Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1841-10-09


. lead The way 10 Dis usaa. fluent aad happy manner
and entertained The audience about one hour 10 sup
aar, Of DIS pass1a that tie prope Of ihs State are
a,..bsr ega..y nor aouoraby bound 20 pay the Ms
s,.,rr mon Baas Bonds; and a By did he sustain
the position.
In the course Of Inc remarks he alluded % some
/ particulars which should be more generally under
stood. lie observed That the Auditor OF Pubic Ac-
count, bsd rect.sel assessment returns from nearly
an the counties All that bg a very liberal calculation
founded upon thcs. returns, the revenue arising
from our present taxat.on vii not, this year, a.
mount to exceeding $3.50 600; anu hat ttcannot eA
e,ed $3.50 coo al any future period previous 10 The
maturity o, thc principal on the Union Bank Bonds.
Tim, he contends. IS the extent 10 which il can rise
and doubtless il will not reach that sum. Here we
should pause and enquire how it is that bond payers
design paying these bonds without the All OF extra
taxation.
The annual expenses OF the State are vari1usy
es'mlleI at from 200 900 to S5OO,oUOi it is fair,
then, to average the current expenses at S25O,oO0
per annum. The interest Oh tie Painters Bank
Bond. amounts to SIP 500 per anaUm, and the IN
tersst on S76Oec0 Of Funded Deb, amoants to $50
0JOa year--tHcse, added to the expenses oil the State
make the sum olS3J7, 500; this yoa perceive, vii
require more than oil The tax money it viii leave
the State Sl7 800 behind, besides all the interest on
the Union Bonds. How, then, are We TO pay the
interest on the Union Bonds? We see that the
DtCsenl taxes would not do even after allowing, as
have, most unWarranable increase from lands
yet 10 become subject To taxation. The deficit on
lst Of March next will be- including interest on L
Bank Bonds, at least million ofdoIIars: bond pay
ers admit do not make it quite that much, but
they have calculated with an eye single 10 The bal
ancine Of their account. We shall then admitting
the legality Of the u. h. Bonds 20 into next year
with matured interest deb, of million Of dollars,
accompanied with an annual State expense, and IN
tcrest on debts amounting TO S697 800 with tax
amounting to only $3.50 600 at the highest. This,
instead Of relieving us from debt would leave Us to
sink about 100000 deeper every year, besides the
amount Of interest on the deficits which would soon
amount to as much as the principal. This Is the
position IN which we stand; and yet with these
facts before them, tie bond payers tell the people
that the present rate OF taxation is suflicien: to
Iiqudate all demands!
Mr. Harrison replied to Gen. Spegh Having
never seen a conflict between these gentlemen, and
having heard the former spoken Of as a great de-
moshcr, anticipated from him quite an ntcIec-
tual eas,-great agility and inessing, occasionally
unlersperSed with apparent strength Of argument.
Was ii such2 appeal 10 every man who heard him
tn say i'll am not correct in asserting that he left
the question wholly untouched. He entirely forgot
that argument is the offspring Of reasoning faculties
and that reasoning faculties are mental organs. He
mistuoi Mesars. Leake, Speight and McNut for
argument and seemed to think that II he could de-
noIsh them he would thereby prove that the Union
i luI5 are both legally and morally binding upon
the people. Fuy Impressed with this idea, he shot
his darts and dealt his blows right and left fore and
aft--sam, Siam bang, he took them and down they
didn't tumble. 1t was amusing To hear hun dis
charge the whole cartridge of his intellectual iu,ee
at these substantial arguments, They are indeed
substantial, and Gen. Speigut, believe ,Sa little
the taLleH one he ever encountered.
Mr.. Harrison consumed about one half his time in
arguing that the State can be sued ON the bonds
He should have spared himseIlthe trouble oi trying
to prove this until he had FIRST explained how he OK
pccied thereby to benefit his party OF 10 show that
the State is liable to pay the bonds. Whether or
not the State can be sued on the bonds, and wheth.
cr or not The people are bound 10 pay the bonds
are two distinct questions A decision on one by
no means decides the other. 1t does not follow that
because the State can be sued the people are there
fore liable 10 pay the demand. Nor does it follow
that because the State can be sued the bondmen
are any less dangerous legislators taan II she could
not be sued. Boudmen are as obnoxious To the in.
ercsts Of the people in the one case as the other
for even If the State can be sued, II b0udmen be {.
ecled to the Legislature they will not permit suit
to be brought, but will resolve that the people shal
pay the bonds without trial on the subject They
n0w say that is ian Unprecedented proceeding to Try
his question before Tie people who act as Judges in
their own case. Oh no! mol the people are no.
qualified to decide this queSton-luSt elect us and
we can do il correclly--we know all about tive
are earned,,we are honest we are patriotic, and we
Will be by virtue OF our high official character, the
peoples conscience Keepers YeS. sir, elect them
10 the Legislature and they will assume tie same
pos ton which they now condemn in the people
they viii sit as Judges and Jurors in their own case
and what is worse they Will take their seats with
predcterminalion 10 Judge against the people.
| confess that cannot see their luducemenl tC
spend SO much time and use SO much argument t.
cStdDlSi TACT VNlCN cannot 90 tnPtn the iCaS
good. II The State can be sued on the bohtts thi
is strong reason why bendmen should not he e
lcgted rhey say thatlhe honor and dignity Of tn,
State require that we should not dispute our liabl
lty. Now, i the people cannot finally settle thl
question at the ballot box, and have no way to rit
themselves of these bonds but by trial they may
either 20 to WORK and elect Anti Bondmen, or lhej
may 20 to work and earn the money to pay with
iorit IS impossible for a set OF men who advocate
the bond'payins doctrine to allow suit to be inSr
tuted on the bonds.
Although Mr.. Harrison IS good speaker and at
able debater yet he cannot sustain the latter charac
ter IN debating so black and barren a subject as The
egal side Of this questions nor can he in advocating
the morality OF paying the bonds. There Is moth
ng for him to eXpatate upon--nohne to even
Iasten the claws Of his intellect to. He felt the
weight of this fact, and throughout his address he
adrotly managed to evade the question, Finally
nprppivtn,r tkat Uyoe , a II