The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-12-27
speech Of Mr.. Rhett, Of south Caro- lima.
rae COMPROMISE MEASURES

IN lnelr bearing on the NOrln ana SOuln respect
lively. If ! mistake not, they exhibit one con-
sistent course Of ACKNOWLEDGMENT on the part of
the North, at the expense of the South.
believe that the different portions of the
Union pay the taxes on the imports in prOpor-
ton to their exports. ! will not, however, now
go INTO an elaborate argument to prove this
proposition. believe it, not only to be true,
but short of the truth, to show the burdens of
the South. At another time, might enter INTO
IT, AT present, | will merely state the principle
OF my calculations, and the conclusions to which
they may lead
The whole amount of duties collected from
1871 tn lS45, deducing draw backs, amount to
$927,050,097. OF this sum the saveholding
States paid ST. ,200,000 the non-sayehoding
States S2l5550,097 HID the same amount
been paid by the two sections in the constitu-
tional ratio of federal representation, the slave.
holding States would only have paid S3e4,707,.
9l7, and the North 1882 ,342, 80, according to
the system of direct taxation directed by the
Constitution. The slavehodng States, there.
fore, paid $3l6,492, 0S2 more than their just
proportion. know that the basis of this calcu-
lation will be disputed but | will be prepared
at future day to defend it,
Look at the enormous difference between the
two sections. During that time 3O0,000,000
of dollars, in the financial operations of the gov
ernment have been wrested from the South and
given to the North How has this money been
expended? Has it been expended as it was
collected, or even equally, in all sections of the
Union? Although doubt may be thrown over
the amount of taxes paid by the North aud South
respectively, on account of the insidious system
of indirect taxation, by which they have been
collected, there can be no doubt as TO their ex-
pendture. The reports do not discriminate
generally; but in 1878 on a call made in the
Senate, MIR. Woodbury. Northern man-re
ported to Congress, that in five years, from 1888
to 1887, out of 100000, 900 expenditure, on
ly S37000,000 were in the slave States; yet,
during the same years, according to the princ-
Piles of my estimate above, the slave States paid
100000 900 of duties to Sl7,5OOOOO by the
free States. Therefore, whilst all the North
,contribut to the support of the Union in these
four years, was spent within her own borders,
she enjoyed the additional expenditure of S5O,-
100000, or of Sl06OO,O00 a year levied on the
South. ....
Is it wonderful that, under such course Of
policy, the poorest section of the Union should
be the richest and the South should, with all h n
vast resources, linger in her prosperity! Twill
90 step further into detail. Look at the col
lectons of the customs From the foundation
of the government to the year $40, there was
expended for the collection Of customs $50, 900
900, of which only SlO,O0O,OOO were expended
at the South. Is it surprising, then, that New
York and the other large cities of the North,
where these moneys are collected and this sys.
TEN Of expenditure operates, should thrive and
grow? Nor is that all. Turn to a matter
which ought to have been equal in its operation.
if anything could be equal aude to the pen
sioning of our revolutionary soldiers We had
100000 people at the time of our revolution,
Nnrth had 20
General knox's report, the North sent 100 out
of 227, of military age in 1890, the South 100
out Of 2O9. The South, therefore, when these
soldiers were to be endowed with pensions
ought to have received more than the North
How has 1t turned out In lS4S one out oil
every 81 of the men of military age in 1880
was revolutionary pensOner in the North, and
only one out Of no in the South. New Eng.
land alone had then SIG Of these pensioners
more than there were in all the olnvc States
together-and New York two-thirds, when she
contributed not one-seventh "a much to the war
A calculation (founded on data in No 3O7
. Sen. Doc, 1889, shows that from 1891 Il
1888, inclusive, S35,5g5,95i have been paic
for revolutionary pensions Of which the Nortt
received S2s 252 597, or Sl27 20 for every sol
der she had in the war, and the South 81 336,
367-beng only $40 80 tor each Of her soldiers
Ii might be said that this was owing 60 III,
negligence Of the SOuth-that the Soulheu
people did not come in and ask for pensions Il
reply TO that, ! would mention what have beer
informed al the Pension Office Twas told tina
law was passed in Mass Chusetts at the open
ing Of the revolutionary war, which require
every man between the ages Of six cen and six
y 10 enroll his name. Thus. the whole NAL,
population Of Massachusetts were enrolled anC
when the pension system came to b. adopted
L.. 4 Al 2.
of revolutionary services, and il was scknOwl.
edged. ! DO not know that the people Of 81 az.
sachusetts are to blame for this for if govern.
ments will pay out money, know people will
generally take it and our Northern friends are
not the people who will pass by the door when
il is open for them TO obtain money, man il
South Carolina, who, learn, had fought under
Marion and Sumter throughout the whole war
and lived in swamps-wh0re the muster rolf
were lost, amidst the rains and wet they had e
enCOunter-could not establish his claim 10
pension from the general government. Tn,
. State Of South Carolina was obliged o pension
these soldiers herself, TO the amount Of man,
thousand dollars a year. Before the Unitct
States adopted the pension SYSTEM South Caro-
lima paid $4,000 year to her revolutionary
soldiers-Mf nachusetts paid only two. Whe
the matter ~ into the hands Of the genera
government, they were reversed.
These are some fthe incidents in which tn
favor Of the government has been unequally be
slowed. Let me aIlude 10 another subject
the public lands ! wish 20 show TO the Senat
that in all the operations Of this government
there is but one story throughoui-the NortI
lives, the South suffers. Turn 10 the publ
lands. The rates up 10 January J, 1919 amour
90 l3TOOO,OOO. Scventynun millions Of thi
result from the sales Of lands IN the Northwes
Territory, 80 OOO,OOg more from land given b
the State Of Georgia, making II 600 600 on
Of l3700O,OOO given 10y the South. How ha
the government signalized its bcncfactions in l.
donations The free States have taken 3 474
ATS acres, worth at the public price, $685. ,ggl
vile the slave States have received only SO 600
900 Jess than one half
The system Of internal improvements ha
long been source Of contention I'm 1874
there had been spent by the general government
on roads barhors and riyars nyrIu.,y., as 81