Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-07-13

shall say tia. it would lay the foundation OF
vouton IN the Government no, that would be too
weak; 1t would of itself, he q revolution. The seat
I Of Government and power would change, and pass
from the people into the hands Of OF the most
rnpt and eAacting moneyed oigarchies of which his
tory has left any record The immortal trainers Of our
Constitution intended 10 place the Government IN ,ic
hands of the Peopic-to establish Federal Republic
"a constitutional Democracy, winch the Govern
ncnt should he controlled b. The people, and be adj
mnsered for their good, and not for the profit and
adyanta o.: those power and their dependents and
partsans. Adopt these measures, and this would be
reversed; the power would depart from the people
from the tax-Payin. people-lhe honest and ndast!I
ous, who support the Government, without looking Tor
saroEs and would pass milo tie hands Of the master
SPIRITS who would, for the time, control the Govern
ment by Their herds Of dependents and par.sans united
with the powerful combination Of interests which these
measures intended 10 associate with them. They
would be too strong for TIE people Yes, proclaim IL
pass these measures, let this system Of universal plum
der BIZ firmly fixed on the country, and the Co.
vcrnmen; will be revolu;ionztd.
Pause and reflect on THIS purtcnous concentration
power. Behold the numerous and powerful corps Il
dependans-the household troops, ciice holders,
tractors johbers, and pensioners counting, IN their
well formed and compact ranks not less than hun
bred thousand. These to be placed under tie
most exact and severe party drill None 10 be
crni;ed but those Of tired fidelity, and none retained
whose zeal is questionable. Cast your eyes next on
the interest proposed To- be associated with this corps
foul and corrupt and dangerous Of partnerships is 10
he restored with the banking system, with Its
less host Of officers, stockholders and dependaHts-
Then turn TO the scheme Of distribution, intend
10 list entrs States, and draw into III wort, x
/ the dominant influence for the time q; the I.cgs4-
lures Of every State in the Union, and thus com
bnc both General and State Governments in favor Il.
high taxes wasteiai expenditures, debts and stocks
and support Of proi.atc leaders, whose talents and
influence may be necessary 10 uphold this scheme ui
rl.n loot
proportion that these measures subtract from Tie
Of The people, in Ike proportion their
voice BE- made feeble and insignificant while, IN
the propofton the voice Of those 10 whom what -
subracted from them goes, must be made potent
and influential you regard the assertion as too bold
a; should these succeed, the Government
would BE- northumberland pass from the hands Of
the people into that OF tie powerful noacyed oigarchy,
which. whether intended not, they must create. The
heads ci Tie ugafcEy, with their ccrcnGaa:s and tie
dependents Of their dependents, united w;h daring po
ltcal leaders, would be powerful than the people,
weakened and dlsprited they must become III up
holding and supporting tins mighty mass oi oppressive
taxes and eXactions direct aud indirect.
We in the midst Of most powerful struggle 1t
our Government is ever destined 10 fall, IT vii, by
measures, such recommended in this report. 1t
can By other. OF MI measures those connected
with the fiscal action Of the Government and the pa
per system, Il include Banks, paper currency, and a
funded debt require to be watched with the greatest
jealousy, BY all people DESTROYS Of preserving their
freedom. They are the passes through which revolt
ton secretly enters and the overthrow Of
Liberty, before the danger 10 perceived II the voice
Of one could be heard, who has never raised i but IN
behalf Of The people, would say TO them, watch with
ceascless vigilance these dangerous passes and cspc
clay, the fiscal action Of the Government. There
emphaticaly lies the danger which las overthrow
many free States, and destined to overthrow ours,
unless promptly met. The foundation Of our system
is equality-equal burihens and equal benefits to all,
bat ought TO BE- known-it Is truth with which all
ought 10 be deeply impressed, that tic EScal acton II
tic Government ean by ingenuity ccntrirancc tc
made equal, and that ITS unequal acton 81 se, ,rh-
0at 0;her cause mast, tic cnd destroy liberty, u not
checked and modcrated To check and moderate il all
that can be done. The right understanding Of tins
truth indispensable 10 the preservation Of
our Tree and happy institutions. pause Tor moment
10 expain.
Tie fiscal action Ct the Government consists Of two
branches taxation and expenditures in other words,
revenue and disbursements Taxation, disconnected
from expenditure and considered BY ITSELF may be made
substantially equal, though, even that, IN so large
country as ours and So different IN It's pursuits and
is easy matter; but, IT they be taken
together and be regarded in their joint effects part
Of one process, they really are, Il IS impossible 10
make that process equal; unless indeed, what may be
taken from each indy tual by taxes should be returned
10 him By disbursements, which would be absurd. 1t
follows from this simple fact that ore portion OF Tie
must necessarily put into the Treasury, N
the form OF taxes than they receive back III that
Of disbursements and another portion receive back III
disbursements more than they paid IN taxes 10 enc
norton then taxes are reality taxes while 10 another
they are in truth hounes. The money collected III
,s il not lost but transferred What taxes take from
one is passed By disbursements To another; ana 10 INN
10 whom more is returned in disbursements than what
he paid in taxes the difference is, as has been sad,
bounty Hence the inherent inequality Of the fiscal
action Of the Government and which, Of ITSELF w,hou,
other cause must create two great conflicting parties;
Inc one in favor Of taxes and The other opposed Ire
higher the the prouse and wastciul the es-
greater the gain to the and the loss
10 the other Hence the conflict which extends not
only to taxes and expenditures, but 10 all connected
countless ways by winch the proceeds
Of industry may be taken By law from one and trans
rred To another IL matters not what may be tEe FORM
of The Government Ii originates III the nature Of Tie
fiscal action, md is under popular Governments
~ otIers-uner Tie Government OF the many as that
81 the few or Of one II the great disturbing
the primordcal disease Of al Governments-that col
ect taxes and make disbursements 1t may be mode
rated in action by constitutional PROVISIONS Tut
can never be actually overcome.
IN order to be more clearly understood, will Illus
rse what have stated in general terms, by tracing
is operations in detail IN suppostioGs case For
his purpose shall! select the two adjacent counties,
yinp on the other side ofte Potomac Fairfax, which
Is onnosi,e 10 the District and Ioudoun. above. Snip
nose then. they formed tle Republic, governed by
The will of a majority suppose that they were equal
IL wealthy, and that the INCOME annna!ly, OF theIr
citizens was 800 900 dollars each Suppose again, the
majority to be just MS TO impose an equal tax on
each saw 100, 900, dollars masking the annual receipts
Of tie Treasury to be ooo; and that Loudoun
awaiting itself Of lis greater numbers, should afrro
PIRATE the whole to herself, in the improvement OF
her roads and rivers, in granting pensions 10 her c'i-
zcns and the various other modes III which the public
money NAV he spent. Is It not clear that her income
,yould he increased and that Of Fairfax diminished,
The equality Of the taxes The former
would not only receive back in the shape OF expena
lures what she had paid that Of taxes but all tGat
had been PAID by the latter toe, and her income annu
ally, would, consequence be increased by tic add
ton Of 800 900. while that Of Fairfax would be d.
finished hv he Ike sum- thus raising that Of the for
,n.r 10 s40oC SEQ annually, and reducing the latter
s25o,Goo making lis income double the other, instead
NJ be;rg only equal. Thus far is clear, and is It not
,o Obvious that Just the taxes are increased, Just
in the .anc proportion would Loudoun gain taxes, FAR
fax Jose and that the latter BY increasing taxes only
however equally laid, might be utterly impoverished
simply by unequal disbursements Just as much go as
by unequal taxes: Thus FAR there can be no doubt.
The case would not be varied, if the supposed Re-
nuhi,c consisted of twenty counties, only The