Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-07-06
H'edaesday, June 80, ISL
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

DISTRIBUTION AND PRE- EMPTION BILL"
The House again resolved itself into COMMITTEE O:
the Whole the of The Uninn (ar. Lawrence, ct
PennSy vana, the CHAIR. the hiil 10 appropriate
the proceeds Of the sales Of tie public lands and 10
grant prescription rights The pending question beng
the motion OF Mr. Clifford strike out the enac,ng
clause of the bill
Mr. CLIFFORD resumed his remarks from yes;er-
day After explaining some portions Of his remarks
Of rday, as reported in the lnellgenc-r to pre-
vent wrong differences being drawn thereirom, and at
ter declaring himself TO be favor OF duty upon
wines and other Injuries, so far as II could be imposed
BY the treaty spualions Of the country, he proceed
cd to notice omission which he had made yes
terday Of an argument which was to be drawn from
the Ill, and which he desired 10 supply. lie had in
tended he said, whilst speaking Of the bill, TO have
drawn the argument, from the first clause Of the fourth
pcton that the bill itself not only regarded the entire
property Of the public lands TO be in the L. 5, but that
absolutely went further and placed the appropriation
here proposed 10 be made upon the ground OF grainy
to the States Therefore, upon the very face Of H. II
was unconstitutional This argument, Mr.. G. carried
out at some length
II was said that the whole public domain held
by the Government trustee for the States. He
wished to inquire in what this Government could
be regarded the trustee of the States as 10 TINT po
ton Of the public domain which purchased from
France and Spain. How this: The States were
no, the granlors; they did convey the land. The
land was purchased under the treaty nnking power Of
this Government from foreign Governments. The
States therefore, interested from the fact that
any portion of the purchased land granted by
them They not only did not convey the land, but
they did pay for Itthey did not las States IN their
sovereign capacity furnish the means, any portion
of them. He spoke Of the States rs the argument
had been pursued the other side and he SAID that
the States neither furnished The consideration, fur
nshed the for this portion Of the land; it was
paid for by the treasure Of tie Union out Of
the taxing power Of Congress, and as was agreed on
all hands, entirely from duties on imports.
And here it was important to inquire upon whom
the operation of the taxing power Why, ii upon
the whole Peope-not upon the States IN their
reign capacity; and the burden fell upon the
The operation of that taxing power was very unequal
oppressive, and unjust. lie would undertake to say
that very large portion of the money paid for LOUIS
lana and the Flordas must have been collected from the
People by the operation Of duties laid upon the ncces
sarps of life pad into the common Treasury under the
operation Of the laws of Congress The burden fell
upon the consumer. This position Mr. G. illustrated
by several cases.
MIR c. then proceeded TO argue that, if any one was
to be regarded cesu que trust, it the whole Peo
ule and that Congress bound TO make its dstribu
tive portions per copitem, and be would undertake. he
said to affirm that the New England States ifths mo-
ney sent TO them, would divide 1t per eaPacm
among the People, and not among the States.
Let us examine this proposition. This money
sent to the States for the benefit Of The property hold
ers of the States. Most of the States OF the Union
plenshed their treasures BY tax upon property. In
the ~ England States, or some oil them small proper
ton was collected from what was called in the statute
books POLL cupitution tax but 1t was scarcely worth
taking into the account. Almost the whole amount
was raised from propertyhoders, in proportion their
ability or the extent Of their property The money de-
signed to be appropriated by this bill to be appro
prated as we told TO relieve the Stales 10 enable
them TO discharge portion, at least of the two
hundred millions of dollars of foreign debt which they
now owed. These two hundred millions were mort.
gage upon property; and, if this money to the
States it would be given to the relief Of the people of
the States proportion 10 The property which each in
dividual held. Take the case ola man who had one
hundred thousand dollars worth of property, and the
man who had none. The former would be benefit
ted greatly the latter not to the amount of arthng
Then it was agreed that we must call back this same
amount through the taxing power of Congress, by
new impostons; and, as he had endeavored to show,
and would more fully endeavor 10 show, it must be
done chiefly by imposons upon the necessarics of life
How did this work; The poor man, with large IA
mly consumed more Of the necessares of life than the
wealthy man without family consequently, the for
mer paid back in contributions more, IN point OF fac''