The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1858-06-01
HON. THOS. Z. CLINGMAN.

HON. THOS. T.. CLINGMAN.
This gentleman has published Valedctory
Address to his constituents of the 9Th Congress
sonal District, copy of which he has sent
After reviewing the action of Congress for the last
Il years on the slavery question, and abiding to
the present low state of the national Treasury he
says
Notwithstanding this condition of things it is, see
from the public prints, proposed by certain persons to
take from the present of the Government por-
ton of the public lands, their proceeds, and divide
them among the States of the Union. AS the Govern
is this time receiving quite enough for its
support, with the addition to the taxes, of the
proceeds OF the land sales such measure as this woud
if carried into effect require increase of the present
of taxation. Let sec them what will be the re-
suit The effect of tariff duty or tax is to make the
article higher to the customer When, for example,
hundred dollars worth of railroad iron sugar is i'm
ported if the duty be thirty per cent, then the cost
being hundred and thirty dollars for the whole the
second purchaser has give much the for the
articles When, therefore, the foreign article is thus
raised price those persons in the United States who
make railroad iron sugar get higher price like
wise for their productions This is what they call
being protected-that is enabled to get more for what
they manufacture than would be its natural price IN
market Suppose, then, that while one-half of the rail-
road iron and sugar imported from abroad, the
other half be made in country then, while the Gov
is getting million of dollars, the manufac-
turers likewise get the same amount, and thus the
of taxes realized by the Government. Hence if one
million of the land money be taken from the Treasury,
have to pay back much larger sum in the form of
taxes The case is in fact worse than this, because
the retail merchants add large per centage in the
of profits, make the amount which the consum-
in the country pays much greater than the sum re-
allied either by the Government the manufacturers
Besides this, the different collecting and disbursing
officers pocket large per centage for their fees and
salaries while handling this revenue.
If it he true therefore, alleged that portions of the
II lands heretofore
more important that what remains should be faithfully
applied to keep down taxation. There is, however,
great eXaggeraton to these statements 1t is easy TO
show that in fact the Government sustained very little
loss by the grant of the swamp lands to some of the
States in which they lie, and by giving alternate sec
tiOns certain railroads. while the remaining sections
have been doubled in price As to the large grant OF
those lands which made the soldiers of the diff
fcrcnt wars, have think, reason to complain
doubt if there districts in the Union to which
a larger share of this land went than to ours.
Our State also realized very large sum of money
from the sale of the Cherokee lands in our western
counties, which were obtained for us by the Federal
Government at great expense to itself. 1t cannot be
said therefore that State has been deprived OF all
share in the public lands, when in addition to these
things it is remembered that all the money paid from
the land sales into the public treasury helped to keep
additional taxes off of u.s.
have said this much merely as to the expediency of
such prOpOSltl0n but there are, perhaps more "eSh
objections to it. .
The Federal Government is authorized to collect
taxes for certain purposce mentioned in the ConStltu-
contrary the original cessons of land by the various
States expressly made to the Government to meet
its expenses and prevent far as they would CO. the
necessity of calling the States for taxes Inc ahd
since acquired has been bought with money from the
Treasury OF course therefore it stands on the same
footing with the money derived from taxes on the peo-
pe Is it not clear then, that the Government has no
right impose taxes except to obtain enough to meet
its expenses if the property it already holds Is not
sufficient? Such is the force of this argument thai IN
1911 when the bill for the distribution OF the proceeds
lie
in it. that the distribution should be stopped if the rate
of tariff duties should ever be raised above twenty per
cent.
The object this clause inserted the motion of
prominent southern statesman to keep the taxes at
low rate 1t is true it failed to answer the purpose,
because the Congress- against the united 'oeS Oh
the southern members of both parties raised the duties
bv the passage ofhe tariff act of 1872 and thus stopped
the land distribution in less than year after 1t was
begun | NAV add that, the duties are even now
bGhcr than this of 20 per cent upon the principles
of that act single of those Statesmen would,
if living. advocate distribution at this time.
1t NAV be said, however, that l. in conjunction with
all nv colleagues voted during the last session. for the
depost act-a measure similar to the act passed In
General Jackson's administration.
Our Justification. however placed on this ground
Though the Government had right in our opinion:
to raise more money than really needed for the pur-
poses of the Constitution yet, as we found 1t had al
ready done So because efforts previously made to reduce
the tariff act had failed and had thus improperly taken
money from the people, we held that the best remedy
this wrong would have been to return the money 10
those who had paid it. if that had been practicable
But since of the indirect manner OF collect
ING these taxes, such inpracticable 1t
seemed to advisable, the next best thing to turn
over the money the States AT the same time, how
ever we passed act to reduce the taxes for the
future. In like manner, if sheriff in our counties
should take any person money than his taxes
he would be bound discovering the mistake to re-
turn it. But he would not be justified in forming a
plan to collect habitually than the taxes due, so
as to be able pocket larger centage for his fees
as collector though he intended always to re-
turn the surplus remaining.
As fellOw-citizens very little of the money OF the
Federal Government is expended for immediate
benefit and little advantage from protection to
manufactures is derived by is obviously our IN
terest as we'll a. our duty, insist the Governments
using all the land money for its support and keeping
the taxes low possible Those who concur in this
view are mainly to be found in the Democratic party
RS~ The Annual Convention of the Protestant
Enscopal Church of North Carolina was held on