Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1853-03-25
Eo the Voters OF enc Tlifrd Conre ssIonaI District
or North areiI1a.

GgsrIEmEN - r
In compliance with the solicitation of friends re-
siding il different sections of the district have
to be candidate for reelection it was
my desire TO have published address, in which
would have reviewed lengt the various measures
that have been acted upon by Congress since nave
been your Representative. but the heavy pressure OF
business for the last two three weeks OF the SEES
sion in connection with serious ndisposition, pre-.
vented my doing / must now content myself
with bare alluson to such affect more directly
your interest The old political issues. which 1or
the last quarter of century have, divided puDllc
opinion in country, in q great degree at
rest. Our national currency is sound and abundant
hence commercial confidence pervades our woe
spread Republic, and national and individual pros
perity is in full measure with
The Democratic Tariff of 1916 has more than re-
allied in its operation the highest anticpations OF Us
friends; and. Notwithstanding our national e4peh-
ses have been cxorbitant it has Yielded US more rev.
enue than was sufficient to meet these expenses
leaving surplus of millions each year with
which to pay off our national debt. Statesmen OF
and character who heretofore have belonged 10
the high tariff party. now avOw themselves advo
Gates of equal and low taxes. The tariff OF 1910
has not been materially changed since its
nor in my opinion. will any such change take place
for several years to come unless the article OF IRON
should continue to increase in value. IN Whlch event
Justice to the great agricultural interest Will denand
its modification. This tax is now felt as oppressive
on the various schemes of internal Improvements IN
our country, and in order to abate 1t to some extent
there were several attempts made to postpone the
payment of duties on railroad iron, and authorizing
| its ultimate discharge by the performance OF mail
service all of these attempts, excepting IN TWO
cases, were abortive; was the Wilmington ana
Weldon Railroad. the other was the Wilmington
and Manchester road AS State will have to
pay upwards of 100000 in duties on IRON Tor the
Central Railroad, the whole delegation made a
strong effort to take off this duty entirely, but we
could not succeed.
During the first session of the present Congress a
bill was Introduced and passed the House OF Repre-
sentatives but was finally lost in the Senate. dstr-
butine to the several States of the Union certain
allotments of the public lands. 1t was generally
known as Benefits bill. Several reasons compelled
me to vote against it. The distribution proposed
was unequal and uni ust. One instance will show
this The State of Arkansas, having but one Rep
resentative on the floor of Congress. was allowed
three millions of of land in addition to every
10th section for educational purposes, as also oOO
900 acres previously allowed for internal improve
ments Our State, with nine Representatives., was
allowed only one million six hundred thousand
acres could see nothing but the grosseSt I'M Justice
in this arrangement. The bill also restricted the
different States in the of the money arising from
the sale of their respective warrants, appropratlng
it exclusively to the cause of education. This was
covert attempt the part of Congress to dictate to
the States legislation of particular character such
dctation could not approve of No one values
more highly than do the advantages of general ed
ucation believing that its promotion should be the
dearest
LEGISLATOR but let it be confded to the wisdom of its
proper guardians, the State Legislatures Congress
has no constitutional power to legslate the sub
iect Independent of these serious objections to
some of it's provisions considered the principle OF
the bill as entirely wrong. Whether our vast
public domain was acquired by donation OF
purchase, it is the common property of the
States, be used for their joint Feneht, and Con
gress has no right 10 give away the public lands
than 10 give away the public money. One is as much
thar h0 N11I nat do
proposition that Congress should collect, by taxe
on the people, money for distribution among the States
! as monstrous? What would such policy end in 3
> The great security that you now have against tn
wastful extravaganza OF your State legislators, con
sisting in their direct and immediate responsibility +
the tax paying community, what becomes of this re
: sponsbiIity if the General Government acts tn
tax collector, and the State Legislatures do III
. squandering? 1t ceases to exist. The principle Q
distribution ia at war with the theory of our political
organization, which is, that our Federal Government
. is Confederacy of free and independent States
How long would they continue 10 preserve thi
character. if, instead of relying on their ow
means for support they derived 1t from the col
fers Of the General Governmet? WouId they nc
soon, very soon degenerate into mere Provincial De
tendencies, holding every right and liberty by tn
suferance of their moneyed master? Such fate
inevitable, unless we keep separate and distinct III
money operations of the two Governments. If w
would pr serve the Union must hold fast to il
organic Iaws-the Constitution, the panoply of whic
covers equally the Safe and Federal authorities
Other Governments grow strong they usurp undele
gated power; but every such usurpaon necessaril
weakens The question may be asked how ca
we prevent the or land States absorbing all th
common property This question am unable {
present TO answer, but will only say that as long as
honored with the privilege of representing you my cor
slant effort will be to prevent their doing it. have niue
hope that the present Democratic Administration wi
discourage, If not entirely crush their various scheme
"a of plumber and spoIiaon, and that during It's exist
ence, the public property will be strictly applied
i the support of our common Government, thereby d
10 minishing the amount of taxation now imposed on III
people. But if | should be disappointed either in til
ID will capacity of the present Administration TO al
D. rest this absorption of the public lands by the ne
J. States, ard their disposition in this way should be
the settled policy of the Government as coul
s. not advocate full of objections as tn
10 distribution policy, would return t. your hands III
Re trust confded to
In conclusion will remark that since have ha
the honor of being your Representative, my chief am
bon has been to sustain and strengthen the principe
d. OF the Democratic party: firmly believing that on the
Il performance depends the safety of our Republic
E Those principles in the ascendency and th
country at the expiration of four years. will have an
N pie opportunity 10 determine whether am right {
Ia wrong in my appreciation of their worth look TO
ward TO the crisis with proud reliance that the iude
u ment of the American people will be overw helming 81
in favor of Democracy. :.
ri But while politician, thus acted, vet it hi
n been fixed rule with me to attend to the priva
business of all my constituents irrespective of partv
N and if have not given satisfaction to ALL nv heal
10 mas not been to blame, but censure should rattle
fall on my lack of ability to DO better If it shou
he 10 MI of ~ -