Washington sentinel., 1853-10-23
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
PACIFIC RAILROAD.

the particular scheme which stands at the head
Of this article. What we purpose now to do, is
10 show that, upon principles of policy, as sound
as those of constitutionaity, the democratic doc
trine is the true one---that the federal govern
ment should not interfere with lis means or BIZ
its power, to construct those great lines Of i'm
provement which are destined to interlace our
entire country, and to join the oceans in an in
dissoluble alliance, which will establish the as.
tendency of American commerce in our rivalry
with the nations of the world. The States.
and the individual capitalists of the States, will
be found entirely competent to the consumma-
ton Of all these valuable facilities to free
trade and intercourse among ourselves, as the
basis OF that large freedom of trade and inter
course which sooner or later is destined to bind
in one the powers of the earth.
If there be one thing upon which political
economists are agreed, and in which they have
the support Of the common sense of the world,
1t is that economy and efficiency are the charac
teristics of individual enterprise; while extrava
gance and comparative inefficiency are peculiar
to government schemes. The reasons for this
are obvious .a.. M.
Every government, from The very nature of
its machinery and of the parasites who cling to
1t for support, is interested in increasing It's
revenue and It's expenditures. The party hav-
ing the disbursements to make-with its friends
clamorous for reward for their services in ee-
vating it to power-is not unwilling to swell the
profits OF fjobbers in order to augment or retain
Its popularity. Nor is this all. 1t is notorious,
that with tnll treasury no one seems inter
ested in economzing the expenses of the gov
ernment. Its buildings are more magnificent
its grounds more extensive and beautiful
its most ordinary convenences, on scale of
profnse and uncontrolled expenditure which
bear no comparison with the rigid economy Of
the individual capitalist. -.
This is the fault only of human nature. 1t is
impossible that it should be otherwise. A full
purse begets cxtrayagant habits while u
stinted one exacts economy. The disbursement
of ones own is always restrained by a con-
sideration of the labor and trouble inseparahle
from the gradual accumulation of fortune; while
the expenditure of that which is anothers. ex.
eept in cases unhappily exceptional, is too often
reckless, and unchecked by strict principles of
justice and honor. In fact, it is SO much more
easy to be extravagaut than economical-it in
wolves so much less of care and petty annoy
ance-that, where motives of selfinterest do
not interpose restraining influence, profuse-
ness Of expenditure will be the general rule
while the reverse will be of rare occurrence.
While this is the fact in all cases of dele
gated trusts, we say it is peculiarly so where
the trustee is government. Who are the
owners Of the money expended? The people
How many? 25,0OO,00Ol How large is the
interest of each in the whole expenditure !?
The answers to these questions will show that
upon the wellknown proverb, that "what is
everybody's business is really nobodys,7 the
remote and scattered responsibility of 20
vernment for its expenditures amounts really
almost to an responsibility, which induces
and encourages reckless discharge Of public
trust.
But this tendency is increased by the nature
of taxation under our federal system. 1t is ac
tually true of the mass of the people, that un
der the method of taxation by duties, they are
unconscious Of the burthen of S60,0000 900,
withdrawn from their pockets for government
uses, An increase of ten per cent. in State
taxes win put its population in tumult, while
they bear without sensation the rise of federal
income from taxes, from 1916 20 s53 of over
100 per cent.l Economy is text for State
politicians Of great point, because its import
ance is felt from thn raeno~ o~r, &C IA. taA,
gatherer, diminishing, by a direct withdrawal,
the annual income of every man in the country.
It fails to be as effective, when the man is told
70 find the amount Of his taxes in the increase
of his store account or of his blacksmith's bill
Add TO all Of these reasons. why extravaganza
is made easy to our federal government, the
fact that in country so extensive as our Union.
the capital is the centre point for the gathering
of jobbers to feed upon the treasury, and that
their schemes can be but little known to the
remote pioneer Of the western wild--the secluded
planter, the quiet farmer or the industrious
mechanic. And we may well account for the
fact, that while Galphins are frequent and sue.
cessful claimants upon tho federal government,
such cases are rare in the history Of the State
governments, and almost unknown in that Of
individual capitalists.
To test the difference which we are now dis.
cussing between the tendencies Of governments
and individuals TO economy in carrying out their
schemes, let each man compare the anxious
dellberation which marks his own entrance
upon and conduct Of them, with the admitted
of-hand and almost careless determination of
the officers Of the government in respect to
them.
We do not say these things in fault-fnding