Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-10-04
LITTLE CALICO'S RUN.
BY CHARLES ADAMS.

and wrappings with which 1t was Sc
cured had homely look. as If 1t had
been tied up by unaccustomed hands.
Through the wrappings. too. the pack
age felt softly pl!able, as II possibly
composed of paper money; and l cut
the many strings with some curiosity
as to whether or not | had uneXpect-
pdly fallen heir to small legacy.
became still more excited when,
on removing three successive wrap
pings of paper, l found enclosed a
large, old leather pocketbook. But Il
glance at the pocketbOok at once dissl-
pated my dream of inherited wealth.
1t was, alas! quite empty of bank
notes, checks. or deeds of gift. and
contained only slip of paper on
which, in Il cramped hand ana IN
very dim ink, was written the follow
ing quaint legend:
'rhis 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 {" IKE. But | am get
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 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.
q
- years old. and had but recently
come to Maine to clear up his farm
ut 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 MIN
ole 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 was to have his or her
share, special town meeting was
held, and the treasurer was deputed to
20 to Portland-where the money for
The western part of the state was to
ne deposited bring back to town
the amount allotted to its inhabitants.
The story of the distribution of the
surplus revenue is one of the most
Interesting episodes of our early politi-
cal history. The government, prev
ious to the civil war. depended entire
iy upon customs receipts. or the tar
lff." for its 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 year to almost fifteen millions
in 1885, and almost twenty-five mil
tiOns in 1886. The public debt was
paid off, and there was no way to dis
pose of this money for any ordinary
purpose.
The politicians perhaps they We're
tributing the surplus money to the
states in proportion to population. and
thus restore II to the channels of busi-
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 1897 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 We're never called upon to
refund that which had been deposit,
ed with them.
Each state did what ii pleased with
the money: some used it for internal
improvements within their own bor-
lers; some used II 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 part of ii was
distributed from Portland. The sum
which was to he paid to each person
was hardly more than n dollar and u
quarter. and yet there are old people
still living who gratefully remember
II.
Grandpa Root. then n smoothfaced
youth Of ~, weighing only III pounds,
rode to Portland on Little calico's
back. and he bought the calfskin wal
let at II shop ON Congress street to
hring the money home in. There had
been delays in getting the cash ready
for distribution, and il 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 probably
4. a