The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1849-03-31

4
jured up and made to stalk across ,h,
stage before our eyes, mere hob.gob
: lin "a mere phantom intended to shake
! the flrmness of our purposes! WilnJ
lambs learn 10 eat wolves, and the beau
tiful river on our southern border, trav
Ell from Cincinnati TO Pittsburgh, abou'
the time that the people Of Ohio repu
date their public debt? Then if W.
have nothing in view but the satisfac
tion Of justice, why continue an au
thorily SO irregular, so ojious, so un
warrantable, as that OF the potentate
i IL his authority is to be used 10 pro
mote only justice, enact justice, it i.
clearly unnecessary. as in that case il
would move forward in the exact line
in which that Of this Assembly would
otherwise proceed; for the members,
acting as they do, not in SECRET CON.
cLAvE, but in the blaze Of open day,
could never face virtuous and enIight.
ened constituency, if stained with in.
Justice. .
1t then appears clear almost to dem
onstration, that the revenue powers ol
the Auditor must be exercised in a ma o.
ner very different from that in which
the same functions would be exercised
in the two branches Of the peoples
Assembly, otherwise the anxiety for its
continuance would be perfectly IRA
tional. But to suppose that The poten.
tate would be more frugal than the leg.
isiature, in his appropriations, and make
smalle rgrants than this hody,would be to
suppose that he would resist the claims
Of absolute justice, and thus become
guilty Of downright REPUTATION, for no
man supposes that the peoples elected
agents either could or would do any in.
justice to the public creditors! More.
over, when was frugality or economy
an attribute OF arbitrary, irresponsible
power! When did it happen that one
man, or three men, forming their reso.
lutions in the recesses of their own
breasts, and having the richest gifts OF
foltun to bestow, and exposed to dur.
nal and nocturnal private solicitation,
could pay any regard to the public in
teresl? Is it in human nature, under
such circumstances, to resist the claims
Of relations, cousins, friends, neighbors,
acquaintances, and co-partizans9 Pos.
sibly human virtue may be raised TO
such pitch of supernatural energy.
But man whose virtue, like salaman-
der in furnace, could live in the midst
of such flames Of temptation, would be
anxious TO lay down a power so invidi
Gus. The tolls Of preserving his virtue
in such fiery ordeal, would soon make
him weary! The committee employ
this reasoning only to show that the
revenue powers of this potentate are
exerted in some manner very different
from tha, in which the same powers
would be exerted by the peoples rep.
resentatives in the two Houses. AS
Cimmerian darkness rests upon the ac.
tual exercise Of his pecuniarv functions.
we shall not engage in the work Of
idle speculation. Censorious persons
are inclined to remark, that taking into
view his immense appropriations for the
interest OF the public debt, and his enor-
nous appropriations for repairs on our
system of public works, the autocrat
has a. his disposal the richest coRRup
TIoN fund In the civilized world.
We repeat that while we are bound
in modesty to disclaim all intimate
kno wledge of the manner in which the
pecuniary concerns of this great and
mighty people are managed by their
money monarch, inasmuch as his gov.
ernment secrets are occult. and mys.
terious, and removed from ordinary oh.
servalion, it is due TO the occasion to
that the accumulation Of debt
and taxation since the commencement
of the system, has been rapid bey ond all
former example. Were the monarchy
abolished, the very first occupation Of
the Assembly, after completing the in
vesligalion Of abuses, would be to es.
tabIish order, economy and frugality in
our finances. a 7y3 r
Gentlemen exhort US 10 postpone our
attacks ON the throne until the public
debt shall have been paid, when, as
they say, they will consent to an abo.
,ion of the monarchy!!! This is in,
Iced proposition for an indefinite
DO ostponsment!H The Spaniards have
/ benediction, "may your shadow nev-
sr grow ,less.", ltrequires no spiri, Of
prophecy to predict that the shade W Of
bur public debt will never grow perma.
nsnty less as long as the monarchy
asts. The Iabors Of the Ohio taxpay-
,rs under such system would resem.
BE the never ending, still beginning
oils of Sisyphus ofschoolaay memory.