Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-04-06
To the Democrats of Virginia
IN GENERAL, and to the Demo
Gratis of Shenandoah IN PAR
TICTJTAR
Read /! Read!.i Readttt

CTdCS OF SnCnanQOan IN PAR
| TICULAR.
Read! Readu ReadHt
| The Question Of The Distribution ofMe Proceed
| ofthe Public Lands Discussed, and fen
| reasons sohy Nrguaia should reject tie pro
/ portion assigned to her.
| A great deal has been said about the
legislature of Virginia having at its pre-.
7 sen. session refused to receive thirty-sev.
en- thousand dollars and fifty-eight cents
4 the portion assigned to Virginia under
the distribution act.
| To a proper Understanding of the sub.
Iject, it will be necessary to enquire,
when and BY whom this act was passed
It vas one Of Tie great achig measures q
the gr6ut extra session Of TIE first aohlg
congress IN 1871. 1T has been favolrte
measure Of Henry Clay, the great whis
! leader. for many years. and is pretty
much such bill as wing congress pass
ed at@the session of 1928, and which
! Gen. Jackson vetoed, as will be seen by
reference to his message of Dec. 4, 'sS.
It's spawn of the great wing triumph
1 of 1910. So much for its origin. You
are asked, therefore, to receive this mo-
ney as gift fIom generous wing party,
who at the same session passed bill to
borrow tWelUe millions of dollars. =
1 The distribution is suspended by the
operation of one Of the provisions Of the
law, which provides that when the duties
| upon imports shall exceed twenty per
cent, that the suspension shall continue
/ until this cause be removed. The next
succeeding congress passed tariff bill re-
pealing the compromise act, and imposing
| duties beyond thirty per cent. So. that
no more money can be bestowed By the
iberaity of the wings
1t is absolutely certain, therefore, that
this distribution is to cease With the op-
Grafton Of enc year. This law and the
famous bankrupt law, another wing
spawn, have both been virtually repealed
by the very whig congress which enact
ed them-And why? Because they we're
odious to the people. Aud you, demo
cratic citizens Of Virginia, are called up
on to consummate this whig legislation
by receiving this bribe. Receive it, and
they will boast that forty-six thousand
democratic voters were purchased for
the sum of thirty-seven thousand dollar S.
This is the estimate they place upon
your political integrity. Receive it, and
they will ridicule you as sacrificing your
principles for this paltry sum. The ap-
peal is pressed with more earnestness
Enow, because the legislature, after rejec-
ting this bride, have raised your taxes,
and they think that by appealing thus
directly to your pockets, you will surren-
der ypar principles and integrity. Will
you disappoint them? 1t is an insult TO
ask the question. This sum, divided a.
mong the free white persons in the state,
would make to each fve cents. Divided
among federal numbers, would make TO
each three and q Aat cents. Divided a.
mong the qualified voters, would make
to each foriy-one cents.
For this pitiful sum to each, you are
urged to sacrifice your principles. Do
it. and you will in reality have sold you1'
birth-right to, a mess of pottage. You
have been told that if Virginia does not
receiye it, the other states will get that
in addition to what they have received.
This will not be the case, but would have
been if Mr.. Clay's policy had been car
( RED out. Virginia's refusing it will have
the effect to replace it in the federal
treasury: by subsequent legislation.
View this question as matter of po-
licy. The general government, at the
| time of making this distribution, was
borrowing millions They were forced
to increase the tariff far beyond The COM
promise of twenty per cent. They were
! literally bankrupt at the time. The eff,
feet, therefore, of this distribution was.
that for every dollar paid out, additional
taxation was laid upon the people, in
creased by the expense of collecting it.
10 illustrate it. Suppose Virginia had ia
ken these thirty seven thousand dollars
out of the treasury, it must be replaced
from some other source. 1t could only
be done by imposing tax on goods i'm
ported into the country the only FEAST
bic means Of supporting the government
except from the sales Of the public lands.
This tariff Or tax is paid by the consul
mer, and operates most heavily upon an
agricultural community, such as Virgin
ia. And surprising it only cost ten per
cent. to collect that amount, we should
be the loser three thousand seusn hundred
dollars. This, however, falls far short
of the fact. You will readily perceive,
| therefore, that while we receive thirty
seven thousand dollars, we pay at least
forty thousand seven hundred-and it
requires no philosopher to ascertain the
fact, that we shall sustain loss. To
bring the matter to every mans concep.
ton. Suppose you, had in the sheriff IS
hands one thousand dollars as deposit
tum, and the county court at the March
term should say, we will distribute this
among The people, not in the manner il
was paid, but according to the number Of