The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-08-04
WESTERN DEMOCRAT.
sQQCHARLOTTE.T6'
LETTER FROM MR.. cLINGMAN.

The Standard says: We have received
the following letter from Mr.. Clingman'
which corrects anG puts to rest tue false
hood in relation to his position on dstribu-
tion, originated by the Registers cores
pondent Clio"
AsHEvILLE. July %, 1857.
NEssRs. HOLDEN & WILSON: Ny atten-
tion has been called (since | came home
last evening to n statement of the RaleiSh
Register, affirming dat 1 had in speech
in this place ..come out for distribution
of the proceeds of the public lands &c.
The Register has been imposed upon by the
uafuL EILSeh00d of its correspondent; be-
cause made no declaration which could
have been so far misundersfoOd as to author
ize the statement made i'll that paper.
If the Editor of the Register, whom
have regarded always as man OF lonor ana
a gentleman, wishes to know what did say
on the occasion. may add, that while stat
ing the OBJECTIONS TO the land distribution
scheme, and juStifying my vote and that OF
the North Carolina delegation for the depos-
it bill of the last session, maintained IN
snhSfanoo, oIrd in a, cigar language as |
could command, that no distinction could
Justly be taken between the money derived
from the land sales and that coilecteE by
taxation; that the government had NJ right
to raise revenue except for constitutional
and necessary expenditures; thai the lands
had originally and expressly ben given to
it for its support; and that tie tGrtf and
other taxeS could rightfully b. imposed only
to raise so much additional revenue rs
might be necessary to met such expendi-
tures as the constitution required should be
made. Hence insisted, tlat whenever the
government collected moe money than wGs
necessary for these purposes, it grossly
abused its powers, ana was guilty of
acrOngJd takthg or c.HOriiOn from the tax
payers; and that tn remedy fox such a
g)uL taking would have been the return
of the money to the individuals who had
been forced to pay it. As this, however,
was impracticable. by reason of the manner
in which thc tariff taxes were collected, the
next best thing perhaps that could be done,
was to deposit it with the States in accor-
dance with the precedent established during
Gen. Jackstn's administration. To AVOID
snch stgte q things, however, / maintain
ed that 1t was fhe duty of Congress to re-
duce the tariff txes-referred to my con-
slant efforts for he last seven years to
effect this, and declared it to be my purpose
to insist on a further REDUCTION than that
WHICH had been made during the last ses-
sion.
To show the impolicy of distributing the
proceeds of the public lands, and supplying
the deficiency thus created by additional
taxes, l went into q calculation &C the cost
of collecting the public revenue, including
ti'v "OPENS" "r nnirdrns e.~t--. I-,.-.--~~, r..J
ing officers, &c. and also en1eavoring to
show that we paid the manufacturers a still
larger sum thaF the government itself re-
ceived; and hence, that for every dollar
the people would gel by distribution, they
would probably lose more than two in the
shape of taxes and protection to Northern
manufacturers. After illustrating this view
by references to our own State system of
collecting taxes and paying officers for the
same, and the operation Of the tariff-taxe
on salt. sugar, railroad iron, &C., declared
that l would vote for no proposition which
looked to dividing the land fund or other
government money. so as to create an cx-
cuse for high taxes. l added. however,
that if at any time found that by reason
of failure to get the taxes reduced, there
should be a surplus in the treasury which
the government could not apply to any con-
stitutional and necessary object, in the alb
senco of any other better remedy for the
evil, would vote to deposit it with the
States, just as an individual should return
money Paid by mistake, to the rightful
owner.
AS used these and similar illustrations
IN the course of my argument, you will see,
gentlemen that it was not possible for any
one to understand me as the correspondent
of the Register processes to have done.
If the Editor of that paper desires, there
fore, that its readers should understand
what my opinions are, he has it in his power
to enlighten them by publishing this brief
synopsis of my speech on the occasion re-
ferred to.
Very respectfully, &C..
L. i. CLINGMAN.