,
roads already in existence, which W. b,yo ~.
constitutional tight to construct Or shall -.
Try the experiment OF farther reduction of III. :,
riff, for the purpose OF diminishing the amour, of tim
import duties These are the various modes sun.
gestcd, one Of Which will sl,abtlrs, be ultm,,.Io
adopted, to effect the great object in view. II !,
for the people to decide uhic. of them it shall be
and 1t will be well tor titnr to consider tic ipAu
cnce which the next Presidential election s4as a;
necessity exert upon its final settlement
The Mig party, with few individual ,wep
tons, are in favor of Mr. Claws scheme. 4! r,l.
cr, Gen. Jackson's deserted bantng, adopi,dL,
| Mr.. Ciay) They believe that the pubic lana,
were, from the foundation Of the government 90, 4.
part as fund for the equal benefit OF all the psr
ties TO the compact Of Union; aud l,orccivin, thai,
the general government can no longer bcnclicials
appropriate the proceeds of their saIcs, in con,,
quencc of the wise constitutional limitation, nv
which its field Of action is circumscribr,l tl,.v
know not in What other mode the IN ncy thu, den
we'd can be more equally or more benetIcialIy an
/ Dllpu than nv its Iistrihntinn .,n,on,,
States, in the ratio fer federal population, to be
bythem expended in the endowment nl semnarirs Of
learning, from the Primary School up the Unyer-
sty, IN the construction of works of internal i'm
provcmen, and in other great objects of public u
tility, the Importance OF which is universally ac-
knowledged, and the right to medde with which,
blythe general government, is denied BY every strict
eonstructonst of the constitutions TO say that
Congress has no power TO distribute it among tho
States, is to carry the principle Of strict constitute
ton to an unwarrantablc extreme True the con.
Sltutlon does NOT, in express words, confer the
power upon Congress-nor does it confer upon
Congress many other powers which it every day
eNercses-lt is however, clearly an incidental
Powfr, and one which may be exercised with en-.
tire safety as well as with universal benefit. Nef
do we perceive any soundncss in the objection that
this mode Of distribution will render the States de
pendent upon the general government. This, m
decd, would be true, if the general government
were the annual Donor Of the sum distributed,
But this is not so. 1t is only the collecting and
di>bursing agent of the States. The money be-
longs TO the States in their united characcrth,
no one denies. ltjust as unqucstionably belongs
TO them as separate communities. Ii is not chan
ging the proprietary interest, but merely the mod
otHs expenditure, 10 say, that, instead OF being
paid ont of the national treasury in obedience Il
Congressional appropriations, it shall be dl'rlO0
ted equally among tho States, to be by them ap
prop,lated to objects which the constitution Tor
bids Congress to touch. Those who oppose th'
scheme must do so, it seems to us, because they dis
like its champion rather than itself
Not only are the Wings thus unanimous IN ap
proving Mr.. Cay's scheme of Distribution but
still stronger testimony to its wisdom and eSped'
ency may be found in the fact that it cnN' INC
support of many leading men of the opposite par
~. Three years ago, it obtained the sanction u
nearly two-thirds ofhc members of both HOUSES
the administration and even now when Pd''
spirit has assumed so inhexibe tone, that mea
sures OF public policy are generally decided VIII
reference not to their intrinsic character, bu'
ii, i. Al mon