Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-12-08

nj The new system, "hiCh '" les n ia yored
, - This was 10 affnrd bouniles 10 iaao'l ~
and rauicular pursuits, al the expense VI
all others. a proposition 10 tax me Whur ee 100
a. o. tnr ,be nurpose OF enrichius lew, was W.
pr on ~, 70 he openly made. The scnene "as'
he,s,ore yelled under the plaus,ole oul ue; -
s;ye orelex, of a measure 10 pro.ec' NM
dnsIry." and many OF our peopie Me nc main
lime led 10 believe that TAX WHEN ~ ~, I.hnrer
sam NON labor. was Tor The benefit OF lhe iauo,s
vi. ~ I'D !, This branch OF The system lhso.s,
~ :, nar,nership between The government an'
-. ..In,ed classes-the former receiving lnc plu'
n ,.e n the lax imposed on articles llipo.eo'
and The later the increased price Q. s.u ,ax
,;.Ies ,roduced al home, caused oy sucn teA.
W. - 'bvous that the portion 10 be received ny
- ,avnreI classes would, as general iuie, "
Increased in proportion 10 he lneledss y. "s a,ss
# TAX imposed, and diminished as 'hose ,a, -,
zero rraucrd L. the revenue standaI' ICY ''.a :,
| ,bs wants Of the government. ne 'n'eS - ~
- n,o1ncr a sufficient revenue Tor the ''"ina',
- ,nn,.rd,ures al government tor necessary pu.-
n sea were mol likely 10 give 10 The private par
ner, in this scheme, profits sutcent 70 sa.,Sy
their cupidty and hence variety oi Pc ~
and oreIe.,s we're resoIled TO for the purpose VI
enlaroino the expenditures, and thereby clea" ;g
necessity for keeping up hisn P lo'ee Ideal
The effect Of this policy was 10 'h.epose ,ha hns;
| restrictions upon The natural course =. w. Tho
mess and trade The country, ana 10 ausaneu ~,
;n,o,ss,s nj large capitalists and monoPoiis's, a.
The expense Of The great mass OIL .ne Peop'e' WIZ
we,e faxed 10 increase Their weailh.
.no,her branch of this system was compre-
h.ns;ve system of internal Improvements capa'
hlo or indefinite enlargement, and suilcieh' ~
swollow up as many millions annually as cou'u
he ex,cted from The foreign commerce % 'io
country This was convenient aud necessary
| adinnc, Of The Protective Tariff. IL was 10 nc
,hc great absorbent Of any surplus which Eligh.
al any time accumulate IN The treasury anu u
the taxes levied on the people, not LOT hccessaiy
revenue purposes, but for the avowed ooec'o'
.F,rd,pg protection to the favored classes.
.nx;l,,ry To the same end, ii II was not ah
essential mart of the system itself, was The
scheme which. at a later period, obtained lor
distributing the proceeds of the sales OF the pup
lie lands among The States. Other expedlenls
ware devised 10 take money out Of the treasury,
and prevent il coming in from any other source
Than he Protective Tariff The authors and
sunnorter. Of the system we're the advocates OF
The largest expenditures, whether for necessary
or useful purposes or not, because the larger the
expenditures the greater was the pretext Tor hlgh
taxes in the form of protective duties.
These several measures weie sus'diheu ny ~.
puar names and plausible arguments, ny "h'."
l 4
ed 10 br an indispensable fiscal agent Tor the &C.
vernmepl: was 10 equal,z- exchanges, and 10 r.
oula,e ana IL. Gsa !, sound currency, always 'iG
Everywhere oi uniform value. The pfoiec ~
! tanf was 10 give Employment 10 American Id
Dor" II advanced prices; Was 10 Piolecl ho''e
industry" and furnish d steady market ior me
farmer. internal Improvements were 10 BRING
trade into every neighboThood and enhance Inc
value OF every mans property.
| The distribution OF The land money was 10 Gu
rich The States, finish their public WORKS, plah'
schools throughout heir borders ana feneVe theih
from taxation But The fact, that tor every dollar
taken out OF the treasury Tor these cDec's inuch
larger sum was transferred from The pockets Oh inc
| neopie 10 The favored classes, was carefully con-
| ceajed as was also The tendency II not Inc ulli.
mate design OF The sysien 10 build up an aris'o-
| cracy Of wealth 10 control The masses OIL society,
| and munopollze the political power oil the coun-
| Try.
The several branches OF this system were 50 IN.
tmalely blended together, that 10 their operation
| each sustained and strengthened Inc others
| Their Joint operation was, 10 adu new ouiuehs VI
,ayaljno and to encourage largely increased
| and wastetnl expenditure OF pubic money IL
was the Interest 1t he bank thai The revenue col
lecfed and In. disbursements made by The Gov
ernment should be- large, because, being the de-
! posijory OF The public money, the larger Inc
amount The gfearer would be the bank pron's ny
lis USE Ii was the interest OF the favored Gas
ses, who we're enriched by the protective tarih, 10
have the rates of that protection as high as pos
sitle; Tor the higher those rates, the greater would
be their advantage.
Ii vas the interest OF the people oil all lhese
| sections and localities who expected 10 be oene-
fitted by expenditures for internal Improvements,
mat the amount collected sh 'uld be as large ss
possible 10 the end that the sum dshulsed might
Charles in the distribution Of The land money, had
an interest in having the rates oil lax imposed hy
the protective tariff large enough TO yield suffi-
cieni revenue from that source 10 meet the wants
| OF the government, without disturbing or taking
| from them the land fund; So that each oi the
| branches constituting the system had common
interest in swelling the pub ic expenditures.
They had a direct interest IN maintaining The
| public debt unpaid, and increasing lis amount
| because this would pro ;uce an annual increased
| drain upon tn. treasury 10 the amount Of the in
| lerest, and render augmented taxes necessary
| The operation aud necessary effect Of The whole
| system were 10 encourage large and eSrava9ani
| expenditures and thereby 10 increase The public
patronage, and maintain a rich and splendid
government al the expense of taxed and i'm
| poverished people.
| II is manfesl that this scheme OF enlarged Taxa.
ton and expenditures, had il continued Ia prevail
| Union, intended by It's trainers to be plain,
cheap and simple confederation OF States united
together Tor common protection, and charged
with few specific duties, relating chiefly 10 our
| fore ~ affairs into a consolidated empire, de
priving the States OF their reserved rights, and The
! rrople o. their Just power and control il The a.
| ministration o. heir government. In his man
| nrr he whole form AMI character OF The govern
ment would be changed, not by an amendment a
| the Constitution, but BY resofing Ia an unWar-
| ranlablc and Unauthorized construction IL Thai
| instrument.
The inti,ec mode of lcvyi1g he taxss by
| duly on Imports prevents the mass ot Inc people
| from readily percrlvIns The amount they pay, and
has enabled the few, who are thus enriched, and
who seek 10 WELD The politica power Of The coun-
| try, 10 deceive and delndc hem. Were The lakes
collected by direct levy upon the people, as is
The case in The States, This could not occur.
| The whole system was resisted from s incep-
| ton by many Of our ab'est statesmen, some 81
whom doubted lis cons'iutionaity and its expe-
dency, Will" Others helie:ed it was, in all il.
btanchc' tlagranl and dangerous inffaclion 0;
| the constitution.
That ma onal bank, a protective tariff.
| levied, mol 10 false The revenue needed but u
| protection merely, Internal Improvements, and
the distribution OF The proceeds oi The sales OF The
| pubic anis are measures without the warrant
| Of The constitution Wonli, upon the malure>i con
sidcralion, seem 10 te Clear Il IS remarKabI-
that no one OF these measures, involving sab
nomentoas consequences, i author ed py any
express gGn, 81 p0@er IN The constitution NJ
one o! lEeln is !" iocieni 10, as beng necessary
and pso,er for Inc execution o., III specific
powers" granted ~ the constitution. The auho-
NV under winch il ia, been attempted - Justly
each Of Them is derived from nferences and con.
sruclion' ii Inc constitution, which It's letter and
whole object and design do mol warrant
Is /, 10 he conceived h,t such immense DOW.
crs would have been lrfl by The trainers OF the
constitution TO mere nerences and doubtful con-
struclionsl Had il been intended To Confer them
on The federal government il is but rcasona bic 10
conclude that il wonld have been done BY plain
and unequyocal grants. This was moi done: but
The whole STRUCTURE ~ which The American sys-
femo cnnsis.ei vas reared ON m aihnr or b.