Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-03-20

The following from the Blue Ridge Republican, O
paper published in Virginia. will apply with equal
force to North Carolina -
VirgInIas Quota of the Public Lands.
Among the most practical combinations of the ar.
guments and appeals of the opposition, in favor of
claiming Virgina's share of the public lands, and
particularly with reference TO the repudated forty
thousand dollar deposit. is the following from the
Blue Ridge Republican, which we commend to the
consideration of all sceptcs on the subject:
The VIRGINIA LAND QUoTA WAR is 1T "A
large portion of the money in the Treasury of the
United States is raised by tax articles necessarily
consumed by the mass of the people-such as cotton
and wooden cloths, brown sugars, salt and iron. OF
these articles about one.third is imported from abroad
and the remainder is manufactured in this counirv
mostly In the Northern and Eastern States. When
the importer pays the tariff into the United States
Treasury he of adds this to the prime cost Of
bis goods and gets it back from the consumer in the
increased price The home manufacturer raises his
price aso just In the proportion in which the impor-
Ter raises the price of the article manufactured
abroad. The tariff lax thus raises the price of the
article manufactured at home, as well as of that man.
utactured abroad BY the operation of this tariff svs.
ten: the consumer is made to pay money not ony in
to the United States Treasury but also into the peck
els OF the manufacturers of the North. Conse ouent-
~ the manufacturing interests at the North have
always camored for high tariff tax while the con.
Stunning classes at the South have demanded low
ianh. The more money that can be thrown cut of
the United States Treasury the greater is its demand
for high tariff taxes, Hence the Northern manufac-
turing Interests are anxious to strip the United States
Government of every source of revenue except what
may be derived from tax on imports. BY distrbu-
ting the proceeds of the public lands the necessty for
high tariff duties is increased to the extent of the sum
of money thus taken out of the Federal Treasury
"When the Wing party got into power ia 1841
this policy prevailed. Although there was deficit
10 the Treasury and they had to borrow twenty mil
lions to support the Government the Wing Congress
passed law distributing among the States at large,
alter donating Is per cent. TO the new States, the
proceeds OF the sales of the public lands that had
been received for the year past Under this law the
quota payable to Virginia was some $4,000 In 1912
the Virg na Legislature, denouncing the distribution
policy fraud, refused to touch one cent of the
money. The question was tried repeatedly before
the people of Virginia. and the Legislature was sus
tanned by The popular verdict again and again.
"For the last five six years the question has been
but little aglated, and generally supposed that
all further effort to disturb the deliberate Judgment
pronounced by Virginia, fifteen years ago, was aban.
Goned IN Its utter restitution of issues after all its
humbugs have been exploded, poverty-sricken Know
Nothlngsm rakes out of the ruins this forgotten ques
tIon and proclams the discovery of rich treasure.
with Its wonted mstrus of the popular intelligence,
and Its accustomed confidence in it's power to delude
the public mind, it processes itself able and ready
With this land fund, to relieve the burden of the State
taxes 1t becomes our duty to expose this last hum.
pug OF the enemy, and snatch even this last crumb
tiom the eager hands of the poor starveng
Ii this whole $1,000 were at once received into
the State Treasury it would for one single year re-
duce the tax of one cent on the hundred dol.
lars Instead of 40 cents on the hundred dollars,
| the tax would be 395 cents man owing 81 600
worth of property would pay 81 cents less than be
now does, and owning $4,000 worth would
pay 623 cents less. The tax on a negro would be
two cents less than ii is. 1t would consume the
whole $500 to give this much relief for one sin.
gle gear. This is all that the poor Know. Nothings
can promise to do for US. 1t is even less For The
| proposition heretofore made has been to put this
money into the literary fund and only apply the an
nuaI interest to public uses tax of "a part Of
cent on the hundred dollars would raise as much
this annual interest Or in other words, levy of
cents on every $4,000 worth of property would raise
as much annual revenue the interest on this land
fund. Is there any Democrat worth 900 who
will take cents for his principles? Would any
Democrat worth 500 take "a part of cent Tor
the privilege Of recording his vote against his party
" Such is the bald humbug with which the attempt
is now made to deceive the people and allure them
into the embrace of Know Nothngism. We shall
in future NUMBERS continue the consideration of the
subject In its various aspects of uncoDstitutionaliy
immortality and inexpediency. and if we do not salts
~ every dlspassionate person OF all three, we shall
| be more mistaken than we have ever been in any
| similar controversy.
ELopED-M Miss MolIie Massie Gibbs the Virginia
Jenny Lind, is said to have eoped with British no
I h1au,an for