The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1846-02-21

I'~"b " "Vh hSCoUudH'Hi HNe per ecu
10 great uncles; or great sunls, or their
descendants, SIX per cent: and TO any
other collateral or stranger 10 blood, 10
per cent.
4 holdlhe doctrine that Govern
ment in exactIng from its people the
necessary means to sustain The expenses
OF lls administration, or to meet any
obligations which it may have incurred,
mas mol only the right, but is in duy
bound 10 consult The moral welfare of
IT'S subjects. and lha, these exactions
should be made with reference frst, TO
equity and ndidNdual right ! and next
o the general weilare Of oil At what
period then can you make at exaction
rom an estate that will c,use less
complaint, do less Injury or Aless in.
fringe upon personal rights, lhn, at a
time when by virtue Of the same Gov
ernmeN, under whose fostering care il
was acquired, il passes into The posses,
'lon and enjoy menI of subject of that
Government, free of cost. 1t is gra.
Unity; The products Of The labor of an.
olher, and descends 10 The nherlor by
virtue Of the laws OF his Government,
,ud he should not complain, ifhe be cal,
cd upon to contribute small item oil
he donation, thus acquitted towards
Sustaining that government. Besides,
he debt Of loEly millions which we
now owe is lien upon all The wealth
Of the state, all that is 10 be exacted un.
der the proposed law, is TO be applied
toward the payment of this lien. Hence
you will perceive lhatthis fearful pria.
ciple' is no'ning more or less thar. pay,
Ing debt, from which there is no es-
cape. You say per cent. upon estates
of one hundred thousand dollars IS to
much. Perhaps it may be SO, but |
will leave you 10 decide whether lbJ
lndivldua who receives a .graluity Of
nueiy five thousand dollars, is not as
good man for all earthly purpose, as
he would be if he were 10 receive one
hundred thousand. As a general rule,
is not he who receives bounty Of ten
thousand dollars, as happy and as use
lul and successful business men!-A-
mong,I those who have been left large
FORTUNES by their ancestors, or in ranks
of thosa who have commenced the
world without any OF The advantages oI
wealth? | need not answer these ques
,ions; they admit Of bu, one reply. ]
do not present these ideas as constituting
any right in the Government 10 make
exactons as proposed in The bill, bu
they ought TO have some influence in al
laying complaints agains, the proposed
tax.
! Calculating from the best dat, that
can obtain, ] am led TO believe that the
proposed law would produce from three
to four hundred Thousand dollars annu
ally, and the 'snkiLg fund.- thus created
20 long as State stocks remain below
par, would cancel still larger amount
Of the debt. This amount will gradual.
y enlarge with the increasing wealth oI
the State, and as the amount Of the an
nual interest becomes smaller, we will
be able 10 briog other revenues 10 the
aid Of this fcnd,l believe that If the inter-
esl upon our funded debt be punctuaIy
paid for three or four years with small
annual reduction of The principal, that
our State credit Wil 60 up 10 par,
and that when it is so restored, she
can 60 into the market, and borrow
money at much less rate of inleresl
han she is now paying; say al 81 or 4
per cent bonds, and thus greatly reduce
The amount Of her annual liabilities |
incline TO the opinion that if the propos-
ed measure be adopted and kept in eff
C;ent operation for len years that it will
bring the annual interest OF Our deb,
within the receipts from the canals and
other sources, and thus relieve ,he real
estate Of The Commonwealth, from the
present three mill tax The only bur.
hen then remaining upon the people
will be The proposed lax for the total
exinguished ofthe deb,.
II other and better means for The re.
1emption OF the credit of he State
can be discove red, they shall receive
my hearty support.
am very truly your friend.
WILLIAM BIGLER.