Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-06-22

Toy cries in earnest this time. The wolf has come!
Long, lank gaunt hungry, voracious and ferocious,
the beast is here bowling, for its prey, and deter
mined to have it at the expense of the life of the
shepherd. The political stockholders and gamblers
raven for the public lands and tear the constitution
to pieces to get at them. They seize, pilage, and
plumber the lands. 1t is not case OF misunder-
standing the constitution, but of assault and bate
ry-of MAIN and murder-of homicide and assas-
sination-committed upon it. Never has such
daring outrage been perpctrated-never such con-
travcntion Of the Object of confederation-never
such total perversion and barefaced departure,
from all the purposes for which a community of
States bound themselves together for the defence,
and not for the plumber of each other No, sir no!
The constitution not made to divide money
This COME leracy was not framed for distribution
among its members of lands, money, property, or
effects of any kind 1t contains rules and directions
for raising money-for evying duties equally, which
the new tariff will violate and for raising direct
taxes in proportion to federal population; but it
contains no rule for dividing money; and the dis
trbutors have to make as they go, and the rule
they make is precisely the one that is necessary to
carry the bill; and that varies with the varying
strength of the distributing party. In 1885, in the
deposit act it was the federal representation in the
two Houses of Congress in this bill, as it came
from the House of Representatives, it was the fede
raj numbers. We have put in representation it
will come back to us with numbers; and numbers
will prevail for it is mere case of plundcr--the
plumber of the young States by the old ones-of the
weak by the strong Sir, it is sixteen years since
these schemes of distribution brought into this
chamber and have viewed them all in the same
light, and given them all the same indignant oppo-
Siton. have opposed all these schemes as uncon-
sttutional, immoral fatal to the Union, degrading
to the people, debauchng to the States; and incv-
tably tending to centrallsm on one hand or to as
ruption on the other l have opposed the whole,
beginning with the first proposition of senator
from New Jersey Mr.. Dickerson, to divide live mil
lions of the sinking fund, and following the banefu
scheme through all its notifications for the dlstr
button of surplus revenue, and finally of land reve
nue.. I have opposed the whole, adherng to the
constitution and to the objects of the confederacy,
and scorning the cphcmcral popularity which We
nal system of plumber could purchase from the VIC
TINS, or the dupes, of false and sordd policy.
scorn the bill: scout its vauntcd popularity :
] detest it. Nor can | conceive of an object more
ptiablc and contemplate than that of the dema-
goguc hararguing for votes and exhibiting his ia
bcs of dollars and acres in order to show each vo
ter, or each State, how much money they will be
able to obtain from the Treasury if the land bill
passes. Such harangung. and such exhibition, is
the address Of i!npu1cucc and knavery to supposed
ignorance mealncsS, and folly. 1t is treating the
people as if they penny wise and pound fool
iSh and still more mean than foolish. Why, the
land revenue after deductng the expenses if fairly
divided among the people, would not exceed nine
pence head per annum if fairly divided among
the States, and applied to their debts, it would not
supcrSce above ninepencc per annum Of taxation
upon the units of the population The day for land
sales have gone by The sales of this year do not
exceed million and half of dollars, which would
not leave more than million for distribution ;
which, among sixteen millions of people would be
exactly fourpence half benny, Virginia money, per
head tip in New York, and i.cujllOn in LouiS-
ana. At two millions, il would ne ninepence a head
in Virginia. equivalent 10 ltTH N New York, and Il
bit in Louisiana! precisely the amount which, in
specie times, gentleman gives TO 4 negro boy for
holding his horse a minute st the door. And for
this miserable doit-thiS insignificant subdivision of
a shilling-a York Shng-c:.n the demagogue sup
pose that the people base enough to violate their
constitution mean enough to surrender the defence
of their country, and stupid enough to be taxed in
their coffee, tea, salt sugar, Goats hats, blankets,
shoes shirts and every article of comfort, dccency,
or necessity which they cat, drink, or wear; or on
which they stand, sit, sleep. OF lie?
The bill was bound to pass Besides being in the
same boat with the other cardinal whg measures
bank, bankrupt, repeal of independent treasury
and all arranged to pass together; and besides be-
ing pushed along and supported by the London ban
kcrs-it cnntav,ed within itself the means of sue
cess. 1t was richly freighted with inducements to
conciate every interest. To every new State it
made preliminary distribution of ten per centum
Gin addition to the five per ceItum allowed by COM
pactl on the amount of the sales within the State:
then it came in for full share of all the rest in pro-
portion to its population. To the same new States
it gave also five hundred thousand acres of land CT
quantity sufficient to make up that amount where
less had been granted. TO the settlers in the new
nj, for.i who had made tho de.
claration of their intentions to become naturalzed
citizens it gave presumption right in the public
lands, to the amount of one quarter section: lou
acres Then it distributed the whole amount of the
land revenue after deduction of the ten and five per
centum to the new States, to all the cid States and
new States together, in proportion to their popula
ton: and included all the States yet to be created
in this scheme of distribution. And that part Of
the people should go without their share in these
largesscs the Territories though not States and the
District of Columbia, though not territory, were
also embraced in the pan--each to receive in pro-
portion to its numbers So many inducements tC
all sections of the country to desire the bill, ano
such chance for popularity to its authors, made
sure not only of its passage but Of its claim to the
national gratitude To the eye of patriotism, it was
all venal procceding-an attempt to buy up the
people with their own money-having the money tc
borrow first. For it so happened that while the dis
out money among the Statet and people, there was
loan bill depending in the other House, to borrow
twelve millions of dollars for three years and also
tax bill to produce eighteen millions year to
imburse that loan and to dcfray the current expen
ses of the government. To make a gratuitous dis
tribution Of the land revenue (oqua to several mil
lions per annum) looked like fatuity and was SO il
financial or governmental point of view, But il
was supposed that the distribution scheme would b.
irresistiby popular-that it would chain the people
and the States to the party which passed it-and in
sure them success in the ensuing presidential cleo
tons Baselcss calculation, as it applied to the PEG
ple Vain hope, as it applied to themselves Tht
very men that passed the bill had to repeal it. under
the sneaking term of suspension before their term:
of service out-within less than one year from
the time it passed to be precise, within clever
calendar months and twelve days, from the day o
its passage-eounting from the days, inclusive o
both, on which John Tyler President, approved ant
disapproved it,whereof hereafter. But it passed
and was obliged to pass. 1t was case of mutua
assurance with the other whig measures and passet