Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-05-24
nrsTRIRUTToy And A HIGH TARIFF.

That the receipts in the Government Treasury
should never permanently exceed the necessary le-
Ultimate expenditures, has always been a cardinal
principle in the creed of the Democratic party
Should there be an excess the simplest and Wisest
mode Of correcting the evil is By corresponding re-
d1ction IN the tazes Bring the down to the
standard Of expenditures by collecting smaller
amount from the people. distribution Of the sur
plus among the States, enforees the necessity of
continuing to collect from the pockets Of the people
greater amount than is necessary for the legiti-
mate purposes Of the Government, in order to pay
them back indirectly, portion of the very excess
which they had paid.
Surprising the receipts to be properly regulated
10 correspond with the amount Of necessary dis
bursements, any sum distracted therefrOm for dis
trbution, or for any other purpose creates the ne
csssitg Of supplying the deficiency thus created By add
tionaI taxation. 1t matters not whether the money
thus distracted from the treasury be assumed to
have been supplied from the proceeds Of the public
domain. from the Tariff Of duties on foreign i'm
ports from direct taxation, from any other source
whatever the effect is all the 1t depletes the
Treasury. and occasions the necessity for supplying
the vacuum thus created. How is this to be done
There are no other means at the command Of the
Government than by taxation. It is thus clear that
for every dollar distributed to the States, the people
viii have to pay the same sum back into the Treasu-
~ out Of their own pockets, Nth the accumulated
charges incident 10 the collection and disbursements Of
the rsusuuss! Without stopping to comment upon
the evils Of a system which thus reduces the States
to the condition Of suppliants, and dependent upon
the unreal bounty Of the General Government, it is
in
view would be an absolute and positive loss to the
pockets Of the people, even though the Legislative
authorities of the States should make judcious
application Of the fund. Beyond this the apprOpri-
alton Of the General Government revenues to State
purposes involving it does the necessity for in
creased taxation, inaugurates as necessary incl
dent, the principle of high protective tariff. This
exploded doctrine of a by-gOne day has not only
been condemned by the well-settled convictions Of
the public mind, but enlightened statesmen all over
the world now concede that in practice and theory
it is opposed to the interests Of commerce. and the
prosperity Of the Masses who thus made to con-
tribute from their hard earnings, to pamper the
plethoric purses of the favored few.
Take as an example, the article of Rail Road irOn
in which all the States and all the people have d.
rect interest The duty upon this article is thirty
Der cent. It is safe to assume that not more than
one seventh of the amount Of Rail Road iron con-
sumed is produced in the United States When the
cost of Rail Road iron is fifty dollars per ton, the
tax paid to the Government is fifteen dollars. So
that assuming this relative proportion for every ton
Of Rail Road iron manufactured in the United States
the people pay duties to the amount Of ninety dollars
into the National Treasury In order to construct
one thousand miles Of Rail Road in Tennessee, the
tax PAYERS and stock holders compelled to pay
into the public fund. the Of million and half
of dollars But the cost to the tax payer does not
end here This vast amount, added to the necessary
cost of the construction Of Rail Roads, produces the
necessity for corresponding increase in the char
ces for transportation Every farmer who sends his
corn or his cattle, OF his mules to market, is obliged
to pay this increased rate so that it is not only
present charge but pePstaay recurring item, in the
expenditures Of all who find it necessary to call the
services of Rail Roads into requisiion.
Instead Of reducing this enormous tax upon the
industry Of Tennessee, the friends Of distribution
propose virtually to increase it, by Withdrawing
from the treasury the amount derived from the sales
of the public lands. The veil Of sophistry under
which this effort to increase the taxes by high
protective tariff is partially obscured, cannot conceal
its hideous face from the scrutiny Of the public. 1t
is brilliant baubIe the tinsel Of which will fade
away before the ordeal of light and truth. An gnis
frt.av. which may lead the blind into swamps and
morasses. but which, to the wise, viii serve rather
as beacon light to warn them Of the dangers which
they should avoid.