The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1837-10-24
SUBSTANCE or THE
REMARKS OF MIR. LEGARE,


REMARKS OF MIR. LEGARE,
or SOUTH CAROLINA,
On TIE Til imposing additional duties as depositdres
~ certain cases, Public officers Delivered in
the House of Representatives. October, 1887
(Concladed)
What have hitherto said relates to the first aues-
ton propounded by the bill on your tabe-shall gold
and silver only be received in payment of govern
ment dues. As 10 the second inquiry, sir whether
the revenue shall be kept by officers of own or
by the banks and il in the latter whether in the
shape of special or general depose much has been
and SO ably said, upon that head, against the
system recommended by the message, that am very
little disposed to trouble the committee with any adj
ditional remarks in regard to il. Were driven 10
make a choice between the two plans referred TO,
Should as at present advised greatly prefer that of
special deposite, on a small commission al once
The safest the cheapest, and most simpe-as depart
Ing less from our previous customs and not being so
liable 10 the great practical objection of going per-
manently to increase the already enormous and dis
proporonate influence of the Executive power,
which, beyond all doubt far exceeds any thing that
was anticipated by the founders Of the Government
and seriously threatens 10 disturb if not TO subvert
the whole balance Of the constitution | need not
say that have no reference whatever TO the present
or any other individual incumbent: | speak of the
operations of great general causes and OF SYSTEM
whose effects are almost entirely independent of the
will OF man. Another very grave objection TO the
scheme reported by the committee, is its resemblance
or, al least its fearful leaning that of great poll
teal Bank of the United States of which Justly
celebrated report OF one Of my predecessors, upon
this oor,t demonstrated some years ago the dangers
and incohveniences as | have always supposed, to
the universal conviction of the people But although
should prefer the special depose system to that of
the committee of ways and means, ] am not vet pre-
pared to adopt it. That immense benefits have been
conferred upon the country, by adding 10 its produce
tive capital, the large amounts Of public money
which would otherwise have lain dormant in the
/ % Su nj adj 4 I ,,ssll
ure to say, that in the course of the half century
that has elapsed since 49, countless millions have
been the fruit of this truly paternal and benefcent
system. Our predecessors, Mr.. Dallas among them,
seem to have been deeply impressed with this view
of the subject. They seem to have felt themselves
bound to render our system of taxation which, even
in its mildes form is in fact eonfseaton of private
property for public uses, as litle burhensome as
possible to the community. Sir, whatever may
think of the policy OF pursuing their footsteps any
further, no one can deny that they entitled 10 the
gratitude of the country for the past and for one
am too sensible of the benefit to throw it away with
out very mature consideration, unless under the
pressure of cogent necessity.
But we have been told, sir, that tar from being in
novation, this mode of collecting the public revenues
was universe from the earliest times until the begin
ming OF the last centurythat is to say until age
of philosophic light and difusve civilization at
which another good old plan, established from
time immemorial, the burning of witches and here
tics unhappily ceased too. This coincidence GER
ton; the committee will see that in the matter of
innovation going back far is least dangerous
as going forward too rapidly. But there has been
another reference to the examples of the past which
struck me still more forcby most extraordinary
perversion of the lessons of experience. Sir do
confess to YOU that before any discussion had taken
place in either part of this Capitol the subject be-
fore you-long before had heard OF that alluson
to the Quaaor referred TO the other day by my eo
quent friend from New York (Mr. Hoffman at
the bare stating of this project in its first conception
and most general outlines, certain images presented
ihmselves to my mind, and have ever since haunted
it, in spite of all could do to Danish them. They
were ideas that in my simple way of considering
such matters, shocked and alarmed me--ideas of
Roman conquest and Asiatc despotism thought
of that most fearful of all things vast empire with
power centralized at its capital with commerce CEN
tralizing by the inevitable course of trade, which
always and every where tends to Capitalization, at
some great emporium, with its revenues collected
only in gold and silver to be boarded, as was the
way at Rome and Babylon or Persepolis fancied
| could see one of the ProconsuS Prnors-
the Bashaws of the Republic, Monesquieu so
Justly calls them - Verres, for example - going
forth with that same Questor, surrounded with
an army of pnbicanS farmers of the revenue,
to gather the dues of Rome in some devoted
province another Sicy-as dues wont to
be gathered by the Satraps of that military COM
monweah that is to say wrung with their blood
from sublugated nations, whose pleasant places
were laid waste without remorSe TO glut the rapacy
of conquest. Sir, little imagined that such a sys-
would have been cited nay, alluded to, in this
age, except with view to inspire the horror and ex-
ecraton il is so well calculated to excite. Roman
example! The Demon City" Gas it has been well
called by writer of genius y whose whole history
from beginning to end is a tragedy far deeper and
more dreadful than the tale of Gdipus or the Atride,
and leading too to n catastrophe OF an awful political
Justice Why sir, there is nothing in the annals of
Monaghan conquest worse than the ravages perpe
tratcd by her consuls-by Mummius, Paulus Ami
Illus Sylla-in of the farest and most civilized
portions of the earth There were fourshing coun-
tries whose fertility and population exhausted
by perpetual drain OF corn and gladiaors to feed
her lazy and licentiouS populace, and amuse them
with the unuerable atrocities of her amphitheatre
A nd what was the end of all this miSrulcl Weak
ness poverty dcsoation, barblrism-the Goth, the
Vandal the Hun. Yet long before the tootStep OF a
barbarian had been impressed upon the soil OF the
empire as Gibbon has well remarked, long before
that Scourge of God, under whose horses hoof the
grass was said never to grow again. had been sent to
avenge the wrongs of mankind in the course OF hall
century after Constantine had founded new
Rome whole tracts of fertile country had been COM
pletey depopuated and abandoned Even OF that para
disc of all this earth, on which poetry and panegyrc
have been exhausted in every age, in all languages,
the Campania teLir, very considerable portion was
become waste. Nor, sir, this only owing to
The despotism of the CeSarS, an excellent writer
has well observeds in reference to this passage OF
the Decline and Fall and as this committee viii
do well to remark. There co-operated with that mis-
government, a curse which has been said, and is
thus proved, to BE- W0fSelhan me lnclclehcy Oh the
seasons and the barrcnnesS of the earth decreds
ing currency. The supply of the precious metals
had been for upwards Of two centuries continually
diminishing while the quantity of them sent in quest
of luxureS to the East 10 return no more, had been
increasing in the same proportion, and revenue of
f Is or 10000 600 was constantly levied in gold and
silver to be expended at distant capital or on the
frontiers. This important fact speaks volumes to
us on this subject Il is unquestionaby true that one
of the greatest calamcS of the declining empire,
was n circulation diminishing frirhttullv that the
pay of a general in the third century nominaly
not higher than that of private had been in the
reign of AugustusN So much for the Roman Sub
Treasury System and the example of the Queslor.