Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-06-20
SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1857.
"Ur. Clay ON Distributions

"Ur. Clay on Distributors
IN the Union and american of Thursday
we notice what purports to be an extract
from speech made on the Ilth of June.
1882, by Mr.. Clay on the subject of dis
trlbution. Does our neighbor mean to
say that the extract quoted is from
speech made by the late Henry Clay, of
Kentucky, and that it had reference eth
er to the distribution of the proceeds of the
sales of the public lands, or the lands
themselves, among the States? He can
not, surely, be so ignorant of the political
history of the country, as not to know
that Mr.. Clay was the author of the dis
tribution bill which passed Congress in
March, 1888, less than a year subsequent
to the speech attributed to him, and which
bill Gen. jackson arrested by taking the
responsibility of storing it away in his
breeches pockets, until the meeting of an
other Congress to which he returned it
with veto. 1t was of this bill that Mr..
Clay said in his great speech at Lexington,
In June, 1912, after complaining of the
course which Gov. jackson had adopted TO
prevent its becoming law-'Tt was a meas
"ure of strict justice to the State, and one
"of sound policy as it respects the reve-
niue of the United States" "Un-
der the operation of the measure of dis
"trIbution, that great fund ($5O,O00 900
arising from the sales of the public lands
within few years after the passage of
the bill, would have been semi-annually
returned to the States and would have
"been applied, under the direction of their
respective Legislatures, to various domes-
tic and useful purposes. 1t would have
"fallen on the land, like the rain of heaven,
in gentle, genial, and general showers,
passing through a thousand rills, and
"fertilizing and identifying the country"
Again: During the extra session of Con-
gresS IN lS4l, he pushed through another
distribution measure, as one of series of
measures intended to promote the interests
and prosperity of the country, then suffer
ing from the evil effects of democratic
maIadministration. For rallying his sup
porters to these measures and CARRYING
them through Congress he was denounced
by the opposition as Dictator.
Again: On the 18th day of September,
1912, in response to letter from Mr.. ia
cob Strattan, who had written to him on
behalf of the young men of PHILADELPHIA.
he enumerated certain principles which be-
came the watch-words of his party in 1874:
Amongst them was the following
"a faithful administration of the public domain
NTH on equitable Distribution OF THE PROCEEDS OF
THE sAtks OF IT AMONG TIKI STATES"
But, to return to the speech cited and
quoted from by the Union and american:
1t was made on the 18th of January, and
not on the llth of June, and on the tariff.
Mr. Clay was of the opinion that it was
unconstitutional to raise money by taxation
for the purpose Of distributing it among
the States-that the Income derived from
taxation stood upon ground totally distinct
from that which is received from the pub-
lie lands In the same speech he said:
Let the proceeds of the sales of the pub
lie lands be applied in a season of peace to
some great object" and, later in the session.
the 10th of April, he brought that great
object" before the Senate in long report
recommending the distribution of the pro-
ceeds of the sales Of the public lands among
all the States, and accompanied by a bill
for that purpose. The bill was passed.
in March, 1888, but was prevented from be-
coming law as above mentioned by Gen.
jackson.
The Union aud american must look TO
some enc else than Mr.. Clay for authority
against the principle Of distribution as sup
ported by the American party.