Democratic banner., 1845-03-15

u1ere must Oe chllieQ and tneb hopes
Of future wealth and prosperity for
ever blasted" "without the aid Of
some PROTECTING hand"
If the people interested in White
river, are not sufficiently numerous,
or else not sufficiently interested TO
improve White river "in any reason-
able time," this is not a ground on
which Congress should undertake to
improve the river. IF it be true,
''that The energies OF the people II ere
mus. be chilled and their hopes Of fu.
:ure wealth and prosperity forever
blasted" .wi,hout the aid of some
protecting hand" then we should rise
IN u own might and 60 to work
but we should never tell SO sad a sto-
ry SO far from home; because instead
Of operating in favor OF improving
White river. it will be used as an az
gument against emigrating to our
country. The frightful stories which
have been published in the papers,
Of the numberless steamboat disas.
tiers and the danger Of navigating
western rivers, have driven back TO
their homes and fastened there, more
emIcrants than enough to have paid
in the Westa revenue equal TO all
the appropriations which have been
made by Congress TO improve west
ern rivers. We have driven back
the wealthiest and best emigrants.-
This has been wrong. We ought
not to abuse our own country. 1t
will always do us more harm than
good.
II Congress had the power to I'M
prove White river. | should think i,
unwise in US to ask the exercise OF
that power. Taxes should be col
lecied from the different parts of the
Union equally. If Congress distri-
butes money, it should be distributed
equally. II Congress appropriates
money. Congress can neither dis.
tribute nor Appropriate money till II
has been collected from the people.
Every prayer to Congress for dis.
t,ibution of money. or for an extra.
ordinary appropriation OF money. is
based upon the presumption that
Congress has heretofore collected. or
will hereafter collect more money
frcm the people than is necessary to
pay The ordinary expenses of the
government economically admins
tered. Every demand on Congress
for an appropriation TO improve a riv-
er, carries with it a demand on Con.
gress to tax The people more heavily.
is wrong. II Congress distrib.
utes OF appropria'es money for ex-
purposes, the surplus re-
naming alter paving the ordinary ex-
penses Of government, is the proper
TO be distributed or thus appro
priated. OF this fund, no State should
ask or expect more than her proper
share. The most rigid justice, and
all that we could ask, as honest men,
would give US back only that amount
Of taxes, paid out Of our own peck
cts, over and above wha, was neces
sary 10 pay our portion OF the ordi-
nary expenses of the United States.
This is all that any other State could
ask or ought TO get. If this rule was
followed, we should then get back.
only what we had paid out, deduct
ng first the ordinary expenses of the
States. and next the expense
'f collecting the whole revenue, and
hen the expense Of refunding the
part returned. Then we gain moth
ng, but we lose much by this opera
ion; and if we could ascertain the
expense Of collecting money by the
State to improve White river. and
hen the expense of collecting and
.etunding money by the U. States
or the same purpose, we could de-
ermine the amount Of loss sustain
d Ly such an operation. Our best
interest require u TO do so. If We
'annot reach the precise truth. we
an approach it near enough to sati.-
y those who comprehend the sub,
ect.
The sum asked in this memorial is
10000 dollars. II the Stale should
Undertake to collect this sum, il
you'd be done, say for seven per
ent and this added TO The first sum.
'ould make 100000 dollars. II col.
ected by the United States, the ex-
TO that government would be
'even and a half per cent and that
ided to the 100000 dollars would
'ake 1ll,5o0 dollars, a difference Of
800 dollars. But there is another
ilerence. Over and above the Der
mt paid by the General Govern.
e ( on the collection of the reve. {