Democratic banner., 1845-03-15
MESSAGE.
Concluded

a clear loss by asking the United
States TO tax US, to raise the money.
Of 1874 dollars. This is M unpro-
itable operation for a people capa-
bic of seIfgovernment, and one t"
whibh ! should very unwilIingly snh-
scribe. II this tax is paid 10y our-
selves, then of course We ought not
to submit to it; if paid by others, then
j, is very unjust in us Ia ask it.
This great disproportion in expense
continues in the expenditure OF the
money, as well as 10 the collection
If the work be done ty the State,
the officers being at home, and Imme-
diately under our control. will work
cheaper and more faithfully; if done
by the United States, their officers
and hands will charge from two TO
ten times as much and not work so
faithfully. Congress cannot Judge
of improvements to be made so tar
from home. The members know
nothing of White river, or Grand riv-
er of the North, or cfthe Des MONIES.
and before you can learn them any
thing, the old Congress goes out and
anew n comes in. If they could
learn, they would not, because they
have business of more importance to
their constituents. than the improve
ment of the secondary class Of rivers.
unless the United States should a.
dept a general system OF internal i'm
provements, and make it a business
to 90 into a full examination OF the
character of that class of rivers.
But this S4,l2i dollars, is not the
whole expense of getting back this
100000 dollars for White river
There are several other items.--
First. The expense OF our own legis-
lalure in passing The memorial 10 Con-
gress asking ,he money. Next the
expense Of the struggle in Congress
to get the tariff high enough TO raise
a surplus ven 10 distribute
Then the expense Of a second strug,
gle in Congress TO get a portion o'
the surplus appropriated to the I'M.
provement of White river. And, II
the appropriation is finally made
then the pay TO the hungry officer:
who are sent by the United States
TO feed upon its expenditure. A.
these items may be estimated at 80
600 dollars more, making 1912
dollars, the expense of getting 100
600 dollars for White river, being
total expenditure OF ea5,t24 dollars
Ifa general system of internal I'M
provements in the United State
were adopted on the SAINT scale, ii
operation in a few years would ut
terly ruin both the government aa'
the people. If it be wrong as
whole system, then. as the parts ar
similar. it seems to me that all tn
parts are wrong; and we should no
ask others to do for us, what W
would be unwilling to do for them.
We should not deceive the pee
pie or ourselves. The public MINI
should get right upon this subject
We should learn that Congress ha
no power to collect money to give {
way-that if Congress undertakes I
give, she should give 10 all alike
that Congress cannot give US lo'
600 dollars without first c~o!lect'n
that sum from US, or from somebod
else-that Congress should not CO
lect money from others to give TO
that Congress cannot collect tn;
sum from US without mfIctIng upo
us immense burthens in the celle'
tion--that it is cheaper TO US TO pa
100000 out Of III own pockets
improve White river, than for Coz
press to take it out of our poke
and give it back 10 US to impro'
White riyer-that if we are unwI
ing to pay 100000 dollars for the ii
provement of White river ourselve
then it is unjust to ask Congress
make any body else pay l0o,o'
dollars to improve it for as-that
we are unwilling to pay the msns
out Of u own pockets 10 impro
White river, then it is evidence III
the people Of the country are n
yet ripe for that improvement, a
that the expense Of improving wou
exceed the prof,s Of the imPro'
ment.
We should learn that altbos
many may be unconscious Of the t
imposed by the tariffto raise this me
ey, yet that this want of conscio'
ness makes this tax none the less G
pressive and ruinous TO those W
are compelled to Fay it. The mn
dangerous diseases are those viii
H. ,x,t, ,C -oo ea,rati