Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-07-07

iayed then by another more palpable and gross in;us.
,ee' acGoraihS 10 this HoStrum of the Federal candi.
uu'e' ! u IS wrong for the Federal Government In
raise money for Internal improvements direc, !,
. more SO 20 raise it for that object, 10 be placed by
" o'stf'oat'on law in the Golfers of the State Trea.
sui, oeeeaSe one IS a sample of the oiher-a double
=" y ~ Constitntion-and yet Gen. Harrison is
- ohiy IN FAVOR OF distributing among the States an .
monies not wanted for an economical administration al
puo''c aia''s' which may, by a conjunction of favora.
ue circumstances, he suddenly accumulated in The
ieas"'y' put IN favor of keeping the Treasury full al
az tunes Tor distribution, as a means of spreseryinp
harmony among the States and removing the dissen.
Sons oil which an unconstitutional "lnternal Improve
neht system has been the fruitful source" True, the
Eeneral attempts to shelter himself behind General
JACKSON; but that will not do. The bare su rrestioD
which he made of getting rid by distribution of a
surplus IN the Treasury, which the prosperous con.
aitlon OF the country had forced into it, without the
aoliity 10 AVOID 1t, and when such a policy was never
thought OF by hin-can be no excuse or justification
lor zen. HARRISON $ making it the settled policy of the
government. Besides, Gen. Jackson, on better re.
nection, was known to have felt great embarrassment in
reference 10 the constitutional power of Congress even
20 carry the principle as far as he suggested, aud was
known TO have signed the bill for that object with great
re!uctaiice-He is and was decidedly opposed to raising
money Tor distribution, and believes such a law would
be a violent lnfraction of constitutional law and a
downright attack on State sovereignty. But the Ge-
neral asks, how otherwise could it be disposed of? W.
say IN any manner which does not violate the Constitu-
tion-ln the event ofa sudden accumulation beyond our
wants, reduce the revenue laws, or if nothing better
can be done, dePosite on interest with the States for SAFE
6eep,ng only until by 4 cnt,ing down process, il may be
required Tor the use of the General Government. This
last proposition would be better, though bad enough. But
IN the name OF the Constitution, and all that is dear to
US as treemen, do not make it the policy Of the Federal
Government TO raise large sums of money TO be d,stri.
butcd among the States for The avowed purpose of eff
%fectIng indirectly that which the Constitution forbids.
Now, te!low-cItIZens, can you require any further evi-
dence OF Gen. Harrlson's Federal notions: You have
seen, that lie will stretch and construe the Constitution
IN any way, TO carry out his views of public policy
He baulks at no dli!iculty-but rushes headlonp.
tramplng down all lis dear and precious safeguards
:nto the very vortex Of Federal consolidation. How
can you support HIM: We are sure you cannot
But we must go on a little further. Not content
with distributing SURPRISES among the States. to do
with as they please, IN order 10 obviate the tex.
element heretofore produced and the "iealousies"
which will continue to be produced By an exer.
else of the power on the part of the Federal Go.
rernment 10 carry on works Of improvement, the
Federal candidate still proposes a concurrent jurIsdic-
ton direct over the subject by Federal authority when
ever, in the opinion Of a majority of Congress, there
shall be g particular cases when a contemplated i'm
provement will be OF 'greater advantage to the Union
generally and 'soInc particular States, than to "thal"
IN which lis 10 be made. In such cases, the General Go.
vernment should largely contribute. Well, was there
ever such a politician; He is more inscrutable than the
incoherent and broken accents of the Delphic responses.
He is IN fact a political .0mnium gatherum. FIRST, he
adopts distribution the only panacca to guard against
the 'drssensons and jealouses o. the States; and then
a system OF National. Internal Improvements 10 promote
this 'dlssension and jealousy, and the money for each
object IS TO be raised by an overbearing and stupendous
Tariff. \ beautifully balanced system, 10 be sure a
system, which viii do more 10 impair State sovereignty
and corrupt the fountain OF legislation, than any other
that human ingenuity could devise.
1t would, as Mr.. Calhoun has SAID, be not only un-
constitutional, but highly dangerous and absurd. 1t
would be shifting the responsibility of raising money
for \ IrpiuIa. from It's own AGENTS TO those OF the other
States IN the General Congress assembled. IL would
change the relations which should prevail between The
Federal Government and the States-and convert the
latter into ST. psRdiarieS TO the former. Ii would place
the States at the feet of the Federal power-inducing
them to ask for favors which it has no right to grant
submit 10 encroachmcnts which they ought 10 resist
and change, in fact, the whole genus Of the Constitu-
ton. Upon the Southern States, besides, ii would
! operate in a manner as unequal as II is lnsidiouS; taxing
\ them, IN the first instance, for the benefit OF the North.
ern manufacturers, and, III the second, allowing them
only i part Of the money which they had contributed
to the Treasury-in fact, keeping pthe Tariff TO raise
4 distributablc fund, and then sharing the surplus in
part among the very manufacturers who had taxed
them. Besides tins gross inequality, the whole system
presents to US the greater absurdity Of paying the ex-
penSes of first raising and then distributing a fund,
which is not necessary for the general expenses Of the
Government.
The whole scheme, indeed, is contrary to the spirit
Of the Constitution; mischicvous, c%orrupting and alb
surd. The States first taste of the flesh pots of Egypt,
and then are too strongly tempted to sacrifice their
bir,hright for the mess which is offered to them. il, BY
any extraordinary concurrence OF circumstances rs has
lately happened, a surplus should accumulate in the
Treasury, the remedy is obvious. Prevent the rccur.
renee of such accumulation. Reduce the Tariff with
more rapidly. Lower the taxes, in other words
This is the true maxim Of a Republic, and much more
Of a Republican Federal Government. 1t $ the maxim,
which the Republican party will pursue. 1t belongs TO
their School. It will henceforih become their prlncl.
Ole of action, in contradIstInction TO the Federal party.
But, Gen. Harrison goes for Distribution, not for
Opposite, among the States. Not a word does he say
of a temporary d~eposite-but he speaks ot'returning
IL to the people-ofa 'DisirIbution amongst the pco-
pie-Not a word does he say either of reducing the
Tariff; and thus preventing the accumulation OF other
SURPRISES for other distributions. In fact, he tells
Sherrod Williams, that there is no better mode for APP
propriating all the Surplus Revenue of the I. s., than
to distribute it among the States for the purposes ofln-
ternal mprovement-and that HtS ray OF carrying on
their improvements tends to ''remove the causes OF dis
sention' of which the Improvement system had been
The fruitful source We understand him, therefore,
as expressly recommending, that such valuable i'm
provements should be carried on by a distribution OF the
surplus-and that the distribution should become a sys-
teinatic and regular function of the General Govern
ment. .
Are these your views, Citizens of Virginia: Are
these the doctrines of the candidate, whom you would
wish to place at the head Of the Administration: We
will undertake to say for yon, and Tor every man, VINO
is the friend of your good Old State Rights principles,
that this forced, artificial system is not %congenial TO
their wishes. You are not for employing your limited
Federal Government for any such purposes. You are
for Virginia S raising the money which she may want for
herself-and you are for her making her own roads and
canals. You have no desire TO call IN the great Federal
Power, either to tax you for the money, or TO Interfere
with the sovereignty of your soil. You are, in other
words, if ever any Surplus should again accumn-
late, for reducing the Tariff, and for dispensing ruth
all distribution. Such too is the doctrine OF the Repuo-
l;can candidate, whom we recommend to your suffrages.
Hear what Mr.. Van Buren, says in his reply TO the same
Sherrod Williams:
ain my opinion, Congress does not possess the pow
err, under the Constitution, to raise money for distribu-
ton among the States; and II a distinction can be man
,aincd between raising money for such purpose, and the
distribution Of an unexpected surplus, (of which am
not satisfed,0 | think It ought not to be attempted with
out a previous amendment of the Constitution, defining
the authority and regulating its exercise. Appreneno-
;nr dangar n the Union from the course of Federal Lee