Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-03-27
From tbe Rich:nond Examiner.
raxation and the Pubic hands.

still see setting out to the West from
Virginia. now that the railroad system
has begun to ere up the spiri: OF enter-
prise and open new occupations for indus
ry and hew-sourees Of wealth for our
1sit proposed 10 distribute the public
lands 81 lid among the States and 10 set
of her due share OF themsto Virginia, in
ssnle remote quarter of the trans Missls-
sinpi valley beyond the limits of organic
. cd Territories? In that case, the very
remoteness of the lands would require her
10 sell them for song; and to the at
fractions to emigration which cheap lands
within the limits of organized States and
Territories in the West already present
her people, would be superadded this new
dominion of hers where homesteads
would be offered for song. In that case
too, instead OF one proprietor OF public
domain Offering at uniform business pri-
ces, We should have thirty -one proprle>
tors competing with each other in the land
market, and offering their acres at prices
which would invite spirit OF emigration
and land speculation the very contempla.
ton of which is appalling.
On the other hand, is it proposed to
allow the federal government. to remain
as now the sole proprietor OF all the pub.
lie lands. but to require q distribution OF
Che annual nett proceeds of their sales pro
rota among the States ?-leaying the
whole expences ofthe federal government,
the pay ment Of public debt. the purchase
Of new territory, the building of fortifca-
lions, the enlargement of the navy and
~ IS ho md oil the
nameless and numberless expenditures in
cident to, now one Of the leading and
greatest empires in the world-to be rails
ed off the people by Tariff II seems to
us to lay the burden Of all the expenses
and expenditures OF the federal govern
ment on the Tariff in order to secure the
proceeds Of the public lands as means Of
tightening the burden of State taxation,
would be very blind policy indeed. If
Virginia citizen be required to pay under
higher tariff e-third more for every
yard Of cloth and pound of wares he buys
If his merchant. in order to get the ben
eft of the diminution which the interest
on Virginia's share OF the proceeds of the
public lands would effect on his taxes
paid to the State. we think his gain in
pence would be counted by his loss in
dollars This latter horn Of the dilem
ma Of the clamors for Virginia's share Of
the public lands is so clearly exposed by
our contempory Of the Blue Ridge Re-
publican that we substitute it's remarks in
place of any further calculation we could
supply Of our own:
''THE VIRGINIA LAND QUoTA-wHAr IS IT."
ga large portion Of the money in the
Treasury Of the United States is raised
by tax on articles necessarily consumed
by the mass of the people-such as cots
ton. wooden cloths, brown sugar, ealt and
iron. or these articles about one third is
imported from abroad, and the remain
der is manufactured in this country, most
ly in Northern and Eastern States. When
the importer pays tariff tax into the IN
tied States Treasury, he Of course, adds
this to the prime cost Of his goods. and
gets it back from the consumer in increa-
sed price. The home manufacturer rails.
es his price also. just in tt proportion in
which the importer raises the price of the
same article manufactured abroad The
tariff tax thus raises the price Of the arts
Gle manufactured at home, as well as of
that manufactured abroad. BY the oper-
alton OF this tariff system the consumer is
made to pay money not only into the
United States Treasury. but also into the
pockets of the manufacturers of the
North. Consequently the manufacturing
interests at the North have always clam
ored for high tariff tax-while the con-
sumers at the South have demanded q
low tariff. The more money that can be
thrown out OF the United States Treasury
the greater is its demand for high tariff
taxes. Hence the Northern manufactur-
ing interests are anxious to strip the IN
tied States Government of every source of
revenue except what may be derived
from tax on imports. By distributing the
proceeds of the public lands the necessity
for high tariff duties is increased to the
extent of the sum of money thus taken
out Of the Federal Treasury.
When the Wing purity got into
power in l84l, this policy prevailed.
Although there was deficit in the
treasury. and they had to borrow TWEEN.
ty millions to support the Government,
che Wing Congress distributed at large,
after donating Is per cent 10 the new
States. the proceeds of the sales Of
the public lands that had been re-
ceived for the year past. Under this
law the quota payable to Virginia was
some $4,000. In 1912 the Virginia
Legislature, denouncing the distribution
as fraud. refused TO touch one cent
of the money. The question was tri>
ed. repeatedly before the people OF
Virginia. and the Legislature was sus-
taihed by the popular verdict again and
avain.
For the last Eve or six years the
question has been but little agitated, and
il was generally supposed that all fur
Their effort to disturb the deliberate Judge.
rnant nrnnnnncel hu Yirninia 16 raar.