Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1842-04-12

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additional 6 per cent. on 446, ,OOO, 600 Of
goods annually, which amounts TO $lS,-
100000, Of which the government will get
S3,000,000, and the manufacturers Sl0,-
100000. The relief offered the States
BY the distribution act, 10 the extent Of
$4,000 900, will thus cost the masses Of |
the people Si3,6O00. A most singula |
manner Of confering the greatest good up
on the greatest number.
And now sir, ia connection of this sub.
iect, and in order to show that, independ.
emily of the immense loss which | have
proven the people,sustain in this opera.
tion, there is yet another source Of loss
10 them who were taxed for it, in the
proposition they pad, | will, in conclu-
sion, read an extract from remarks Of my
own, made in this body on the 25th Jan
uary, lS4l. On that occasion, | said:
Sand who are TO receive the fund dis
tributed! Not the people, who, in the
first place, paid it; but the states-the
Legislatures of the States. In what would
this result! Extravagance and waste
Not, indeed, because legislative bodies
are (for they are nOt) likely to be COM
posed Of men less viriuous than others,
bot because no body Of men, honorable
Individually, yer could, or ever can, with
safety, be charged with the conduct of
public affairs, in the absence Of all res
possibility. II was for this reason, drawn
from the calamtous experience Of the
world. that the serious, the thoughtful.the
cautious people of America imposed up.
on all the departments Of power, as well
as upon each public functionary, the most
! positive restraints and highest sanctions,
by their written organic laws. The great
i. the only security the people of the state
+ now have for their economy ofits Legis-
lature in the expenditure Of the public
7 money, is the responsibility under which
the Legislature acts, Of having, itself. first
! to tax its own constituency, in order to
raise it. But by the system Of distribu-
| lion, the responsibility Of collecting reve.
: nue. is to he separated from the power to
apply it; Congress is to tax the people.
the Legislature TO expend the tax. Each
member Of the latter body, aware, there
fore, as he would be, that, when the state
!. Treasury was exhausted, Congress, not
. he, must bear the odium Of laying new
!. tax to replenish il, would very naturally
seek TO obtain for all objects in his par
q ticular district or county the largest ap
: preparations possible; considering, as he
= would, every dollar thus obtained cleal
gain, to that extent, out Of The common
q spoil. In this manner, the very desire
!. now so strong withthe representative, ,and
/ Justly so, to please his immediate con-
constituents by his economy Of the public
:. money, would then become reason
equally strong for It's proAigate waste
! Where, in such a case, would be the lin
it to expenditure? where to taxation me-
cessary to meet III No where, until Gov
eminent had consumed the wole sub
stance of the toiling multitude, and left
them here, as in England, clad in the
ragged livery of paupersm-breadless
and hopeless
"Sr have already said that the NON
5 ey, il distributed; will go not TO the peO-
pie who, 10 the first instance, paid it,
} Again, have said ihatin all governments
protesting to be free, this power OF un-
' limited taxation ever has divided the mass
> into classes of the rich and the poor, and
D. upon such division founded separate or
ders in the State, the one, who govern
and riot: the other, who Toll and obey -
Such always will be found to be the re-
, suit. The process which leads TO it is
plain. The aggregate fund in the hands
Of Government is made up of contribu.
tons by every citizen. In the applca-
! tiOn of il, therefore, or its benefits, JUS
tlce requires that each should receive a
proportion equal TO that he advanced
But is this the case? Never; nor never
can it be. ltis one Of the evils in the
best of governments, that equality in the
distribution Of burdens and benefits is
found utterly impraCticable. And, cir,
! II is for this very reason, more than for
' all Others together that taxation and ex-
penditure should be strictly limited
, For in every tax, some are made thus to
pay unrequited tribute to others. The
wrong increases with each additional as.
sessmenl, until finally, if continued. it
breaks the equilibrium of society The
favored class rise to wealth by the very
cause that depresses the unfortunate -
Each day separates them more widely from
one another; and the former, drawing
still nearer 10 the Government, whilst
the latter is sinking becomes, in the end
the Government iIself--a ruling order
BASED upon land sustained by the
ptllage Of the multitude.
"What with us has been tho fact, anG
what It's results, inSthe very first instance
) of distribution? To oil 1t is known thai
, 26,I0I,644 dollars, then called its sur,
plus revenue, were, in the year 1887, dis.
tributed BY this Government, in the name