Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-10-15
LITTLE CALICO'S RUN.
BY CHARLES ADAMS.


dHu "IupplHSS Will "ulCu IL MuS SS-
cured had homely look, as if it had
been tied up by unaccustomed hands.
Through the wrappings, too, the pack
age felt softly pliable, as If possibly
composed Of paper money; and l cut
the many strings with some curiosity
as to whether or not | had unexpect-
edly fallen heir to u small legacy.
l became still more excited when,
on removing three successive wrap
pings of paper, 1 found enclosed
large, old leather pocketbook. But Il
glance ut the pocketbook at once dissi-
pated my dream OF inherited wealth.
1t was, alas! quite empty Of bank
notes, checks, or deeds of gift, and
contained only a slip of paper on
which, in a cramped hand and In
very dim ink. was written the follow
ing quaint legend:
This Is the wallet which your
grandfather, Stephen Root, brought
home the surplus revenue money in
from Portland when the highwaymen
chased him across Long Pond. Your
grandpa left it to me. But l am get
ting old and shall not live much long
er, and l want you to have the wallet.
Your Aunt, Rowena Root"
All, yes, how often Grandpa Root
had told me that story when l was
boy! The wallet and the story Of
that horseback journey to Portland on
Little Calico" date back to the time
when Andrew Jackson was president.
Grandpa Root was then n young man
% years old, and had but recently
come to Maine to clear up his farm.
At the usual town meeting in March
of that year the settlers had elected
him town treasurer and taX-collector,
one reason being that he owned nim-
bic little calico mare and could ride
about easily over the then imperfect
roads.
When, therefore, word came later
that season that the amount assigned
to Maine had arrived at Augusta, and
that everybody w0s to have his or her
share, special town meeting was
held, ana the treasurer was deputed to
go to Portland-where the money for
the western part of the state was to
be deposited-and bring back to town
the amount allotted to its inhabitants.
The story of the distribution of the
Surplus revenue" is one of the most
cal history. The government, prev
ious to the civil war, depended entire
ly upon customs receipts, or ''the tar
if," for it's revenue, save when the
revolutionary debt was unpaid and
during the war of 1912. During the
administration of Andrew Jackson the
receipts from this source exceeded
the ordinary expenses of the govern
ment.
Along about 1882 or '33 there was
great speculation in land, and the
sales of government land in the west
were enormous. The receipts ran up
from an average of two or three mil
lions a year to almost fifteen millions
in 1885, and almost twenty-five mil
lions in 1886. The public debt was
paid off, and there was no way to dis
pose of this money for any ordinary
purpose.
The politicans-perhaps they were
atesmen-conceived the idea of dis
tributing the surplus money to the
states in proportion to population, and
thus restore it to the channels of bust
ness. The scheme was very popular
because it meant the restoration to
the people of the sums that had been
taken from them by taxation. The
deposit of this money with the states
was arranged to take place in four in
stallments, and two such installments
were actually paid; but before the
third could be made, the great panic
of 1887 struck the country, and the
distribution was never completed.
Moreover, In accordance with what
was probably the intention OF Con-
gress when the distribution was voted,
the states were never called upon to
refund that which had been deposit.
ed" with them.
Each state did what 1t pleased with
the money; some used it for internal
! improvements within their own bor-
ders; some used it to reduce their debt;
and in some states the money was
distributed directly to the people. AS
has been said, that which was to be
used for this purpose was sent to the
state of Maine, and a part of it was
distributed from Portland. The sum
which was to be paid to each person
was hardly more than a dollar and a
| quarter and yet there are old people
still living who gratefully remember
| it.
Grandpa Root, then n smooth-faced
youth Of %, weighing only III pounds,
rode to Portland on Little Calico's
back, and he bought the calfskin wal
let at a shop on Congress street to
bring the money home in. There had
been delays in getting the cash ready
! for distribution, and it was now late
In November
He spent five days in the city be-
fore bills and silver enough accumu-
lated at the bank to supply the amount
| due him, and meantime he proba