Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1857-03-31
From the Richmond Examiner.
Taxation and the Public Lands.

Nor can we see. in the public land
Question, any check for the still larger
bnt much diminishei emigration
which we see still setting ont to the
West from Virginia, now that her
railroad system has begun to fire mp
the spirit Of enterprise and open new
occupations for industry and new
sources of wealth for our people.
Its proposed TO distribnte the pub.
lie lands In kind among the States
and to set off her due share Of them
to Virginia in some remote quarter
ofthe trans Mississippi yalleybeyoni
the limits of organized Territories -
In thar case the very remotensss ofthe
lands wonld require her to sell them
for 4 song and. to the attractions to
emigration which cheap lands within
| the, limits Of organized States and
Territories 10 the West already present
her people, would be superaded this
new domainofhers where h9mesteads
would be offered for song. In that
case too, instead Of one proprietor of
public domain offering at uniform
fbusiness prices, we should have
thirty one proprietors competing with
each other in TIE land market, and
Offering their acres ut prices which
would create spirit OF emigration
and land speculation the very con-
temptation ofIwhich is appalling.
On the other hand, is it proposed.
| to allow the federal government to re-
main as now the sole proprietor ofall
the public land, but to require . dis
ltribution of the annual net proceeds
of their sales pro rata among the
States 2-leaving the wide expenses
of the fedetal government, the pay
ment of the public debt, the purchase
of now territory, the building Of for
llifications, the enlargement of. the
navy and increase Of the army, and all
tile nameless and numberless expen-
ditures incident to, now, one of the
leading and greatest empires Of the
world-to be raised off of the people
by a Tariff 1t seems to Us that to
lay the burden ofallthe expenses and
Expenditures OF the federal govern
mcnt on the Tariff>in or,ler to- secure
the proceeds ofthe public lands as q
j means of tightening the burden Of
StGto taxation, would be q very blind
policy indeel. Ifa Virginia citizen
be required to pay under q higher
tariff one third more for every yard 81
cloth and pouni of wares he buys Of
his merchant, in orderto get the benc-
fit of discrimination which the, inter-
est on Virginia's share of the proceeds
of the public lands would effect on his
taxes paid to the State, we think his
gain in pance wonld be counted by his
floss in dollars. This latter horn Of
1.-THE dilemma ofthe clamorers for Vir-
iginia's share ofthe public lands is 90
cleverly exposed bv our contempera
~ Of the Blue Ridge Republican
tlatwe substitute its remarks IN place
Of any further calculation we could
supply ofseur own:
tins ,EGISIA LAND QCorA-
EWmzr IS ITrl--sA, large portion Of the
money, in the Treasury 81 the United
States is raised BY . tax on articles
necessarily consumed by the mass Of
the people--such as cotton and wooden
cloths, brown sugars, salt and iron.--
EOf these articles about one-third il
imported from abroad, AMI the re.
mainderis-mannfactured in this coun-
i try, mostly in the Northern and Eas.
tern States. When the importer pays
i the tariff taxlinto the United States
4 Treasury he of course aids this to
| die prime costof his goods and gets
lit1back from the consumer in the in.
creased price. The home Inanufac
turer raises his price also, jist in the
proportion in which the importer
raises the price Of the same article
manufactured abroad. The tariff tax
thus raises the price Of the article
manufactured ct home, as well as o
that manufactured abroad. By The
q Operation ofthis tariff system the con
1 sumner is made to pay money not on
Ily into the United States Treasury,
but also=into the pockets Of the man
ufactnrers ofthe North. Consequent
Ily the manufacturing interests at tht
North have always ciamored for I
high tariff tax--while the consuming
classes at the South have demanded
low tariff. The more money that caI
be thrown ont Of the United Statei
Treasury the greater is its demand to-
: high tariff taxes. Hence the North
FERN manufacturing interests are anx
4 ions to strip the United States Gov
lernnent Of every source Of rcvenu'
, except that may be derived from q ia,
!, on imports. BY Distributing the pro
ceeds afthe public lands the necessit.
: for high tariff duties is increased i
the extent of the sum Of money thu
taken ont Of the Federal Treasury.
: ssWhen the Wing party got int
power in 1871, this policy prevailed
! Although there was . deficit in tn
{ Treasury, and they had to borrc,