Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1857-06-18

sss<s- &
den thSsl psf State Sovsn.
ment 8 Believed, viii 60
Sc far assa hsTa{ ese qpspti9ps il
IIthevfiirmativs. iIfhese things
fe@nipt be done y, can they be
d0naandirectly, BY lssng the money
Tor lands to the States that they may
thus uss it3 Certainly not. The
two actsswould be precisely the same
IN effect, and therefore equally
Io9justifabIe. By doing Indirectly
| what cannot be done directly, Con-
ssesress not only transeends its authori-
,1 at< becomes obnoxious. to the
s Of wilful and fraudulent tam
PSng with matters not within the
gbvince of their privileges.
q @ tngoyernment was instituted for
e0nrnon, specific objects. There is
no who're given it the character or
powefsof an agent for the States in
their separate capacity. 1t has au-
thorlty to act only for the general
good. The States cannot look to it
Tor help in their local affairs. 1t
would seem that nothing is more clear
than the separate and distinct exist.
ence and spheres of the Federal acd
State governments, yet this distribu-
ton measure conlounds their duties,
and brings on confusion by eflacing
their true boundary lines. Mr.. Hat
ton said he would be willing to take
the money or the land. But. can it
be tolerated that the General Govern
ment should be used as the collector
OF the State revenue? This would be
the true character of the measure.
and goes a great way towards making
this government a mere tool of the
States, instead of preserving it as an
exalted, Independent institution.
This measure cannot be sustained,
either, on the ground of expediency.
There Is no good to be effected by
giving away money, even for charita-
bic purposes, when the recipients are
obliged to return it in another shape
even before time has been allowed TO
use 1T for any purpose Whatsoever
The States may receive the money,
but the the people of the States have
to return it to the Treasury by pay
lag high taxes. The government is
obliged to have money, and what it
gives away creates an emptiness
which must be supplied from some
other source. If the increased tax
is raised in the character of duty
on imports, it matters not = the peo-
pie have this duty to pay, and it is a
tax as onerOuS as any other; and
there is the additional tax which is
necessary to meet the expense of a
gerts to make these complicated
transfers of money. The people,
therefore, the only parties who have
a direct interest in the matter, one
way or the other. are SO far from be-
ing benefited by this measure, that
they are positively injured and wrong
ed. Il is more patriotic, and they
would rather pay taxes to rid their
State Of debt, than to have the debt
paid by the General Government.
and then he made to pay taxes for
its deficiency.
Distribution would operate unequal
ly among the States. While one
State might receive the money and
pay her debts with it, thus deriving a
seeming benefit, which, however: we
have shown to be no benefit to the
people, another, having no debt to
pay, would be much better satisfied
to have no bounties thrust upon her,
as they would only necessitate tax
upon her people, in the form of high |
priced goods. To be thus harrassed
would be a great hardship upon her
peonle The apont who yoi,ld nlaoa