Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-12-25

IivII al ..
win challcn@, and give 10 every citizen a name which
worId Tbs poet IN every portion OF the civilized
nsnod 10 ,,uds tn executed oh August, l7e7 con-
,hsr hensG so"h Lne United States of America for
corporate name of the General INCLUSIVE nc hefs Tue
and when the very imperfect Union TT - n
considered, the state Of the country, ane eAsus
building up National Government all aa. e "
button among the States for State purposes 80,
lutely repelled Tbecession had object Lut aoso
Union, the "Confederaton, "the Federal Allisncr
il then, the intention OF the parties at the time was To-
bestow these lands upon the nation for national rur
poses, any other disposition of them should be looked
upon as mlsappcaon of the fund, contrary 10 the in
tent Of the donors.
This subject of the Public Lands, is presented at
period inauspicious to that calm and dsplssonate
judgment, with which alone interest grave
should be decided upon The States, individually, are
in debt, and the division Of the sales of the Public
Lands will afford fund to pay them, and Tins releys
the States from the wholesome and appropriate rebuhe
for improvldence The obligation to provide the
of paying from their own funds, debts contracted with
sh TsGeGd u 10 NJ hes aa
of any such sinister influences, but human n!rmity
renders US SO prone TO believe what our interests are
concerned, should be true that great caution required
10 avoid the fatal error Of bending the Constitution and
The truth TO the urgency Of pressing necessities
Such is the state Of public Matters when the holders
of the securities of the individual States have evlnced
some form strengthened from the resources OF the
Federal Government. A proposition to pay, secure
the payment of the debts of the States BY the Federal
Government, would be so clearly in violation OF the
whole spirit and nature Of orr complex system, that
few would venture 10 encounter the rebuke with which
it would be met by all parties in the Union But,
where the same object can be obtained by ndIrecon,
the Unsuitable love of interest will urge the adoption OF
any means by which il can be accomplished. That
the indebted States stimulated BY the pressure
Of heavy liabilities, to get possession of this means
Of relief is not denied. There is also another ex-
stinr state of things adverse to dispassonae con-
sideration of this subject. The sales Of the Public
Lands constitute large item in the Revenue OF the
United States which, if distracted, will necessarily re-
qure that its place be substituted by revenue derived
from the only remaining sourcc-dutics on imports
part from the collateral advantages expected 10 &C
crue by an increase of the duties imports, there is
no motive to diminish the public income, by dlstrbu-
Of any part Of il among those who are TO contribute
10 supply its place. IL the contribution IS believed TO
be equal the absence of all sense IN first
abstracting what is there, dividing il equally, and
then contributing equally restore it, is conclusive,
that those who urge it, do not believe that the conr
button from the customs Of the amount distracted from
the Federal revenue BY division OF the sales OF the
Public Lands in the ratio rs the Distribution and
illustrates most painfully the want Of due sense otequal
Justice in urging such distribution at the present time
Congress should lay direct upon the States TO be
contributed in the same ratio the distribution, it's clear
that economy would dictate, that the whole scheme
Of distribution should end in credng each State with
its share of the sales Of Public Lands and chagng 1t
with its quota Of direct tax, all the expenses OF the
separate operations would be saved. But 1t 10 VAN 10
disguise The fact that the mode of raising revenue by
customs, by aording occasion for imposing tariff
TO protect the local industry OF one portion oil The
Union at the expense OF the rest TO employ the legs
ution Of Congress for purposes foreign to the Union,
and consequently in violation of the good faith IN winch
l..,.a sod ntaIt-
with view to revenue it is believed that they are Pc
culay onerous those States, whose staples constl-
ue the exports of the country Yet far as that m
ay Fifty par eSelde anger purely revenue iar y
ges which spring in such abundance from our National
Union-But TO increase this inequality, by dstribu-
ton of an established revenue, and supply It's place. by
duties thus bearing unequoly, is in bad faith, and has
no redeemng quality to rescue 1T from our indignant
condemnation If the laws as equal as dl-
rect taxation it is mathematical truth, that dstrl-
button and collection Of the same amount IN equal pro-
portions, is purely nugatory, except 10 incur, without
motive the expenses of collection and distribution II
the contribution is believed by those who urge it. and
is in fact in different ratio, then the declared terms
of the Constitution that all taxes Should be equal are
designedly violated.
Your Committee thus arrive at the concluslon, that
the distribution Of the sales OF the Public Lands among
the States is contrvance diminish the public re-
venue by abstracting from It fund, which, II It be-
long to the States at least cqua contribution to
the eyenue of the Unon and render It necessary TO
supply its place. by raising from the customs an equal
amount burthened by the expenses of collection, and
contributed in unequal, and therefore unjust proper
tion BY the States who furnish the material Tor expor-
tation But your Committee do not admit, that the
proceeds of the sales of the Public Lands do belong 10
the States in the proportion TO their federal numbers,
rs State funds applicable State purposes. They be,
long to another and distinct political body-the uheo
STATES of America and are applicable only TO Nation
al objects To render this proposition clear IS only
necessary to 90 back the history OF the Public Lands,
TO show how they were acquired, whose money nus
been expended, i'll rendering them available, ana Inc
ultimate objects to which they are destined
Indeed when the very terms of the deeds OF cession
include both "the soil and jurisdiction the indivduai
States NAV claim distribution of the latter by The
same title they set up to the former
The States furnishing the materials OF foreign COM
MERGE believe that duties imports, from the nature
of the case fall unequay upon them; and This position
they maintain openly, by argument Inc manuiac-
turing States while they argue against THIS posoh'
uniformly vote against every other means OF raising
revenue and are especially clamorous against direct
taxation As no one denies TO mem luil SNARE u 'e
saoacy Of sellntercst il difficult to escape The con.
cusion that they feel The advantages Of that node Of
r,;s;nr revenue to which their brethren OF the staple
States are so strenuouy opposed except lar as II Is
una voidable
If then they claim that the public domain is COM
mon luad OF right belonging " al '"e S'"sss, "'
what show of reason they object 10 It's application
10 The common uses Of the nation TINS contributions
nj least is equal and to abstract it and supply It's place
10 funds raised IN way obnoxious TO the settled con,
yctons of part of Tie Union, Is at lest unsoc'a anu
we mus, conclude eminently selfish. As long ago as
the lime when the present Constitution was under con-
sheraton, Alexander Hamilton, the great Apostle OF
Federalism, said "The maxim that the consumer IS
The payer is SO much oener true than the reverse Oh
the propositions that it far more equitable that duties
on imports should go into a common fund.- than that
tev should rebound to the exclusive benefit oil The I'M
porting States Bot it is not generally true as 70
render it equitable that those duties should form the
ony national fund When they are paid BY the ,hd me1 '
chant they operate as an additional tax upOm
them IN the character of consumers.
"In this view, they are productive Of 'ne7uaiAy
among the States which inequality would be increased
with the increased extent OF the duties The conhne'
ment Of the national 10 this species OF impos's
would he attended with inequality from different
cause, between the manufacturing and the a0n-manu
factur,no States The States which 60 iarthesl TO-
wards the supply of their wants by their own ma
nufac,ures viii not, according to their numbers OF
wealth, consume great proportion OF imported ar
,Ies no those States which not IN the same favor