Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-05-05

fare of the United States for other purposes
that il has the power o borrow money on The credit
the United States" for exactly the same purposes
and no other-and that has tie power ITO dispose of
and make all needu rules and regulations, respecting
The Territory other property belonging 10 The n,ec
States" for exactly the purposes, and no other
II these constructions be adopted, the power to con
tract debts 10 dispose Of the public property, ana lc
appropriate The public money, Is subject 10 precisely
the same limitations with The aower to impose taxes
and without the same Limitations upon the iormer those
upon the latter are wholly uugatory-ior the diversion
Of The public money and property IRON these legii
mate objects of national expenditures Will create
necessity for for those Objects ana the making
Of loan coners the express authority to impose tax
'to pay the debt
| The undersigned are forced 10 consider this brie
view OF the Constitution as It Ia, suihc'ent TO overnrH
| The dangerous constructions tn which they have au-
ded and TO demonstrate thai all these schemes of dis
trbutIon and assumption are whoiy uhau'holized by
that instrument.
The great argument upon which this policy is al.
tempted be rested, is assumed claim on the par
of the States 10 the public domain, growing out oil
the deeds OF cesson from the States 10 the u States
The ground taken IS that tie lands were ceded by The
States to pay the debt OF the Revolutionary war; and
the purpose and object Of Tie cesslon having been full
| filled by the payment of that debt That the lands
which renamed unsod should revert to the States, lo
be expended for State objects
/
Not one word is said of the Revolutionary debt, or oil
national debt oil any character, in any one OF the deeds
of cession ard reverson of any portion OF the coded
lands either to the cedng State itseli, OF tothe States
generally, was provided for IN single deed. he OBJ
ect and purpose and intention Of these cessons are
very explicitly stated in the deeds themselves, and in
which they substantially conform to each other. That
object and purpose declared III the acts OF cession
passed by the Legislatures Of the States 10 which the
deeds made conform, were that the lands "sha
e. tka, a q
of such of the United States have become, or shall
become members OF the Confederation, or Federal ALI
ance of the said States Qhe cedng Stale inclnslye)
"accordng t. their usual respective proportions IN the
general charge and expenditure and shall be faithfully
and bona fdc disposed oil for that purpose and for
other use or purpose whatsoever This the languan
used by Virginia, the cession from which Stale far
more important than all the Others and although the
language in the deeds may not be exactly Ike this the
import of all is the same. In every deed The convey
ance full of all the right, title and claim Tor of all
the right, title interest," Jurisdiction aud claim, 10 the
coded lands. The latter were the terms Of our own
New York. II certainly must be an asue lawyer, who
find the foundation of claim for reverSon upon
the face of such deeds, who see authority fol
distribution assumption OF State debts contracted
for exclusive State objects, in the object and purpose
a grant expressed.
There is pretencc that the grants from the State:
before referred 10, include any portion Of the territory
purchased in 1903, called the Louisiana territory,
|
eases paid Tor from the Treasury of the nation The
Mississippi river the Western boundary of the u
5. at the time these cessions made, and the
| versionary claim under them whatever it may amount
to, Of course limited to the unsod lands within the
hounds of The States East Of the Mississippi river
The proceeds of the sales of these lands would be
wholly inadequate to the payment of the interest and
principal Of the stock proposed 10 be issued
II The other branch of this argument, the paymen.
of the Revolutionary debt by the proceeds of the coded
lands, to be examined, it would be found that
the claim Of revesion the part OF the States upon
this ground would perfectly fail to do the former
That debt paid by taxation, direct and indirect.
upon the persons and property of the citizens of the
country, so far as It is yet paid, while the proceeds of
the lands, up to period as late that of the entire
payment of the whcle natioua debt were exclusively
applied to the expenses of The lands themselves, and
for many Of the earlier years the treasury made heavy
advances, and above the whole proceeds, to
their expenses The paymen. of the Revolutionary
pensions, most sacred part OF the Revolutionary
debt did not until 1879 and at thIr
very time, the current amount paid annually from
the treasury to meet those pensions, is much beyond
the current annual proceeds of The lands. Will the
advocates for distribution and assumption exclude the
old soldiers aud their wdnws from their account and
stay their pensions 10 obtain the money TO meet the
interest of their proposed two hundred million debt,
Time will show.
Still, if The debt be not contracted the golden
quence National Bank, cannot follow. Al the he.
cesstes, which talent and eoqnence and perseverance
can upon the regulation Of the currency aud
changes, do not bring the country TO conviction. 50
far from II, the regulator requires the regulation.
1t fails first, and makes the most desperate aud repre-
hensible failure. The old Hamlton;an Treasury, "ne
cessy, must be raised up and experience has proved
iha, more efficient Treasury, without heavy debt
will not do H. True, the annual appropriations have
been sweed, IN two short years from eighteen to some
twenty -four five millions, at the MI have
come TO some twenty five millions at The close OF The
two years but this process is too slow, and those who
have so long yearned for such establishment, may
IN! the course Of nature, pass away, before the re
qu'site "necessty can be imposed upon the people
and their Government, at this rate of accommodating
debt.
The Presidential election Of 1914, TOO, is rapidly ap
preaching, and unless the cupIdIiy of The holders oil
the depressed State Stocks upon both sides of the At
autc be excited by the hope of assumption; the
indebted and non indebted States, influenced by The
expectation OF the two hundred millions distributions
and tho friends of National Bank every where IN
duced 10 act in concert by the prospect of fly O.
hundred million charter, through the agency of new
debt, the prospect that Wing Administration can sue
coed Wing Administration, is gloomy, despn,ng
desperate. II these combinatons Of faith and nope
can be perfectly formed and made so lively as TO NOV,
in unison with the money power of the old and the
world, the means may be at hand to re-enact scenes
equal TO those of 1910, and results equally astounding
may follow.
Republicans Can this combination Of avarice anl
ambition, of stock jobbing cupidy and political des
peration be successfully resisted by The single handed
yeomanry of the country We believe il can; bu. re
slslence 10 be ehectual, must be bold, manly and
yielding If the financial absurdes and abuses o
Inns grand scheme for plumber shall not be regarded
II the rotenness of the arguments by which il is al
tempted I" be sustained shall fail TO produce disagree
Ineni; and II the entire want of the constitutional
thorly 10. the measure shall not cause its abandon
men', then the battle must be fought, the resistance
must he made, and lei ii be made intelligent frtemer
Sann!d make resistance against encroachmen,s upor
Their Liberty, their property and the Constitution OF he
country. Let us spread the facts and the arguments
ncio'c our fellow citizens, and appeal TO their
their judgment and their patriotism Let US endeavu
TO convince them from the experience OF the last
years, that neither governments nor individuals cal
force prosperity By contracting debts without the
OF payment; and point them to the example Of Grea
Brian TO show, that il hopeless national deb, cal
sustain the few in vicious auence, can also starvt
The thousands. Still, il reason and argument fail and
frauds and corruptons like those OF 1910 shall apair
be attempted and shall triumph for a single election
let us remember, that the Constitution is with u.s. ant
that lie of unconstitutional av ia :,,s nsr