Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1841-11-08
LyNClIHUHG. NOVEMBER 81 saI.
LAND DISTRIBUTION.

tor knes on the Land Dsirb button bill, passed AT
the extra session, to which Invite their attention
we avail ourselves oI the occasion to accompany it
with remark or two.
One OF the most plausible, and yet most iallacous
o'Jec' urged against the policy of Distribution i.
ihs-lh"i II takes lion, The federal treasury in it.
time OF need, age sum Of money annually. winch
mus be replaced by taxation. Even # this objection
would be 49, llicient answer to il. that the money
thus taken from the federal treasury does not beionp
there, but IS the iismIul properly OF the Sares
bnl we nave asIill more satisfactory answer b,
Continuing to place the proceeds Of he sales Of the
fooic L'nis'n the vaults Of the federal govern
n'ent, We abstract So mrch from the several STATES
oil Meir nghtlul revenue, and compel them TO impose
not an indirect tax upon consumptlon, which is
therefore CO" paratvey unie. or which, if felt IS TO
certain extent voluntary, direct lax upon
land and negroes, which falls upon all alike, and
from which there is no escape. Even in the aspect
Of the question presented by antagonists an
alternative between indirect taxes by the general
government upon imports, which are paid only by the
consumers, and if these imports be luxuries e paid
chi, fly by the rich,-"nd direct tares upon land,
/ y,
upon the poor and the iich a, from which there is
10 escape. lflhe general government receive the
proceeds OF the sales of the public lands, il may
perchance repeal or reduce some of It's dutie,; but
the States must lay direct lax 10 fill Their lreasuri
10 the same amount, 1.-THE ates on the other hand
receive these proceeds. they ma, repeal or reduce
their direct tax upon real and personal property and
tie general government must resort heavier duies
No can doubt that the indirect and voluntary
preferable 10 the direct and compulsory system of
taxation. An therefore, the question II the 1T Of
property in the lands bel altogether excluded,
II seems to us that The policy Of Distributors as a
measure of reIief to the People. is fully vndlcaed-
Give Virginia 5000 900 pc, annum fro 2. the Public
Lands aud she may reduce her taxes to that a.
mount. Even if she compelled TO pay tina,
same amount TO The general government by a
direct tax upon her people, nothing would be
tosi BY the operation. But she gains in this that
hfr tax operates upon every MN who owns dollar
OF taxable properly, and sscrlously tell by many Of
her hard"orkiog cit zens, who must pay the sheriff.
though their other debts so amp id. aud their wives
and chld'en go unfed aud unclad while the tax
imposed by the federal government falls alone upon
the consumer OF The articles upon which the duty is
imposed; who has always in his power therefore, by
buying, or declining to buy those articles, 10 deter
nine whether he will pay any portion on or not,
aud # any, wi Lat amount. The voluntary is subsli.
tuted for the coercire prlnci le-and every man
fixes limit TO the amount of his taxaou, having
reference to his own ability to sy, instead of having
tina, limit prescribed by others, without regard to
his ability. But. independent Of this repeat,
! he Lar UfIOuo he ri
tie general government has no r,ght to the proc, eds
Of the sales. 1t is broad Edllacy, Iheefhe, v h n
,nen talk Of taking much money from that go
vernmeni to gre to tie States. The States have
10" iong already permitted that government TO de-
fraud them Of heir own legitimate revenues.
Mr.. Rves argues very iorclbly IN reference o
the equal interest Of all the States in this common
fund 1t is undeniabe that his equality Of interest
Is The most prominent leeture in all the deeds OF
cesson TO Ihe general governments lei, how Is
even an approximation 10 ,qnalny 10 BE- secured,
erceW BY DtsriJuuon' If the proceeds of the sales
are paid INTO the nation treasury, they expend-
ed, not IN the several States accordl, 10 popul,.
ton, but wherever the wants OF the government re-
grlre their disbursement. How much has Virginia
ever he, eived IN this way, The tables of expenJl.
ture Of the general government will show. that,
while mll,ons Of dollars have been discussed, and
necessarily so, in ofthe States, scarcely cop
per has ever reached Others. Il is only by d,strb-
utng the melt proceeds Of the sales that many of the
States will ever receive cent. II this manner on
ly the requisll,ons of the deeds of cession be
compiled WITH Aud We hold IL 10 be paramount
duty that they shall be strictly adhetrd to 10 the ad
minist, ation of the Land fund. The general GO.
yernment holds II only as trustee under those
deeds; and it has right TO temple upon the, pro-
visi ms,
But, suppose the d s'rbution policy be over
thrown. What shah we soon behold :! Their.
any security that the ptoteeds OF these lands i'll
continue TO fad h'ir way to the national treasury
Let the projects Of cesslon and graduation, accom-
panied by the significant hints and bandit threats OF
certain Weslern members OF Congress, and the pro-
ceedmgs OF certain Western Legislatures. answer
the question. No: so lar from relying upon them
as an urf"ling source # revenue, We look with ap-
p'ehens ION TO the arrw. Of the day,-uo more thar
ten years distant, ac' oIdir 10 the comparative tables
OF population ,-wheut these Lands will be- gwen up n
conditional, TO the Slaes IN which they lie, unless a
permanent plan Of Distribution be adopted What
then, will some OF those genteme ho now complain
that The alreasury cannot spare The money, say
TO similar plea AIho' they urge II as a pow
eful argument against Distribution, they wiIIrepe
and trample II under foot when Cesson is the word