Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-26
FRIDAY HoREaNG, JUNE rs. 1851.
TIE KNOW NOTHING CANDIDATE FoR GOV

which Mr. Hstton bartered away the credit Of the
ststs for all manner Of internal improvement PuT-
poses at time when the Treasury was empty
whom the revenue had to be increased and oio ueDs
had to be ieuidated At that time Mr. ha''on
booted NJ the idea that there was likely 70 De any
enbarassaBt 10 our State credit from ms eAlia'1'
cant nolicv and even voted in q minority OF '0'
s,onst reourinq the rail road companies 10 create
s;,ti,, f,nd Of two. per cent per annuE to hqul-
49, tbsss bonds wheu they should fall due The
r.,i.Ieturs has adjourned; eighteen months have
- D.sssd and Mr. Hatton is singing quite diff
f.-.nt time. He finds that our bonds have gone
-, in the market to Sc cents thatrail road com
auies cannot sell them without very great sacrifice
sn5 that the only way to save these rail road COM
NAMES from the calamity which his PrOdigality has
brougbt uoon them, will be to adopt still wilder
system Of prodigslty, and abstract from the Eede-
I treasury the proceeds Of the public lands; or if
there should be no proceeds there at the meeting Of
another Congress to divide out the lands themselves.
Thus it is, that Mr. Hatton jumps from one extreme
10 another, looking always to the temporary expe-
diency, but asvsr to principle.
These public lands, which belong in common to
the great mass of the people, the poor man having
an equal interest with the rich Mr.. HattOn Propo-
ses to appropriate in part at least to the benefit Of
rail road companies-private cOrPoratiOns-to the
exclusion Of the great Of the people, who own
them in common Now we honor the enterprising
men who have invested their capital in these works.
but cannot consent, because they may be needy, as
Mr.. Hattou represents, that common fund should
20 to pay their debts They have had the credit Of
the State 10 a most liberal extent, and with this
t1l.s- al and
enterprise.
There are other classes and other interests in the
State to be projected Thelandsa becoming ezhorbi-
family high in Tennessee and the poorer classes will
soon want cheaper homes in the Territories Let US
husband them. therefore, for ourselves and child
rem, instead of forcing them into market and thus
permitting the Spectator 70 mOnopOlise them.
But if thew are 10 be continued as a source Of
revenue, let that revenue remain in the Federal
treasury, 50 as to lessen the heavy tariff duties
which the mechanic pays upon his tools and materi-
ais; which the farmer pays upon his axes, his trace
chains and his hoes ami which all the laboring and
producing classes, whether farmers or mechanics
nav upon their woolen fabrics, their cotton prints
their hats. bonnets, Shoes blankets, sugar, and va
rous other articles of ordinary consumption, upon
which we are daily taxed in the purchase, by means
of the revenue system, to support the General Gov
eminent. For these interests in society Mr.. Hat
ton has manifested no concern whatever as We shall
show before we conclude this impartial exposure Of
his record.
Mr.. Hatton finding himself detected in his effort
at class legislation on this subject has Patronizngy
added to the purposes for which he would use the
proceeds Of the public lands, that Of paying the
taxes of the people support the State government
This he. no doubt, thought would make the pill pa
ltable to those Of our citizens who are not stock
holders in the rail roads But Mr.. Hatton ought to
have known-and as he is aspiring to be Governor
we will, in charity say We suppose ne a'a know
that our State constitution contained clause which
would absolutely prohibit it from being applied to
any such purpose. The prOviso Of the 10Th Sec Of
the llth Art. reads as follows
That If apv time hereafter division Of the pub
lie lands of the United States, Of the money arr
sing from the sales Of such lands, shall be maze
among the individual States, the part Of such LANDS
or money coming 10 this State, shall be devoted TO
the ullrpOses Of education and internal improve
menus and shall be applied 10 any otheT purpose
Now if Mir. Hatton is aware of the existence of
this clause in the constitution, land he certainly
would not be running for Governor if he had net
read the constitution of the State it is nsinoere IN
him TO use the mildest phrase TO be arguing TO the
people that they can relieve themselves OF taxation
BY his policy Of distribution If by any gambling
system of legislation che treasury Is ever punder-
ed and tbis fluid forced upon the State, the fra
mers Of the constitution have provided against II
becoming a source Of wranging and mischief, Oy
expressly declaring that "shall never be applied
10 any other purpose than schools and internal I'M
provements. At that time we had no rail ROADS ia
Tennessee. We have since, without looking to DIS
tribuion. gone on and chartered private companies
and loaned them money to prosecute ther 0orS'' and
there can be no distribution now without placing al
so. at least that portion of the fund contemplated
in the vaults of these companies to the manifest in
justice Of the great body Of the people.
But supposing there was no such constitutional
barrier rs we have quoted, and that this fund.- once
taken from the Federal treasury and divided among
the States could be appropriated 70 the support Oh
the State governments, as TO check, to that eA-
tent the amount Of taxation, would 1t be iar TO the
rarties Interested Would it not operate unjustly
and oppressvely upon the poor, requiring the bur
thens of government TO fall in undue and greylous
rroporliop upon those least able to bear them! If
the doctrine is true that the proceeds should be dis
tribufed. 10 whom should these proceeds 50! To
whom do they belOng' Will Mr.. HattOn contend
that the poorest citizen has not non an equal ME
rest in the public lands with the riohesI II to be
distributed, why not then, give them as they are
owned. to each man in the Republic his equal shaTe
We hear no such just Democratic proposition from
the Know Nothing party.
The proposition TO use this common fund.- owned
equally BY all the people to support the State gov
ernments would be, not equally, but according to
circumstances-to the rich much, IN proportion to
their wealth; to the poor little, in proportion to their
poverry. We will show this: This distribution, say
its advocates is to enable the States to pay their
debts The debt Of Tennessee Is lien upon the prop
yOf The Stats-if collected by tax upon the prop
~ the man worth one thousand and the man worth
ten thousand pay the debt in Just proportions the lat
ter ten times as much as the first but by this pole
evof distribution they would take to pay that debt
roparlv in which their interest is equal, and The
man north one thousand you'd pay mach as the one
sr0rtH Ten.
Again: Suppose the loon Of the credit OF the
STATE 70 the various rail road companies was an ac-
,ual 5e5,-that debt would be properly lean and d
------4., 81 fl Efote and when paid