St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-10-24

people understood it: and yet that is
about what these raids on the treasury
in the name of cheap transportation
mean.
The people of the United States are
now paving, in one way and another,
about four hundred millions of dollars
annually into the treasury. Inns Is ten
dollars for every man, woman and chlld
in the Republic. A good deal OF com
plant has been made against the late
Congress for the increase of salaries
amounting to about million OF dollars
il wear; vet here are schemes nominally
in the interest of transportation that
will take hundreds of millions to put
in operation, and untold millions there
after for repairs, Improvements, deli
ciencieS, management, &c.; and we
are told that il plan of action has been
agreed upon 10y which they are sure to
paSS. and that the President is i'll favor
of them and will recommend them III
his annual message. The solid vote OF
the south is to he secured by cOnccding
the canals that section wants, and the
central belt of states and those along
the lakes are to have their share of the
grab" and are thus looked upon us
sure to go for the project, and the
Changers everywhere are counted up
on as supporting the measure. because
it will give them cheap transportation
for the grain of the west. In short,
enough votes are to he secured by jul
diciously f:Ivoring states and localities
To force the government into this gi-
gantic scheme and make this raid on
the treasury Il success: i'll mnch the
same fashion as the salary measure was
made Il law by giving members ii per
Sonal interest III its success.
Neither of these proposed canals
would have any chance of approval by
itself; it is only as other sections are
allowed share in this division of sub
Sidics that the treasury is in any dan
ger. The north and east would oppose
the southern canal: the south would
oppose the northern canal; and the
central states would oppose the canal
ut either extreme: but all are to he
placatcd 10y giving them an equal chance
at the dollars i'll the treasury. But will
the people never consider that the cash
in the treasury of the l'nited States is
nothing but the money drawn from
their pockets 10y taxation and that it
isn't III the treasury for any purpose of
giving the lions share of it to such sec
ton rs want canals What would each
man in Vermont say if ms money was
demanded as contribution for II freight
railroad To the West or for enlargement
of the Erie canal. or any other of the
projects which this transportation COM
- 4 D Il
just exactly what viii he demanded of
every taxpayer not only in Vermont
but i'll the United States. if the measure
becomes Il law. 1t would. probably he
the happicst circumstance. to arouse in
dividunl> Ia Il ''rcalizing sense" of the
amount each person contributed toward
I'll" annual expenses of the government.
ii his share could Ice presented to him
III the form of Il Hill and payment de
mandcd: in other words. il sometimes
seems rs though nnthing but il direct
taxation would ever bring the people of
tins country to understand that il is
THEN money that t"ot> all bills that Con
grr>S runs up. and pays all debts that
the government contracts.
But these raids on the treasury in
even the salary grah-;lrc lcgit-
Innate fruits of the notion that Il gov
eminent can 1t" ANYTHING which Il ma
I"rltN want done: that the majority
can. if they please. take the prop
rrty "fcNrry person in the country. put
II III Il common fund. and then vote
themselves the whole of it. They will
of course Z" through the form of pre-
tending that this is for the common
.ynAI and f,,. 81 h.. 4, 1.
country: hut they mean 10y the cuun-
try the particular part of II they inhah-
II. and the common good is. in their
Judgment, anything that adds To their
private fortune. The way L" stop these
grabs. and the only way To stop them.
Is 1" stop voting money tor anything
hut the absolute and necessary cxpcn-
Sos ct the government working within
lis proper sphere and respecting it,
limitations. r.. ". WI |
tara in Er,rUUU