Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-10-08

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situtonal right 10 petition BY the presen, House Of
Representatives. that rule has been suspended and at
their next annual session II Will doubtless be repealed
and Hoods OF petitions received, praying Congress Ia
do that which the Constitution has expressly prohibited
but having the numerical majority, they will have
under the upportonmcn of the census there Will
be no constitutional restraint according 10 their mode
o Interpretation, viii there be any parliamentary
law prohibiting them from acting the prayer Of the
spetltions and abosng Slavery the District, in the
Territories, and finally IN the States themselves
Bat the catalogue Of their deeds stops not here
From OF old, il has been cherished design with Fe-
deralsm To destroy the sovereignty Of the States and
to degrade them INTO pcnsiuned provinces National
Debt, Protective Tariff, scheme Of Internal I'm
provcmcnt, a National Bank, and prodlgal expcndi-
lures, have been the avnte rrsortet Tor tins
purpose. AT the late extra session Of Congress loan
Of Lrsirc millions was authorised, when II Geu.cn-
strated that the revenues, with rlgld economy, would
be sufficient Tor the wants Of Government The Post
Office department, which had hitherto been sustained
by lis own revenues, placed additional bur
then on The Treasury, and large appropriations, beyond
the estimates of the executive departments were pro-
posed, and many actually made By the Legislature
While they were thus adding 10 the burthens the
treasury, declaring To Tie world that II bankrupt
and borrowing money y carry lis ordinary opera
IONS the very next measure proposed disrlbu-
ton OF portion Of the revenues among the S;aesa
distribution OF tie proceeds arising from tie sale Of
public andswhich revenue Tor the support Of Go
rernnent as much as the proceeds arising from duties
and lmposts tins committee Justification Tor
such ASSURE, il there were nett proceeds arising
from the sale of public lands.
But there are mol, and never have been, any nett
proceeds arising lhrrefom, the contrary, the l. s.
have expended On account Of those lands, nintie,n
mtiiiGRS NJ dolagS and above the gross receipts
from their sales The only prctext therefore, that
b. urged III favor Of the is that it amounts IN
principle To an assumption Of State Deb,s The Pre-
mt 50 declares in bis first Message 10 Congress
ssIf al. l,,itn i'm upt
or other the necessity viii daily become urgent
vh the dcJOr suites for rcsor, 10 oppressive sys
tenn Of direct taxation. The purpose then, IS 10
eye the indebted States, 70 them from increased
the sacrifice Of their credit. And this the
only mod, III winch any would dare propose
assumption Of the State debts. Drec, assumption is
too palpah!y unconstitutional even for Federalism
ATTEMPT al present. The drbs OF the States, incurred
in their simple sovereign capacity, are their own and
the Federal Government has no constitutional
rirh To assume them, than II las Ia assume the debts
Of Great Britain or France. But BY dis,rbution that
is done indirectly and covar,ly, what none would dare
do directly and openly We dare not take assign.
mon, Of your bonds and hold them ourselves, but
will give you the money 10 pay the interest," and finally
10 discharge them
THIS scheme Of distribution or assumptions cnll j, b.
what name you please when carried INTO operation,
will utterly destroy the independence Of the States,
corrupt the morals Of the people, make The Federal Co
vernmcnt omn'poten', oppressive, prodsal ana extra
VACANT.
In adopting tie Constitution, State parted with
4, sovereignty any po.tIau Of ~ snvers'gnyiNe
mon is not 4 sovereignty Las none Of the attributes
Of saycrcrnty The sovereignty inhercs IN the States,
and The Federal Guverhm,n II IS merely IN agency
which the States have csta SHED rs mutual compact,
for the management Of certain interests, common 10
them all Ii j. not supreme the States, but they
over IT, In their individual character, It has no con
Germ with them They ther own taxes, contract
and pay their own debts, and carry their
schemes oil Internal improvement Oi what they Do,
in these respects, the FeGcral Goscfnncn, can take
no copnizaEcc Bat the moment ,ou permit It Ia
interfere 10 relieve the States Of their taxes, ihcr
debts and to all them in their schemes OF improve
mcnt you change the relation Il the partes-tIe
States become DEPENDENT and the Government snvc-
reirn-you al once destroy tie balance between the
States and the uno, and give 10 the centrprtai force
overwhelming power.
There are constantly occurring, and ever will occur,
cases IN which State nterpos"n III some form vii u"
necessary 10 arrest the cncroachmens u the Fedt raj
Government. but will State deriving from II the
means Of deraying It's own expenses, pension on the
Federal Treasury be free to n'erpose its State sove
rcisnty, On the contrary urged on by the brides u
has already received It viii be induced 10 enlarge the
powers Of the Federal Government, TO extend It's Iurs
dciion in the hope Of deriving from IFS action stu
larger share of plumber
But The corruptng influence OF tins measure reaches
even to the polls and the bn!'boaes The people VII
,,v urcb more IN indirect taxes than they Will IN d.
r,c, lakes the money they wi!l receive from The Fede
raj Treasury, though they have paid II dearly out Of
their own pockets. will appear TO be 50 much gam
THIS gift The Union w seem TO tighten their State
aycs be cause THIS was collected ny indirect tixaiun,
and State taxes are collected BY drcc, taxation. Let ts
scheme of distribution then be begun and II viii
never stop-comc from what source II WILL the money
must be hud-cnormons buriiems wI be imposed Tor the
purpose Of raising revenue Tor distributions ana sHohid
any man forward and propose 10 repeal the lass Gs-
tributng The Federal revenue among The States and
lglpurr the tn that amount lie VIII mol Oe able 10
command a respectable minority nj the polls Already
have we seen the influence Of tins measure even III GU
ticipaon. In gubernat0:iaI election, about Twelve
months since in one of The indebted States there were
,,o candidates b, fore The people, tie sad he could
see no mode Of getting rid of their debts but by lncrcas-
mo The taxes; the other said the Federal Government
was able pay them, and ought 10 pay them, ana he
would propose relieve the people and impose The bur
,len on The Union TINS elected by an over
uheming majority, though the other, IN dignity, weight
of character and pc rsonal p'pularty Lar exceeded hm
Thus we shall have large minority oil Representa-
tiyes in Congress pledged 10 Their own people, to 60
for increased taxation. The more the Government
collects the greater the amount 10 be shared among
them, And the greater the amount TO be shared among
them the more was,eal they become, The more rens1
and corrupt IN the discharge Of their duties
And on whom are these increased burdens 10 fall:
On the pour, the nborng classes lie necessar'eS OF
life are taxed for the purpose OF ralsing the value oil
State stocks and enrchiGg those who have purchased
them at low prce-the poor man IS made 10 pay
,renty dollars the hundred more for The sustenHnce
OF his family, that ways and means may he provided
for the benefit Of the spectators, contractors, and
stock obbers, who have plunged the States IN those
enormous debts for their own petty adranag'
But there IS still another and ulterior ann N these
measures of borrowing, distributing and wasting the
resources Of the coun;ry-ltIs 10 create permanent
funded nationa, debt the basis Tor BanS oil 'ht =
States. cu
No Bank, with large capital, can Re successfully
conducted without National Debt as the tass Of us
operations The Bank Of England Is sustained chiefly
Nv lis possession and management Of the funds ana
National Debt Of Great Britain. The stock Of the
frs, Bank Of the United States originally consisted "f
the funded debt Of the Revolution and the late War
very little specie required or aid IN such
solid capiti was needed the basis o banking opera
tons much more is it needed how, in these tunes Of
Bank failures Bank suspensions, and OF wide spread,
deep. rooted hostility, 10 the whole banking system :
The capital III rrfure, must be furnished by the Co
vernmen,, and tina, only be done in the shape Of
a National Debt. Consequently, as the "unda-
lion of permanent National Debt has been laid, by
borrowing, distribution, and ex;ravagant expenditure,
then comes the proposition for National Bank :
4 III ..,lz l.,l,