Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-05-29

each State individually or to appropriate money to
tho States TO carry out the otJefts OF tne o'a'ss'
would NOT 10 for tue welfare of the general go'er"
lueut or the Union, because - APP wv"
nav 10 br Tor tne general welfare it must be appro
pristed 10 An object common 10 all the States suo Nv
general or common Defence" &c-one oUJs,' w
which all the United States were interested n",e
over, the Constitution says expressly: Nv "y
shall be drawn the treasury, but IN
of appropriations made by law sec otn' w. anu ~"
laws Of the United S;ates shall be made IN
of the Constitutions" sand the Constitution snal 10
the supreme law Of the land" lArt. D. IL apPro'
prations are to be made according 10 az tho
ance of or agreeable to the Constitution anu ane
Constitution WIS ordained for the genera we.a'. TO-
then no appropriations OF money can Do hlnua Wy
Congress except for the general welfare, NHhou'
violating the Constitution. 1t is unconat..u'lona,'
therefore, to appropriate money 10 ths State, ia NOT
the welfare of the States united OF the oho'' me
constitutional meaning of the words "dspoSe M;
to use or manage for the general welfare. " nou
Congress sells the United States terrno.y "nu puSo
of the lands are disposed Of already according e
Constitution. No provision Is made tor surplus III
the Constitution. The Constitution provinces iol to
"disposal of the lands, but makes no provision iot
the disposal OF surplus Inc Consnuuon nus. ~, 70
amended before surplus can be distributed. IL os'
trbutou. then is unconstitutional. Congress mas no
right to give the United States lands 10 tie particular
States, or TO distribute the money among then'-
Again. the separate States nave no claims at Oil vi
the lands of the United States. There ls difference
between the Unitsd States and the States-between
the State. and the United States in Congress assem-.
blsd" The public domain is not the properly OF INC
States, nor Of the United States in Congress assem-
bled but of the people OF the United States; nol W
their State, but their individual capacity. So that II
the Union or United States was dissolved, the lands
would revert to the people OF the States The unsold
lands private property entrusted 10 Congress or ns
Uniied States in Congress assembled, to be disposed
liz md
becomes public property. These lands are not en-,
trusted to the States separately to be "dspossd Oh
by them for the public welfare. but to the United
States in Congress assembled For there is mighty
difference between the States and the On'ted States
in Congress assembled, in their General Govern,
inent capacity. To be thoroughly convinced that
distribution contrary to the Constitution, revert Tor
a moment to the Convention or Congress-, held ID
Philadelphia July 5, l77S. This Convention, com.
posed of the delegates from thirteen provinces, met
for the purpose of forming "eague Of friendship,
.sconfederscy," or "union," "for the common de-
fence" and the general welfare" and Constitution
Of the United States. The first thing done IN th's
convention, was to form Union" Or "confederacy
of States" and draw up ARTICLES Of Confederation
The "style of this Confsderacy is "the United States
of America" which is the frat Article. 1.-The United
States OF America assembled is properly ana tech'
nicsly Congress-ths Congress of the Onaed States.
After the Federal Union vas formed thls
is constantly used "the United States in Congress as
semblsd" This Convention WAS not Congress, aptll
the Union or Confederacy Of States was formed; but
1.-THE United States in Congress assembled" or, the
people of The United States assembled in or through
their representatives appointed by them, and acting
under their authority, agreeable to the Consti-
tuition, sanctioned by the people and fixed
is Congress. After the Union was formed, and Con.
gress, the Constitution of the United States was
framed and adopted, the design of which was form
more perfect Union" as seen in the introductory
''provide for the common Defence" and promote The
general welfare; aud it was ordained and established
by the people OF the United States" Hence, the in
PRODUCTION -"We the people of the United States, do
ordsn and establish this Constitution"
When this Convention met, the people Of the States
we're possession of territory, which they acquired
by their common arms; and after the Union was
formed, eve, the people of the United States" en-
trusted this territory to Congress- to dispose o" for
the general welfare" This is one of the powers
which the people conferred upon Congress. The ter
ritory was not given to Congress, but it was merely
entrusted with the management of it, for the people;
and the way it is to be disposed OF is clearly derived
from the Constitution. The Constitution says, "it
belongs to the people of the United States" How,
then, can Congress, or the representatives of the
people, give away that which does not belong to
them Even the people themselves (athough the
owners) could not give way the public domain, or
appropriate it to different purpose than the one eI
pressed in the Constitution, unless the Constitution is
altered or amended by Conventions because they
have pledged themselves 10 abide by what they them
selves have done; and what they have done is laid
are very much at loss to see how land is regarded
as national treasure, and therefore go to deray the
expenses of the Government They see say they.
how "dues on imports and exports shall be for the
use of the treasury of the United Staes for this is
in the Constitution. They see how this is public
property but the proceeds or the profits of the terri
tory has never been provided for in the Consti-
tuition. They belong to nobody, and therefore
Congress ought to give them away to the States.
II they belong to nobody, pray how doe. doe,
Congress come by the power to give them
away2 But if these persons would look little fur.
Their into the constitution, they would see that the
public lands as much national treasure, rs any
other kind of public property and would be Put into
the treasury if they were not rather too unhandy we
have therefore, to convert them into money. and use
them for the public good. The constitution calls
the n s'property belonging to the United Slates:" il
is therefore national treasure. and if treasure ought
to 20 into the treasury. The neat produce" Tor pro-
cseds "of all duties and imports is property Of the
United States and "shall be for the of the trea
sury;" and, therefore, the lands, because they are
property and national treasure shall also be for the
use of the treasury and the defrayng Of public ex
penses
In one Of the State constitutions, there is clause
inserted especially ITO ensure the citizens OF the
commonwealth from time to time, that the money
remaining In the public treasury upon the settlement
or liquidation of the public accounts, are their pro-
per.y:" but no provision is made for this surplus,
in the way of distribution; it is just to have it re
u
there held in trust for Them and not to the State For
some people. it might be necessary to have some
clause such this, in the constitution OF the Unit
ted States. to remind them that any surplus in the
treasury of the United States Is the property of the
people, and not Of the States, and is there to be
kept in trust for the general welfare, and if ever
re- called by altering the constitution, 1t rsvers to
them. But why all this talk Of land surplus, or sur
plus from the proceeds Of the public lands when the
surplus, il any, must coms from another source OF
We all know how this evil can be remedied
But suppose it is Constitutional to distribute the
plus is il not the merest farce in the world for the
Government to be g.avely employed IN creating
surplus by taxation and tariff from the people, merely
to distribute it again, when the expenses Of collect
ing too, would be worth much as the surpusl-
This must be political perpetual motion, discovered
at last. The Government perpetusy collecting mo-
ney from the people to distribute among the people.
The credit OF thla discovery belongs aouo esS, 10
Federal Yankee Know Nothing or American Wing.
The scheme was invented to get money indirectly,
out of the General Government to carry on Improve
nents in the States; and s called by the sweet name
Of redistribution" Thetru s that this age s getting
wise above what is written, both in the Bible and the
Constitution.
Its said. by the magi that comet is to touch our
earth with his tail some time during the summer, and
set it on Ere. but the old Federal Wing, with Know
Nothing tail. is much more to be dreaded in the
political world. Great revolutions, it is said, in the
moral and political world,are preceded by phenomena
in the natural world. This comet may be emblemati
cal of the old Federal Wing comet, which has sp-
psared at different times under different aapects and
the brushing planet with his tail, may set forth
the soorching influence OF the Know Nothing tail on
the Constitution Whenever he s seen, however, his
tail is from the Constitution What the tail is com
posed Of will probably he matter of 'culvert"
coaiecture though it has been matter of great deal
of discussion 1t s of great length, and seems to he
of a very subtle combustibe matter and
its effects rather to be dreaded when il approaches
our Consiitution-about which it moves in very &c.
centric orbits, having great latitude, being when
in perigee, one hundred billions Of miles from the
Constitution. This comet to be disappearing
at present, as only the tip end of its tail is dis
with great magnifying power. When
il will make its appearance again in the pc.
litical world or, in what part of the Heavens, or,
whether it ever will be visible to again, is mat
ter of conjecture. Perhaps, judging from the eI.
treme eccentricty Of it's orbit and centrifugal power
not in the present century For our own part of all
late nhenomena we dread what il called the