Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1850-08-29


FORTS and excuses of Others Man. by the labor of his
hands, produce make but little beyond his contln
ually recurring wants And when an individual is seen
possessed oil great wealth. enjoying not only all the ne
cessares oil life but all the luxuries that deness and
the ability command conceive 1t may be put down
of the labor of the hands of its possessOr nor of any
other Individual but and is the aggregate
ngs perhaps of thousands of honest Industrious good
citizens, gathered and Accumulated by the wiles, the
arts the wits and superior sagacty Of successful
trader spectators perhaps by fortutous cir
cumstances special good luck and unfrequently
by the action OF the Government, by conerrng special
privileges giving fat jobs and good contracts.
There classes of persons the United States
the tas-Tayers and the tax-consumers. The former
class is much the larger in numbers If we could have
exactly the right number of the latter and pay them
precisely Just compensation Tor their services perhaps
there would be conflict of interest between the two
but that would make great difference in the amount
annually drawn from the taxpayers TO support the tax
consumers.
What, let inquire is the probable annual average
profits of the aborng Of the United Statesl have
no data upon which rely with certainty. But
will suppose that the average annual profits OF each la
boring in the United States after supporting him.
SELF to be hundred dollars; and this feel confident
is an extrayaqant estimate far above what realized
average. But desire to be above rather than below
the true estimate Then suppose there four millions
of laboring the United States, nothing of
women and children, the aggregate annual produce of
their united labors and above their support
would be- upon the basis have assumed of 500 each
man, $500 900 900. have shown that the Government
requires $50 900 900 from the people carry
its operations for the present year, this one-eghth
OF the aggregate clear earnings oil these four millions OF
abOrlng men Tor the same period, and would require
every cent OF the surplus earnings their support
of five hundred and twenty thousand of these aborers
Now suppose that, instead Of the four millions of labo
rers, there but five hundred and twenty thousand
the precise number produce, their support the
ftytwo millions Of doars required by the Government,
and the Government should require that amount of those
hive hundred and twenty Thousand ab0rers and taX-pay
ers. submit to every of good plain, sound, prac-
teal common sense, under such circumstances, the
five hundred and twenty thousand aborers would be
as fully and completely the slaves oil the Government,
its employers, the tax-consumers the African the
plantations of the South the slaves Of their
This is plain that the position cannot be successfully
conroverted. This position being, then, established,
although there specific five hundred and twenty
thousand of these four millions of aborers and producers
set apart and designated the individuals from whom
THIS hytwo millions oil dollars drawn to be consumed
by the Government does alter the fact that that
extent and in the proportion of five hundred and twenty
thousand to four millions, they slaves to this Govern
ment. In other words, that one-eghth part of the
nual earnings of each of these four millions his
bare subsistence is rawn from him for the support of
the Government. 1t follows of course, that while
one individual of the four millions of made
by the operation of his Government completely and alb
solutely slave, is equally clear that each of the
Tour millions OF taxpayers is one-eighth slave, or in
exactly the proportion of the portion of his earnings
above his support which his government requires him to
, contribute to its support.
If lam correct in this it does seem to that gen.
temen all sides oil this House might find ample fields
for the display of their philanthropy in ameliorating
the condition OF their own race and kindred their broth
ers friends, and iellow-ctzens, for whose benefit
alone this government established, and for whose
benefit only it should he administered in per petuity
How, may be asked, this be donel By reforming
the Government in the reduction Of taxes by reducing
the amount required by the governments by abandoning
the mpolltic extravagant, and unconstitutional system
oil ocean steam mail service, by which the government
Is contributing in great degree to break down all
petition, and monopolizng the carrying trade upon the
high in the hands OF few companies, the favored
contractors OF the government by reducing mill
establishments what il should be in peace
instructed as we are, by our experience in the late con-
test with Mexico that in time of the chief
lance of the government must be upon the citizen sol
dIers of the country by reducing you'll navy to the actu
al and necessities of the country-if the knife
could he applied this branch of the public by
judicous hand, it could, confidently believe, be
reduced without prejudice to the country any one of
its great interests, from the annual of eleven
millions of dollars required for its support less
than half that And by all there should be
rigid and thorough reform and reduction in almost all
branches of the civil department. commencing right here
IN this body composed OF the peoples chosen Rcpresen
taves and in the other end OF the Capitol where there
are as fragrant abuses and wasteul expenditures of
the public moneys under the head of the contingent
fund of the respective Houses anywhere else will
II instances the contingent fund of the Senate
appropriated for the present session, is S2SS 000 and
that for the House OF Representatives the moderate
If of S3l1 $685. and making, together. 1899 999-some-
thing like three times great the entire of the
State government of Tennessee including her Execu-
: tive, Legislature and Judiciary Your salaries should
be equaized-not upon the principle that has found al
universal favor with Congress- that of increasing
salary of avotte upon the plausible pretext OF
loag experience, unequaed in qualifications sincere de-
votion to the public interest," and faithful discharge of
his duties; and unfrequentlv the powerful ap-
IS peal is made of large and dependent lamy-still
growing The efforts of friends to increase the salary
of avorite based upon such arguments and consider
i ations, seldom fail of The object
Plshed it is then urged with equal zeal, that the saa-
ries OF those who occupy similar positions shoald be
made equal by increasing them to the amount.
IS The magnanmiiy and of justice of members are
appealed to, and the principle of equality urged
r. the thing is donethe end attained by leveng up In
the whole of my years experience in this
N House, have recollection ef Instance in which
salaries have been equalzed by leveng down the
IF two favorites to the plain upon which his equals
stand This is system by the operation of which the
taxpayers suffer- and the taxconsumers invariably
e benefited
But that is the kind of equalization which advo
cate. think that the several State Legislatures
lie the best judges of the amount Of compensation which
4 should be paid the various public officers within the
respective limits. would take their action stand
n. ard. But would not blindly adhere it. would
however, assimate the salaries OF In the employ
OF the United States nearly those of whom similar
services in the respective States required
I'd discretion and experience would to Justify. A
tn present there is great disparity in the salaries
State and United States officers of almost every descrp
al tion would rejoice to them nearly approx
lie mate equality by the downward leveling policy L
ID would have sautary influence upon country and it,
ne institutions. Many OF those who seek employ
der the United States, because of the greater
compensation be received would under the altere,
nd state OF things prefer to take Office under their State
where they could be at home and among those the,
Of loved and appreciated States rights and through tin
is States the rights of the citizen would be CLOSELY
nd watched and rgidy conended for and the power tin
n General Government and its encroachmens upon
" assumption OF the rights reserved to the States and
the people, would be viganty guarded against
enerUefcally Fed