Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-12-03
From the Charleston Mercury
| The States can 0,,aul the Uistribnti0a .7cf.

The states can 0lHaut tie ISstrtb1ts0H .9ct.
We insert in this mornings paper the pro-
ceedings of large Democratic meeting in Mo-
bile, which contain q pointed and strong de-
nunciation Of the Distribution act, as unconsti
hlfional, impoAiic, uncqualin operation, and cor
rupting I'm tendencg, and affirming that At or ht
10 be and must be repeated. True Democratic
doctrine-every syllable of it. Blu, if the bill
is all this, we ought to lock upon its enact
ment with the utmost alarm-for it is s'corrupt-
ing in its tendency" and who knows but the
drug once taken will poison the whole system,
inflcting a moral stupor upon the people and
rendering us hencetorih what the projectors of
this scheme intended to make US, the passive
and debased victims of gigantic system of
usurpa,ion founded on bribery. The Consti-
tuition invaded-the Federal Government assn
ming the right of taking the State legislatures
into It's pay-the highest sovereign prerogative
Of the States, that Of exclusively controlling
their own revenue system, lnvaded-when such
scheme is put forth in the form Of an act of
Congress, is it not time for the States TO rouse
themselves-,o ask, ''if we suffer such law
to 90 into operation, how long will there be
such things as States or Stale Governments"
The idea that South Carolina would refuse
to take her portion of the plunder of the Uni
ted States Treasury under the Distribution act,
has been the subject Of sheer and ridicuie by
the Clay papers. They say that South Caro-
lima loves money as well as other States. lie.
that she can be bought, and that though the dis
tribution be in her Judgment, usurpation on
the part of the Federal Government, danger
Gus invasion Of the independence Of the States.
monstrous absurjiiy considered as method
of raising revenue, doubly dangerous to the
exporting States as step towards accumuIa-
ting all the burdens of the General and local
Governments upon commerce IN the form Of
ruinous tarIff,-yet such is the present tasclna-
ton Of heap of money, that the proud State
Of South Cafcliaa would unhestatingly stoop
her pride, Danish her scruples, and give her
sanction to system of plumber for the sake OF
huggng her poor share Of the spoil. Such is
the opinion Mr.. Clay has of the people he pro-
poses to buy up--and ii is in the faith tina, mo-
ney offers temptation superior to that moral
principle-s,ronger than patriotism. than love
of liberty. than State pride, than veneration for
Constitutional is on the firm belief that ''ev
cry man has his price, that he and his friends
hold it ridiculous bombast to suggest the pos
sibiliy Of any State rejecting her share of the
estimate of the peoplel Is there, in reality,
nothing better than money! Is not liberty
is not the preservation Of the balances OF our
system of Government, without which liberty
cannot exist in our country-a higher and more
powerful consideration, than the bride held
, out in the Distribution scheme! We believe
tha, South Carolina will reject this bribe, and
| with remarkable unanmity. There are two
powerful reasons for this course--ilrst, with
the convictions we entertain of the character Of
this scheme, it would be disgraceful to receive
the money. Second--to reject it would be at
once to raise the strongest argument for the
| repeal of the measure, and give Us the power
of using that argument with the most decisive
effect.
But Mr. Clay and bis organs say further that
| if South Carolina should be so insane as to
prefer her hsnor to $4,000 per aunum, doIed
gu, to her from the Federal Treasury. nobody
would care-she would only be laughed at,
and her share smiinely pocketed by the rest
ofthe States. But suppose the proud people
Of Georgia should hold State sovereignty at
the same high price, and trample on the bride !;
suppose Virginia should spurn the bargain,
| Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois. Penn
sylvana, New Hampshire and Maine, how
would the distribution bill work then
| We have alluded only to those States in
which all branches of the Government are
| bound by principle to treat the distribution Of
| money out of the Federal Treasury to the
| State Legislatures as unconstitutional. danger
Gus, corrupting. and as revenue measure, in
the last degree absurd. But we have a might
Ter power over its operation than the full rejec-
tor of it by the States above mentioned. The
distribution measure must be sanctioned Jy a for
NAL Legislative act in euery State before the mon
en- can be received. Suppose, then. that the
Democratic party unanimously, in all the States
act according to their principles, we may add
to the list Louisiana, Tennessee. Indiana, Ohio
Marylaud--in all fifteen States-vith strong
probability of increasing the list by Massachu-
sets, Connecticut, New York, and Michigan.
| The Democrats have it now in their power to
nullfy the distribution act in fifteen States
the three Territories are Democraic-if they
act as becomes them, the great bribery bill may
be stranged in the State Legislatures before
| three months pass over. And from whom does
it better deserve its fate, than from the State
Legislatures, whose independence it was de-
signed to destroy, upon whose power and Dig
nitv it makes fatal war; whose venality and
subserviency were impudently rocked on by
its author as the great security for the contln-
uance of his scheme Of corruption.
We call upon the Democratic press to put
| on their armor and meet this enemy now, when
we can strike him down with single bold ef-
fort. Never was there an opportunity OF a.
chewing, by SO simple means, SO signal and
honorable victory for State Rights, for Demo