Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-05-16
INTERNAL. IMPROVEMENT, BY TUE
GENERAL GOVERNMENT.

NOT to say the hypocrisy Of those who resort IN II
for the purpose of sustaining the present admins.
trarion, that, iii shall be putdown, Mr.. Clay would
come into power, prepared 10 re-establisli an oyer.
slladowing system OF lnlei nal Improvement by the
General Government. This was Demonstrated
first. by the unqualified declaration of Mr.. Clay. thai
the States have embarked in this policy with so much
spirit and success, that il IS no longer necessary Il,
proper for the General Government 10 inlerme lie
with it-and, %secondly Y, by the fact, that, If this
cy is TO be put down at all, we can hardly expect Il
to be done by an administration, which, in one uear.
has expended four times as much money upon oh
iects ofimproven emf, as was expended upon like OBJ
jecls by the Administration which il superseded, and
from the measures Of which they infer the re-estab.
Iishmento of that policy should MIR. Clay be elevated
10 he Presidential chair.
Bit we are here met with TWO objections, both of
which we profess briefly 10 consider.
The fist ofllese objections Is. that Mr.. CLAY,
in favor of distributing the proceeds of the sales of
the Pub ic Lands, by which this policy, though APP
parently abandoned, is indirectly pcrpetuated. Even
If this were true, as ills not, we ask the people of
Virginia il ii be not a wiser appropriation flhe pub
lie revenue than that contemplated blythe antagonist
proposition Of Mr.. Benton, and recently endorsed by
the Washington Globe. the mourh-piece of the Ad.
minisiration. as By au hority ? We ask them fit
be mol better for them, and safer f1r the county,
that the proceeds oftIe sales Of the Public Lands,
over and above tho ordinary expenditures Of the fed.
etal government, shall be distributed amongst Them,
to be employed, under their direction and control,
in constructing works Of internal Improvements
rather than, according to Mr.. Benton's plan, (Which
we are warranted, by the declaration of the Globe
in saying is also the plan Of the Administrations To
~orSe Than WdSte II IN lining our inland and maritime
frontier with Notifications, The estimated cost OF
winch, exclusive Of The sums annually required to
keep them III repair, will not be less tllaa ONE
HUNDRED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS-apd
which, when completed, will seive no other purpose
than to crea'e the necessity Of a large STAND
ING ARMY, al all times dangerous, and if not
dangerous, a perpetual eanker.Norm, eating into tho
vItals of the treasury, and e~nlarging the limits of
Executive power and latlouage, by fearlully multi
plying the number Of its officers ? Between these
propositions we cannot hesitate in our choice. Nor
do We wonder at Tie choice Of four opponents. Tie
character Of the measure which tiey propose is in
perfect keeping with the tendency and design of all
Their acls. As the Sub-Tr easury system proposes lie
strengthen the Executive ann by placing the
l ~ "h'oHdiIipudHS III TIC llndS o! TIE IIeS-
licnt, aud augmenting indefinitely the number OF
evil oflcefs,-so tins vast scheme of Military or
ganization AIMS him with the SWORD. and invests
him with the additional patronage consequent upon
a like increase Of military officers! Every measure
of The Administration, indeed, whether perfected or
10 contemplation, shows a settled purpose, a fixed
design, to enlarge the sphere Of Executive authority,
and to convert the complex system of government.
created by our foleltlers-tle more complex the
better for the safety of our libernes-in,o that ." SIN.
pie machine" Ohc very quin,essence of Despotism,l
the government of mi MAN!
But we have said that the Distribution policy of
Mr.. Clay does not contemplate the perpetuation.
by indirection, of the system OF Internal Improve
ments. And why Simply because, after tie
funds shall be distributed, ii will be for the State
governments themselves to give to them such ditcc-
ton as they may choose. II they think i, WISE to ar-
ply them TO purposes OF Internal Improvement, they
viii nnquestionably do SO. Nor can there be any
objection 10 IT, upon the score either Of constitu-
tIonallty or expedlency. 1t then becomes IA matter
OF State concern exclusively, and all the rguments
against the power or the policy of such apploptia-
ions on the part Of the General Government cease
TO apply. But, il the States thiuk it unwise to ap-
Fly the funds so distributed to purposes of Internal
lmproyement-ii lhey deem il better to employ
them IN delaying tie ordinary expenditures of the
STATE governments, and, to that extent, to relisNe
the people from taxation, their right to do SO wiFfAAsyyf
be disputed. And to what better purpose can the
surplus proceeds Of the Public Lands, VIII ca are
the common properly ofthe States, and which are held
by the General Government only as a trust fund, be
! Let this fund continue to flow int
the national trcasury,-such portion oft, at least, as
may escape the rapacity OF plundering Receives
and We shall soon see it wasted in schemes of dan
gerons ambition, such as that suggested by Mr..
Benton, or in projects of prof gacy and corruption,
winch will Just rs surely, though perhaps more
slowly, undermine the pillars Of cur free institu-
The second objection To which we refer, and which
we shall dispose ofvery summary is this: 1.-THE ex-
ofthe present and preceding Admlnistra~
lions' for objects OF Internal Improvement, have been
extravagant than those of Mr.. Adams's Ad-
ninlstralion, we are told IL is chargeabte 10 the Wing
party. Such a remark is an insult 10 the under
oithe people, as ii is un'rue in itself. The
W higs have been almost uniformly in a minority IN
'ne or both branches of Congress, from the com
Of Gen. Jackson's administration IN
Ic29 down to this moment. How can it be con-
ended that the minority in Congress is responsible
on the acts OF Congress! Who before ever heard
iata minority of 4 legislative body could give color,