Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-09-03

the states and the General Government, which
would bring ruin upon both, by stripping the
states of their independence, and reducing the
general government to be the mere tax collector
of the states. He asked whence so monstrous
an idea as that of distribution originated. lie
would tell. 1t was Matched in the brain Of the
most inerordbi" idri0te that ever lived-a gen.
tleman from New Jersey-who, finding an
enormou surplus in the Treasury, sought to
get rid Off by distribution.
But how had that proposition been received D!
Did it find favor with the American people -
Not at ALL 1t made no impression on the coun-
try. The next was from an ingenious gentleman
from Maryland, but no great statesman, Virgil
Maxcy, who desired to distribute the surplus
fund for purposes of education a beautiful and
philanthropic view he admitted, but still one
at war with the principles of the constitution
This proposition, though more attractive, was
still received with as little favor as that of the
arch-tarifiite, Dickerson. In 1881 and 81 it
was taken under the patronage OF the Senator
from Kentucky (NIr. Clay.) In all prior cases
there was a great surplus in the Treasury, but
now the thing was different there was no sur
plus, but a deficiency, and was that a time to
seek to throw away a branch of revenue for
purposes Of distribution, when the deficit would
have to be made up from the customs by a tax
on the people! lie called on Senators
to pause before they voted away the public do
main for any such purpose.
Mr.. McItoberts said in other matters there
was something like precedent, until they came
to the present bill, which had no likenessin hea-
ven or earth. 1t was commenced long since,
and acquired friends, and increased strength
every day-it had accumulated like a snow ball
until there was now a power to carry through
a measure which the fathers OF the constitution,
never dreamed of. Was there, he asked, any
distinctive power in the constitution to appro-
pirate the money derived from The lands to one
object, while they devoted that derived from
customs TO another! If there was he should
like the gentlemen to show it. The Senators
from the new states had the power to defeat
this bill, and he warned them if they did not do
it, then the chance would be gone forever, and
they would lose all the advantages of their po-
sition.
Mr.. Rives spoke briefly in favor Of the bill
it was not until it had been found there was
graduation on one side and cession on the other,
that Virginia had taken the alarm, and when it
came to that, she had no alternative but dlstrl-
button. He thought the present bill a thousand
times better calculated to do justice to the old
and new states than either the measure Of ces-
sion proposed by the Senator from South Car
DINA, or the presumption and graduation of the
Senator from Missouri. If this bill should pass,
he would say they had been driven to it by the
attempt to code the lands at one fell swoop by
the Senator from South Carolina, or to have
them wasted by a system Of graduation and
n~re.emntion.
Mr.. Younr held that if the bill was passed,
tho laws wonld be untitled. and that settlers
Who had zone on land in advance of SURVEYS
!, would bn cconnellod IN violate the law in defence
:. Of their own rights.
ora;ns, tho biIl cbarH;nr !, as , frand nnon the
-, ..,tos Mn n "a - ,ror , s,ool. ;obbiro
h;II and that ai,bonrb ror,lonon nro,enJnJ r.
500, no ;Jo, ~ go 5n.;nn; ,.ot ,b;s uros -
/, lii for !" ,bo navnont Of s,p,o dobis Wo main
4 ,a;nod ,hat H. had hoon . oonsnir.nv ~ emil
,ho st,to stocLs h., hroIors and haniors orI
i ,,oro thov ~ 81, ,bo-o ~ Iorislato for Tho ror
,nros or srooulo,or. IL 1-oI,ho oor,;fcotos is
snod ~ he oef;cors and soi5;ars If ,hn revoIu
ion had hoen decriod by barnics who told ,br
$ old vntorans tbov wonld never get anv tbinc
r from tho rovornment' and tbon bonght y, those
r cor,;f;cates AZ y titbn If tboir yalrc, and realizol
20 shillinns in the Mound from the Government
r the same nlan had beon carried on in relation
TO state stocks by the stockholders of I,ondor
and New York. who we're now seeking to pusl
n this bill ibrourh CONGRESS-.
lie said tho Vbirs Threatened PrnsidcntrTv
G Ter with expulsion, but he could tell him that
he did not sjrn this bin he would de s~ustaino,
by the glorious democracy which is worth al
@ the rest-this wonld supnort him scrunulousl,
V throurhout his term. lie mr.. r would sa,
G TO him in his place. she lust and fear not,' an,
n YOU will bring to YOUR aid sthe support of tn,
unpurchasabie comanrv of America Mr.. I
then moved to reconnit the bill with instruc
tons to strike out the "bamboozling part" an
to insert the old fashioned, honest, sterling pre-
emption principle OF the other Dill: