Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1846-08-18

should have been none of their business
Year after year the people will 60 on toll
ing, wasting their energies and their life
blood to no other end 1t would seem han that
hordes of hungry cormorants may be per
mitted quietly to cat up the fruit of their
toll. But he power is with the people,
and if they willingly throw open the doors
of their granares and Of their treasures, TO
the despoier, let them; nevertheless we
could ardenily wish it were otherwise, and
the wish is father TO our thought on this
occasion. We do not mean 10 say that the
acts of the past Congress. are peculiarly of
the character we allude TO, on the contra
ry we think .he past Congress has done
vastly more good than harm, but we were
thinking of the general miserable policy
by which the people govern themselves and
throw away and waste their substance. 1t
is not by any means merely The money that
is paid to Congressman that is wasted, but
every act they pass, Of a useless character
(and their name is legion) involves useless
expenditure of the peoples substance
We were in our own mind contrasting the
condition Of things that does exist with what
might and should be. What is it that occu.
pies the attention of every Congress during
its whole sitting. Nearly every important
measure that takes so much tine is mat
ter which might be regulated al oYce and
forever. What has occupied more time in
discussion than The tariff, and wherefore the
necessity. Let Congress abandon all dema-
gogue SIN, AMI pursuing the dictates of com
mon sense, enact in three ines, thai ira le
and commerce shall be as free as the wa
fers of the earth and the wiuds Of heaven.
What a glorious effect it would have. Ii
would cuuail Two months Of every long SEES
sion, and take quite slice out of the short
one. Here would be quite "a saving, but
the least important item. Away would go
the marble revenue palaces, the revenue
enters, with their hosts of men, and the
thousand dependencies ofthe system which
require more money 10 keep up than il nee d
take to keep up the government economical l.
ly administered. Are people never to learn
that it is more economical TO pay 25, O00,0O
directly than 125,000,000 indirectly, to
say nothing of saving every year this ever
lasting bone OF contention which occupies
the time and money of the nation The
wings opposed the annexation Of Texas
one OF the great arguments in lis favor was
that it was likely to become a dependant of
Great Britain, IN which case immense
quantt,e of goods would be Struggled
across the frontier, 10 the great detrment
of the revenue. If the wings had then
gone for free trade they would have defea
ted this main argument, and according lie
their own showing, have saved this Mexl-
can war end the immense expense attending
1t. The tendency of tariff is ever to dog
ged selfshness on the part Of nations; it
originates snappsh and snarish DISPOSE
ion, and war is It's natural attendant. But
it is not only the tariff itself which consumes
SO much Of the time and monew Of the ma.
ton; there are mountains Of Legislation
depending upon and growing out of it. The
ware housing bill which has occupied much
VI tiiC 'iiiiC vi tHS puSt SOtSIGSS, is IGCSSSd-
~ only because Of the tariff
Let The people enact free trade, give the
public land to those to whom it belongs.
VIZ these who will cultivate it and make
it to minister 10 the wants and wealth of
soc ETY., discard the idea of Bank now and
Grever, and confine the collection and dis
bursement OF taxes TO simple sy stem, sure
in It's operation. Ten millions will then
defray the expenses Of government, hun
dreds Of millions will be saved to the PEG
pie by the abrogation Of vicious and unstl-
be legislation, and tens of thousands Of
people will be driven TO the field OF produc-
tive labor, that now derive their subsistence
through the existence Of these useless laws
There is no question but this is great
country, and she has in her bosom a com.
petencs for every man; yet mainly through
the influence Of a miserable policy of laws
and government, poverty and want, and
misery exist plentifully throughout the
land. There is not bit Of need Of it,
Every man could legislate to himself a
farm If he choose, without infringing in
any degree on the property or rights of
others, and he could do this most etiectuaI-
~ by restricting Legislation. Confne it
TO the narrow limits which the protection
of life and property imperoasly demand -
Cut off the tricks by which The labor Of the
country is derrauded, then each man will
get tho proceeds of his toll, and the labor
of any mans hand in This or any other
country is or should be, ample for his sup
port.