Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-05-02
In Advance.
NUMBER Is.
Extract from the Speech Of tx Governor
Smith At Alexandria.


Virginia ,Scnttad It presents few facts
for the consideration Of the Distrilutionists
which arc worthy of notice
A dead issue, so~entoen years in its grave
IS exhumed and found 10 tie ritli vital
yes, vital : His last opponent, (Mr. Mar
sIiall) tic predecessor of the present one.
said nc was an old Wing, yet he declared
he was hot in favor of the old Wing meas
ures, here was an anomaly, Wing with
out any ef the political clements that used
10 constitute Wing, body without soul
This issue was the offspring of a party that
had the remarkable popularity Of being al
ways III the wrong.
What was distribution Nothing but
giving portion Of the public revenue TO
the States There were two sources Of fed
eyal revenue Lands and Customs You
eannot withdraw the proceeds of the one,
without Increasing the rates Of the ether:
every dollar taken from the land revenue
must be Hore than made up b the customs
revenue. These lands had been originally
ceded to the general government, to enable
it, under the old confederation, to raise mo-
ney for It's current expenses. It was a trust
d1uuiaa. full, complete and entire it vest
ed the fell right to those lands in the federal
government. Gov. s. then argued to show
that TINS appropriation to the purposes Of
the general government, was absolute and
eXcasire-quoting Dir. Clay, 70 sustain his
position and abiding to Gen. Jackson's
aud General Pieree's views on the same
subject.
The whole amount Of land belonging 10
the United States, was 100, 100000 acres
but We could not sell them all at once We
could not kill the goose and get oil the gold
on cggs. Our share in these lands, If d.
Yited, would be Mr. Carlisle said) GO, zoe,
COO. Ne had been I ) years selling Sf64,-
GOO, Gee worth, and during portion of that
time. the land sold at two dollars per acre.
i The whole amount of land revenue up to
1892 had been S38, 1886, 624, whilst the
expenses Of tie lands for the same time
were q ,701 $50, thus making the lands
debtor to the customs 81. 81, Csc. This
Elduratlo which was to pay your taxes
this fund which was to dc 50 much fer in
ternal improvements, was then paupef,
ieeaiHe 4lom The customs.
II III moneys tAat supported the ee7-
efaaes. eaDe out Of the people, Uncle Sam
and tae 0la Lady, Virginia Qanghter) alike,
rely GA yoVr pockets for support; al the
government revenue is raised from tie PEG
pie. We had pad since the foundation Of
s ,do eefa.amont thirteen hundred millions
Of dollars fer its support, all this had been
paid, il had taken it al. There was yet Il
i debt Of ABOUT tlirty-one millions due, which
could not be paid because the creditors
would not take their money until it become
due, even at the rate OF SIG for Sl.00
When eur forofathars landed here we
were poor-the lapse Of centuries has en-
riched US beyond precedent, and when our
children, The new States set up for them
selves, we wished, as many parent does,
to give them start in life. But We have
overshot the mark The gifts Of bounty
land 10 cid soldiers have also taken portion
Of the land Alternate sections have been
also granted to railroads Coy Smith ex-
plained this policy, presenting many Illus
tratioas. He had opposed those grants,
because they tended to corruption and by
too great q stimulus to emigration, caused
an unhealthy increase in the new States
The Ex-Governor examined the various
plans OF distribution that had been prepos-
ed. The act of 1892, which gave first see
GOO acres to the new States for internal i'm
proyoments then 10 per cent, and after
words allowed them to come in ON equal
terms with the old States, was examined
+ Was thai The equality they proposed When
a dollar Of the public money was paid for
the public expenses It was distributed equal
y, for all enjoyed equally the advantages
Of the governments but this plan took first
500 coo acres, then ten per cent in adli-
ton 10 i've per eent before secured to the
new States, and tAea asked rs 10 share with
them tie eighty FIVE cents balance. Tie
bill eame to jackson within half day of
the adjournment Of Congress, and the Old
Hero put il in his pocket; The next session
he sent in his veto message, and that ki'led
it, In 1870 madness rUled the hour; u
Whig majority came into Congress on the
Eth Of September, 1871, they enacted ano-
Their distribution act, so arranged as to OBJ
taxa the votes Of Southern Wings. The Ia
riff rates had tAan been reduced BY the
compromise tariff Siding scale, "a below 20
per cent, but the distribution act contained
a proyso, that If the tariff rates should be
raised above 20 per cent, then the distribu-
ton WAS to cease That act Is Lac 4on
But he Wings had rather hayean ounce Of
protection than q pound Of distribution, and
tite next year the tariff Of 1872 raised the
rates above 20 per cent, and distribution
ceased. 1t vas Under this act that the TO-,
0O0 dollars, about which 50 much talk was
made, came to Virginia. Fl was refused,
as unconstitutional the District Of Column
bin never received Aer portion. Alexandria
might get some thousand dollars Of it II Size