Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-04-10
For the Register,

dress uou as an absent defendant.
Perhaps IL is well that you was absent
ON last Monday, as you thereby saved
modification and much, dis
gust at the Hon. J IS. Carlile's speech
Il consisted of nothing but but low. dirty
and vulgar denuneiations of the /" Regis
ter" and gross misrepresentation OF Jef>
ferson and Jackson : message epudta-
ting oil party affinities-he riding the
I" Land hobby alone. In this he. has
fully established his claim to the rank
and title Of R,tn,6ag General. Mr.. Car
lie seeks again to ride into office upon
this principle alone. having once done so
under the banner Of Know othingism.
since which time tIoit humbug having tex-
tploded, he takes up another; and that is,
to divide the government lands among
the several States. sa,s''i
When Mr.. @. was member of the Vir.
lginia Legislature. he was utterly opposed
to Virginia receiving her portion Of the
money derived from Tie sales Of tie public
Lands, and still says il is unconstitutional
to divide the money, and unconstitutional
for Virginia to receive il, and in the next
breath proposes 10 divide the Land itself.
II the government can distribute land it
can distribute money, and no man of sense
will deny the proposition. In 1886 there
was a large surplus Of money in the ]ede-
raj treasury, bill was passed by Con
gress to divide that surplus, and Virginia
received $2.1s8.ooo. All admit that it
is unconstitutional TO make such division
Of the public money; and to reconcile that
question there was engrafted in that dis
tribution bill clause requiring all the
States to refund their respective amounts
received whenever the general govern
ment should require. So Virginia at this
day, is liable to be called on. at any time.
for So. 10000, the amount received on
deposit; Congress regarding it as uncon-
stitutional to do anything else.
A similar state of things now obtains
"a large surplus in the federal treasury.
The same sources that brought the sur
plus Of 1886, broughtthe surplus of 1856.
viz: from the sales Of Lands and tariff
duties on imports
The Constitution grants no power to
Congress to lay tariff higher than shall
barely meet the expenses OF government.
Now, il the public lands are source Of
revenue to the government, why not i'm
mediately reduce the tariff on such goods
and wares as are consumed by the people.
and in this way directly benefit all classes
and save Virginia { and other States) from
turning Land Job6ers. Mr.. Cariile refers
red to the present high taxes that the
people are now required to pay to the
State. They are high, but my word for
it, if Mr.. Carlile's /" equalizing" measure
is passed. they will be higher; for if Vir-
GINA receives her 81 millions of acres, she
is bound to protect her settlers upon tina.
land against the encroaehments of 1ndi>
ans and everything else. This can only
be done as the general government does
it. and that is by standing army. This
alone would sink the lands and leave the
State in debt far more than she now is
No, fellow citizens, to enable us TO pay
our present taxes, and provide for the
payment OF our debt, let the government.
keep the land. and Congress reduce the
tariff, and thereby enable US to purchase
our goods cheaper, and we could soon
pay the public debt Of Virginia.
There is not taxpayer in the State
who does not pay more taxes to the Uni
ted States. in the shape of tariff, than he
pays to his State; one being direct. which
he feels and sees. and the other being in
direct, which he does not see but 1esEs.
The Democratic policy has always been
to keep the Tariff down to just such a
standard as will meet the expenses Of
government and TO favor this land dis
tribusion is nothing more nor less than to
favor aprotective system. Mr.. Garlic adj
vances one of the most simple, foolish and
palpably absurd propositions that can be
conceived Of. It is this: "By no tariff
that can be adopted can the receipts of
the Federal Treasury be reduced to the
wants Of the Federal Government" Mr..
Garlic should think Of his own misgiyings
before he denounces the I" Register" as a
liar" &c. A candidate for Congress
to advance such proposition to an en-
lightened people is truly humiliating.
Suppose Congress should reduce the tariff
to one, FIVE or ten per cent. (; is there q
child so ignorant as to say that it would
not fetch the receipts far below the ex-
pences Of the government think il
the people will reflect upon this land ques-
ton, they will see at once. that it is moths
more nor less than Know Nothing gull
trap and call upon all men Of all par
ties to give this subject a,candii conside
ration, and not be led of, as many were
two years ago after Know-N othingism.
Mr.. Garlic insigEifcantly asks, who is
his opponent man away down in Ca
bel county. and makes strong appeals to
the people Of Harrison county irrespective
of party to support him. as the Democra>
tic Candidate was not of Harrison county;
but. if mistake not. he will find the De-
mocrats Of Harrison, true to their princi-
Piles, and will support her nominee, let him
be from what part Of the District he may.
I rr;ll nnu nothinn. af NJ Ionk;n. IA L.