The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1841-11-25
From the Charleston Mercury.
THE STATES CAN ANNUL THE DIS
TRIBUllON ACT


ceedlngs Of Jargs Democratic meeting in
Mobile, which contain pointed and suong
denunclauoA Of the distribution act, as uncon-
sIituloOa, impOl,tic, unequal in operation, aud
cOrrHptmg IN tendency and affirming that It
ought 10 he and must be repealed. True Dem
Ocrallc Goctrine ne--evefy syllable OF 1t, But if
The b'Il is ali thiS, we ought to look upon lis
enactment with !he utmost alarm for it is
"corruptIng in its tendency" and who knows
but The drug once taken will poison the whole
system, inhlCting moral srupor upon the peor
pie and rendering US henceiorth what the pro-
jsciOrS Of this scheme intended 10 make Us,
the passive and debased victims Of gigantic
system of usurpation founded on bribery The
Consultation inVaded-the Federal Govern
meni assuming the right Of taking the State
Legislation into psy--lhe highest sovereign
prcrOgahvs CT the States, that o! exclusives
Iy controlling their own revenue system, inva-
d,d-"hen such scheme is put forth in the
form OF nn act of Congress, is it not time for
the States 10 rouse theinselvss-to ask "It We
suffer Sach law 10 20 into operation, how
long Will Ihsre be such things as Sates or
Slate Governments"
Tho idea tiai South Curolina would refuse
to take her portion Of the pIunder of the Unit
ed States Treasury under The Distribution ac',
has been made the subject of uneer and r!dl-
cuc by the Clay psPsrs. They say that South
Carolina loves money as we'll as other States
e. e. she can be bought,) and that though the
distribution be in their judgement usurpa-
ton on the part of The Federal Government,
dangerous Invasion Of the Independence of
the States, a monSrous abSurdHy considered
as a method of raising revenue, doubiy dam
gerons TO the exporting States as step to-
wards accommodating all the burdens of :he ge .
efai and local Governments upon commerce in
the fora Of an runous larff-yet such is the
fascination of a heap Of money, that the proud
State of South sCarolins would unlIesl!atlng!y
steop her pride, bsnish her scruples, and give
her sanction TO a system Of plumber Tor the
sake of huggiDg her poor share of the spoil.
Such is tho opinion Mr.. Clay has Of The peo-
pie he proposes TO buy up-end il is in the faith
tha. money offers temptation superior TO that
moral principle stronger than patriotism, than
love of liberty, than State Pride, than venera-
ton for the Conetilution-i! is on the hrm be-
lief that "every man has his price," !ha; he &
his friends hold it ridiculous bombast 10 sUg-
gest the possibility of any State rejecting her
share of the proceeds Of the public lands. 10
this a just estimate Of the people2 Is there, in
reality, nothing better than money! Is not lib
erty-.s not the preservation Of the balances of
our system Of Government, without which lib-
erly cannot exist in our country-a higher and
more powerful consideration, han the brlbe
held out in the Distribution scheme? We be-
leve that South Carolina will reject this bribe
and with remarkable unanimity. There are
two powerful reasons for this course; first with
the convictions we entertain Of the character Of
this scheme, it would be disgraCelul 10 receive
the money. Second; 10 reject it would be at
once TO raise the strongest Argument for the
repeal OF The measure, and gives US The power
of using that argument with the most decisive
effect,
But Mr.. Clay and his organs say further
that if South Carolina should be 80 insane as
10 to prefer her honor 10 $50 600 per annum,
doIed out her from the Federal Treasury, no.
body would care, she would only be laughed at
and hel share smiingy spocketed by the rest
Of the states. But suppose the proud people
of Georgia should hold Stale sovereignty at the
samO high price; and trampe on the brbe; cups
pose Virginia should spurn the bargain, AIa>
bama, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Pennsyl-
vanla, Pennsy syvana. NsW Hampshire. Maine,
how would the distribution bill work then?
We have allnded only to those States in
which all branches Of the Government ara
bound by principle to treat the distribution Of
money out Of The Federal Treasury TO the
Stale Legislatures as unconstitutional, danger
GUS, corrup,ng, and revenue measure, in The
last degree absurd. But we have mightier
power over lis operation than the full rejection
of thy The states above mentioned. 1he dis
tributiOn measure must be sanctioned by for.
NAL legislative act in every State. before the
money caa be received. Suppose, then, that
the Democratic party unanimously in all the
States act according 10 their principles, we
may add TO the list Louisiana, Tennessee,
Indiana, Ohio, Maryland; in all fifteen States,
with strong probability of increasing the list
by Massachusetts,, Connecticut, New York,
and Michigan. The Democrats have it now
in their power to nullify the distribution act
in fifteen States; the three territories are Dem
ocratic; ifthey act as becomes them, the great
bribery bill may ,,be strangled in The Stale Le-
gislatures before three months pass over
| And from whom does it better deserve lie fate
than from the State Legislatures, whose lnde-
| pendeECe i, was designed 10 Destroy upon
whose power andIdigUity it makes fatal warfare
whose venality and subservlency we're impu.
! dentIV yeck ed on nv lis a;bhor az the great se.