The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1848-12-23
The people saw TO the General AS

The people say to the General As
sembly, in their constitution, we en-
lsusl the taxing power to you. in order
that itsmay he exercised in open day.
with delibera,ion, discussion and uni
versal publicity. And in order 10 Sc.
cure your responsibility, so that il you
become pro1igal, was,eful Of the peo.
ple's substance and regardless Of their
interests, we may remove you and
elect faithful and true men in your stead.
We say we do not like the exercise o!
Ibis power in our own persons. We
do not like to be seen loading the peo.
pie with ever increasing burthens.
We therefore bestow this invidipus
power on a single man, in order that il
may be exercised, without discussion
without deliberation, without popular
investigation in ihe zimmerman darkness
Of thai political den, whose laba'
rynihs are perfectly inscrutable 10 the
popular gaze.
The spirit and intention Of the con
stitulioh is not more hagrantly outraged
in this delegation Of The taxing power
Ia lite State Auditor than the letter.
The constitution says that mo none y
shall be drawn from The Treasury, ex
cept in consequence Of appropriations
made by law" Is not more than mil
lion and quarter drawn IRON the Trea
sury, every year without, an appropria
ton by law. Will this be denied? i
cannot. There is not single allusior
TO the public debt III any appropriation
ac, since l842, except one, III which ;
trihing sum is ordered to be transferred
from the general revenue to the cana
fund. How is this? Is not the money
in the Treasury? Is itnot paid in there
by the County Treasurers9 Unques
tionably il is; but i, comes and goes by
the sole authority Of our linsey-woolse y
king!!! Having granted away the
principal, tie Assembly no longer trou
bles itself with the incident.
Having los! The substantive. it viii
not concern itself about the adjective
so taci,Iy and so ef1ectually is this enact
men, understood TO be repea! Of the
constitution. Let not our opponents
say that the appropriations were made
by our ancestors twenty.four years ago.
Is not this an abuse al language?-
What is an appropriation, but an ap
poinlment of specific sum TO pay a
given demand? Can this be done by
one &c nera,inn for another? The form.
er generation knows nothing Of The Sum
or Of the individual! Suppose the Gen.
eral Assembly in its annual bill to enact
that all just claims against The State
shall be paid out Of the funds in the
State Treasury. Would not this be
understood 20 be violation of the Con
s'ituiion, which requires APPROPRIATIONS
The thing is as clear as the light o
Heaven, the grant OF the taxing power
to our linsey.wooIsev KING, is unconsii
iutional. A supreme Judge, who would
dacide in favor of his authority, would
deserve IMPEACHMENT.
Is not this so? Is not the State Au
ditor set up by the revolutionisls as Il
complete substitute for the aw.makine
department.? Do they not encourage
the disorganizers in the other branch to
remain refractory and determined, by
telling them that our cotton. wool KING
can raise revenue to pay the interest on
The State debt? Does no, the subs'i
lnle perform the actions Of the princi.
pal? And is not the person who per.
farms actions which must otherwise be
performed BY the principal, substitute?
We stand on the platform occupied
by our fathers in seventv-six. Their
quarrel was about taxation. They de.
cIared that taxation and representalinn
should go hand in hand; that an author
ily not elected by them should not tax
them. May we not say 10 the Auditor.
when his silent ukase steals round 10
the different counties, prescribing to
every man, as a RULE or CIVIL CONDUCT.
that he shall pay SO much towards the
interest Of the State debt, Sir. we know
you not; you are not elected by US.
you are not responsible 10 US; We have
no means OF estimating your motives in
making this requisi,ion; you have no
C institutional or legal authority
Whatever you take from US you must
take by physical force. In declaring
that taxation and representation are lie.
gally inseparabIe, we are oaIy reitera,.
ing the language Of Washington, and
Adams. and Jay. and Rulledge, and
Lawrens, and Henry, and Jefferson,
and Madison, and host Of other revo.
lulionary worlhies, whose names are
embalmed in every truly American
breast. rl-ea ba.. .res ...r. Na
w III 0an Ia m q N On thu N ,h a % .;Jo 49,.