Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-03-19

same Government TO raise more money Tor IT, IN IN
place of that which is to be distributed 10 l"e'',-
Is any ,h;ar IL be gained hy sHch process =
rayin.r il 10 The States with one "2ni ana t'Nh- ''e
uj lin, :, back w,;h the ether. !! the H"''Tn"'1
,bes b,c fyo, the people the uf' OF LAKES 'AHc,l
VIVA, !, distributes where is the gln But IL must tah'
more il must take enough from The people no, oy
reulace the money distributed but also enough 10 pay
ali The officers and agents employed ia ,he p'oess "
collecting the money But 'h's ul''r'ouo"
much deeper design. 1t gives pFete%t ior lasins
tho tariff originated with tariff men, ana is part ana
parcel of the American system Mr o!ay' us g,ef'
iron is the father of that $! sem--the great au'o
and chop,pion OF a protective tar'if-aho 'ae "a''es
rihe distribution policy everywhere, ootn IN 'h's
Ii I an, or II. are tariff men. All the tariff men
n M unnse are d,s,rbutonsts and II there are dslf''
h,,;o;ss vino are not tariff men, they are lea away ny
,bsr Marty associations NJ! H. warned those who III.
opDoscd to protective tur'ti, 10 beware u
II necessarily causes increase oil the 'afi' anu wien
,b, - one. commenced ii is easy 10 foresee how COM
-: : interests in different sections OF the coun
m no formed as heretofore, to pervert the laf'ii
from , raveuue measure, ~ measure oil pro'tc,""'
The first consequence o this distrou''o" WIZ ut
v;olo,;ou and disregard of the Compromise act, "hc"
settled the tariff controversy IN e32 ii me w,eh m
In ;,salr seemed in danger. What SAID The House OF
nlan,,os Nruinia IN $50: They resolved, that the
o,d ,,rou,ise act should be held sacred and nvio.
laie md # ever there was any one iessiau'e "'',
raoeoahl in ito nature, winch was atlehueu ny crcu
stances which threw around 1t the character OF sacred
ness and nvioabilIy attributed 10 II ny ,ae house VI
DeIs,,es This is the act-Empha,lcally has 1t been
c.iIe5 ..the COMPROMISE Act" 1t was the ground on
which tho ,ort men, and the friends OF free trade, the
enemies of protection, compromised ther uiiierehces'
Hinder tins act all duties on imported articles, exceed
n ~ ner cent on the value OF such articles were 10
be down 20 20 per cent by Tue SUN tp'eoe'
lsIo-from the Goth September, lS42, oil duties were
To be collected ready money, Tor the purpose oil
rosnr snch revenue might he necessary TO an eco
nomical administration of the Government Looking
to the sanctity of this act and intending IN good la''h'
to preserye the compromise which IL emoodied, wneh
the distribution law enacted, Congress inserted 10
Il provision that the distribution should be suspended
yben,yer there should he imposition OF duties on
IMPORTS inconsistent with the COMPROMISE act ana ue
yond the rate of duty paid by II, TO wit ~ per cent
on the value Of such imports, or any oil theih VT
CLAY proposes to the duties on imports 10 ~ per
cep an their valae in violation of the Compromise act,
(which fixes them al 90 per cent? and yet 10 repeal Tue
ndinr clause in the distribution bill Just referred
IN so that the distribution and the increase OF the tar,
may progress hand in hand How can 1t be pretended
that the Government no more revenue than what
is necessary for an economical administration (as re-
u;rcd by the COMPROMISE act) when 1t is actually gi-
vino away TO the States the whole fund derived IRON
the public lands: Thus IS the COMPROMISE act To De
disregarded and violated, even by MS author. Disri'
button of the land fund, for the reei OF the STATES,
OStCuSIDle
the tarlff-whch will end in the old protective policy,
bearng most uneauallv on different sections OF the
country and different classes of the community, and
must again renew that angry controversy "eh ieo 10
Notifications What friend of his country desires to
see that controversy revived Let those VINO would
avoid il, beware OF distribution
But, said Mr. H., it is alleged, if this fund is not dis
ribued the States, they must increase their taxes,
direct taxes the people, 10 raise what revenue they
need. And it is said TO be question between direct
taxes on the hand, and duties on indirect taxes on
the other Who it is asked will not prefer the duties
which are paid by the of silks, wines, broad
cloths and other uxures TO direct taxes on lands,
horses and slaves: Mr. H. said it easy TO show,
that tins money if distributed, would not be applied To
reduce State taxes but would be made the basis oil IN
creased debt and extravaganza on the part OF the States
TO be followed up by increased taxation on the people
II was also true that the direct taxes laid by the States
were paid by the property holders OF the country; and
il was precisely the persons, the property holders
who most OF the lmportatiohs oil the country
and So pay the indirect taxes But the true question
was whether the States should raise and expend Their
own revenue, and the Fedora! Government raise and
expend It's ON revenue aud its own only; or whether
the Federal Government should be permitted TO raise
money for the States and distribute il to them. Money
so raised for the States would always be expended by
them without economy. We have an apt ILLUSTRATION
of this IN the history Of the times, when Congress DIS
ributed to the States SIS 100000 deposlte of the
SURPLUS revenue. Instead Of applying that money to
diminish State taxes, under the influence OF It's dIstr
BUTTON the States contracted heavier debts than at any
other period of our history-debts which now press
upon them most GENEROUSLY. lappears from tables pre-
pared by MIR. Fagg, the comptroller of New York, thai
the amount Of debt contracted by the States from lc2
TO 1926 was SI2 800 72s-irom SIS to 1880 Sl3,679,
6-9Irom 1880 10 1885 $4,000, 7G9-fom 1885 to So
Sl0- 223 SOC.
Thus, in about 3! years, under the influence of the
distribution policy, did the States contract more thar
one hundred and eight millions Of eb-abomt half o.
their present indebtedness, OF the great causes
the present distress and pressure Renew this dstrIou
ton policy now, and we shall commence new career
of contracting debt Each States share of the distr
bu,abe fund will be pledged to pay the interest on new
loans. OF this we have an earnest IN the amendment
lately offered by the gentleman from Campbell TO The
Southwestern road bill, proposing to pledge Virginia
quota of this fund to pay the interest on the money to
be borrowed to make that road and also the interest on
such other loans for Internal Improvements, as may be
authorized by tt Legislature. Here too we see the
policy OF those who would sustain distribution They
appeal 10 local interests 10 make party strong enough
for their purpose. Take the money and "we IL ga
snacks take H. and we will divide it among us, is
the language addressed TO the friends OF Internal I'm
provements.
But the friends redistribution aege that if this fund
he left with the T. 5 il will be squandered, and we
shall promote economy the General Government, by
Withdrawing it for the of the States Let US see
what effect the passage of the Distribution law has had
this respect. has III caused lnat boFeIuUient u
lessen It's expenses. The expenditures of lS4l were
about S32, o2J ,070 20 AT the called session in Sept
1871, with an empty Treasury, while they were bor-
rowing money to meet their expenditures, Congress
passed tie Distribution BILL and during the same session
they added upwards Of 81 000, 900 of new appropriations
TO the public expenditures. In his report oil December
lsI the Secretary Of the Treasury, estimating that
there will under existing laws be deficiency in the
Treasury at the end OF the year lS42 of G3
nevertheless estimates the expenditures OF the year
1912 at $50 79l 0l0 -. Thus, with deficient Trea-
sury, deficient by many millions, instead of finding
economy the result of the Distribution law, we see the
expenditures Of ISL increased and the estimates OF the
expenditures for SAP exceeding those OF lo4l by more
than half million of dollars. So much for the pros
pect of economy in the Federal Government from the
Distribution policy.
Mr. II. said, while he speaking of the e1pend
lures of the Government, he could but refer to the
charges of extravaganza which were SO loudly urged
against MIR Van Burens administration by his oppo
nents, and The clamor for economy, retenchment ant
reform with which they gained the favor Of the people
and 90, into power Mr.. Van Burens administration
had effected what lie believed other administration
of the Government had effected either before since