The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-10-15
'.OId Hickory ON the Blair Bill,

sold Hickory" on the Blair Bill.
In the last annual message which
Gen. jackson ever sent to Congress
dated Dec. S, 1886, occurs his plan
of disposing of the surplus in the
treasury "ShOuld a surplus be per-
mitted to accumulate beyond the
appropriations 1t must be retained
in the Urea sury as it now is. or dis
tributed among the people of the
States. To retain it in the Treasury
unemployed in any way, is imprac-
ticable, 1t is, besides, against the
genius of our free institutions to
lock up in our vaults the treasure Of
the nation, TO take from the peo-
pie the right of bearing arms, and
put their weapons of defense in the
hands of a standing army, would
scarcely be more dangerous to their
liberties, than to permit the Gov
ernment to accumulate immense
amounts Of treasury hey ond the sup>
plies necessary to its legiLima tie
wants. X X X To collect it merely
for distrib : ton to the States would
seem to be highly impolitic, if not
as dangerous rs to retain it in the
Treasury. The shortest reflection
must satisfy everyone that to re-
quire the people to pay taxes to the
Government merely that they may
be pald back again, is spOting with
the substantial interest of the
country, and no system which pro-
duces such result can be expected
to receive the public c0untenances.
Nothing could be gained by it, even
if each individual who contribut ed
a portion of the tax could receive
back promptly the same portion
But it is apparent that no system of
the kind can ever be enforced which
will not absorb a considerable pOr-
ton of the money to be distributed
in salaries and commissions to the
agents employed in the process
and in the various losses and depre~
Citations which arise from other
causes, and tire practical effect of
such an attempt must ever be to
burden the people with taxes; not
for purposes beneficial to them but
TO swell the profits Of deposit banks
and support band of useless off,
GERS. A distribution TO the people
is imprachcable and unjHst in other
respects. 1t would be taking one
mans property and giving it tc
another. X x * To make the general
| Governmen mt the instrument of car
rying this odious principle into
effect would be at once to destroy
the means of its usefulness anC
change the character designed fol-
it by the trainers of the Constitution
"a system liable to such objec-
E tons can never be supposed to hav
been sanctioned by the farmers o
the Constitution when they confer
red on Congress the taxing power
and I feel persuaded that a matur
examination Of the subject will sat
isfy every one that there are insur
mountable difficulties in the opera
ton ofany plan which can be devils
ed of col Getting the revenue for tn
pwpl sc of distributing it.
Congress i. only authorized
: levy taxes to pay the debts and pre-
vide for the common defense an,
general welfare eff the Unite
StateJ There Is NO such provisiO
as would authorize Congress to col
4 lect together the property Of tn
\ country Rnder the name Of revenu
.ur the parp sc of diviiinr it equal
" among the States or the people
Indeed, it IS not probable thctsIc
nm idea ever occurred TO the State
" hen they adobted the Constitution
: But, hcv ever this may be, the onl
safe rule fof us IN interpreting Tax
, powers granted TO the Governmen
) is to regard the absence OF expires
authority to touch a subject so im