The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-14
Unfair Distribution.

PENNSYLVANIA has so long looked 10 lhe
Federal Government for the protection OF
her domestic industries that she has learned
10 regard IL as paternal government, one
Of whose duties II is to provide for the
welfare Of the people Of that State. No
one. therefore, was much surprised when
the Pennsylvania Republican State Con-
vcntion OF Wednesday last passed the foi-
lowing resolution:
a. second-That anv surplus in the pub
lie treasury arising from redundant rev.
enue should, after paying the national dcDt
as fast as It's condition permits, be distrib.
uted from time TO time TO the several
States upon the basis Of population, TO re-
lieye them from the burdens Of local taxa
ton and provide means for the education
OF their people,"
Pennsylvania, with almost three umes as
large population as Virginia, pays a
smaller amount OF internal taxes. All the
New England States together do not pay
as much as Virginia. In fact. a more OBJ
jectionable scheme could hardly be de-
yised than the one which the Pennsylvania
Republicans thus endorsed.
Many years ago the Wings proposed to
distribute among the several States the
proceeds OF the sales OF the public lands.
Some money was actually disposed OF in
that way. That scheme was at least an i'm
partial ore. 1t did not propose 10 collect
money In one State TO be expended in an
other. But this modern scheme proposes
TO collect seven or eight millions OF dollars
from sixteen hundred thousand people and
give back TO these sixteen hundred thou
sand people one third as much OF that
sum as it will give TO the people OF
New York. In other words, an onerous
tax is TO be continued In Virginia in order
that the proceeds Of that tax may be en-
ioyed in New England. II seems to us
that il would be much better and fairer to
allow the money to remain in the pockets
of the people OF Virginia. The Federal
Government has no money which it did not
collect from the people. II can never have
any that will not have come out OF the
pockets OF the taxpayers. Why, then,
should money be collected in one State to
be expended in anotherS Such PROPOSE
ton has nothing in il to recommend it to
fair-mindcd men.
How would such law operate, sup
posing il 10 be possible to pass it? Here
would be six New England States and
number of other States TO whose interest
Ii would be to raise the largest possible
amount of money by internal taxation not
in those States, but in Virginia. Illinois,
and the other States which pay almost all
such taxes. A majority of the States would
become pensioners upon the minority OF
the States-the minority paying the inter-
nal taxes and the majority appropriatlng
10 their own use the money thus raised by
taxation. Virginia contains one-thirtieth
of the population of the United States.
She would receive back three mil
lions Of dollars out OF ninety mil
lions collected in the United States, but
as she would pay six or eight Of the ninety
millions herself, it is clear case that she
would not be benefited by the proposed dis
tributlon OF the surplus revenues OF the
Federal Government. She would pay out
two dollars and get back one. Massachu-
sets, on the other hand, with larger pop
uation than Virginia, would pay out one
dollar or less and get back two dollars or
more.
This scheme, as we have said, has been
endorsed by the Republicans Of Pcnnsyl- |
yania. The attempt is to be made to put
stop TO the cry for the abolition OF the |
entire internal-revenue system by enlisting !
in favor of that system the cupidity Of the
people of the States which do not pay their
Just proportion Of the money collected by
that department OF the Government. LIZ
tho Pennsylvania Republicans had been
disposed to act fairly they would have pro-
posed TO return an amount OF money pro-
portioned to the amount paid by each
State. There would be some plausibility
in such proposition. But scheme that
proposes to rob PETER to pension PAUL
cannot commend itself TO the appreciation
OF the national public.