Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1841-04-06
Mr.. ALIENS SPEECH.
(CoNcLUDED1

What with US has been the fact, and
what,iis results, in the very first instance
Of dstributiOns To all il is known thai
2s,lOl ,644 d6ilars,ihen called its surplus
revenue, were 10 the year 1887, distribu.
ted by this Government in the name of q
deposit with the States, Where went that
money! To the peopleS to the men-by
whom it had been advanced? No; moi
the fifth dollar Of it; but to the Legisla-
lures first; and then chiefly, to banking,
or 10 other corporate companies, and 10
the rich, for the very reason that they
were so. Obi. .,..,. ..r.-... ...r.
And now, that may the more clearly
expose this-the fagrant injustice inflc-
ted by the practical operation of the dis
tribution principle upon the tax.paying
mass Ofthe people, shall trace briefly,
yet with all the accuracy of which mat
ter so confused and complicated admits,
the progress Of this surplus fund, from the
National Treasury to its last known des-
tinaton. But here, before proceeding
further, il 10 important to rem1rk, 8hat |
speak in reference only to the $25, 1884, :
l3I received by the twenty, out Of the
twenty.six States, by.which alone reports
have been made to this Government;the
other six, to whom $2,667,5l2 were dis
tributed, having made no returns. So Is
it likewise material to observe, that frac-
tiOns are, in alI instances, discarded;
because, anxious TO present merely the
general truth, desire not 10 obscure il
by immaterial particulars. .'a
In the 6rsi place, then, out ofthe last
instalment, paid as it was in the notes of
suspended banks, worth, on an average
at the time, but about ninety cents in the
dOllar,) those institutions thus maniiestly
gained without an equivalent. near a
million Of dollars. To this, and next in
order are to he added S., ,554, ,OOO, which
Injured to the bene6tNpf The hanks, in the
form OflOans made tq stock invested, and
'depOsites made ia them. Then, as recip.
tents Of this fund, come the private com
panies, Incorporated mainly with view
to internal improvements. and to whom |
$069, QUO went as stock and loans. And,
finally Ofthe total sum, S i0,O33, 900 were
distributed TO the towns and counties of
the States, to be loaned by them (as was |
generally the facl) to banks, to other cor
F., porstions, and to the wealthy, few among
the citizens .ho were able TO pledge prop |
erty fot its payment.
Thus, from an analysis of The reports
made by twenty Of the States, does it in
contestibly appear, that of the twenty-five
million two hundred and fifty four thou
sand dollars, drawn first from the taxing
power OfthiS Government, from tho whole
body Of the people, twenty million five
hundred and fifty,sixo Thousand Injured,
in lis distribution, 70 the benefit of the
banking and other chartered associations
and TO the favored few-not the needy
but the rich--il the towns and countless;
whilst, on the other hand, but. about FIVE
millions (ons ifth Of The great aggre-
gate) was applied to public works under-
taken BY the States-to rhe payment Of
their debts and their current expenditure
II the only form in which the people could
ieel the benefit in the reduction Of their
taxes. ,..s..a
Hero then is an example Of the wrongs
already committed on the mass Of the ma.
tiOn, BY this Governments abuse, Of the
taxing power; for from this abuse, il was
that the act of distribution resulted.
speak not, therefore, harshly Of the act
itself; fret because it was consequence
rather than the prime source Of the evil;
and again, foT the reason that/there are
some among my own political friends,who
thinking TO disengage the Government
from the embarrassments the surplus oc.
casiOned, gave the act their support. On
Them whateyer may now be thought Of
the policy Of their course in this particu-
laF, wonld indict no wound--none .cer-
taInly on them, whilst there are vet, on
the ether side Of the Senate, those our
common enemies, who, responsible for
the PFlmeval Sin, are therefore the rightful /
subjects Ofc9mplaint. No; II csnsure NOT
friends supposed to have erred, when
there are foes known 10 have done so.-
"PUEsue the strangers, but spare the Ro- /,
mans" was the just injunction At the |,