Newspapers / The Tarborough Southerner (Tarboro, … / Nov. 23, 1830, edition 1 / Page 2
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0meral3tsseiriMi.- GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. To the Honorable the General As sembly of 'North-Carolina, Uentlemex, - " You have again the enviable priv ilege of assembling yourselves to gether, as the representatives freely chosen, of a sovereign and indepen dent people, to deliberate upon their concerns, and to legislate for their benefit; and probably the beneficence of Providence has not been more clearly manifested in any of the po litical events of the age in which we live, than in imparting that wisdom to the framers of the Constitution un der which you arc assembled, and by which that happy form of govern ment was established, which pre serves us equally free from the tyran ny of the old world, and the confu sion and licentiousness of some of the nations in our own hemisphere. Trusting for the success of your la bors to the recli'ude of your inten tions, and above all, casting your selves upon the favour of that being who is ''the founder of nations and the builder of worlds," arid without whose blessing, all human efforts must be exerted in vain, they must result in the establishment of meas ures, tending to the advancement and exaltation of the prosperity and char acter of our State, and the happiness of its people. The object of all our legislation is the happiness of our citizens, and in furtherance of this object, I would particularly invite your attention to the education of our youth, the inter nal improvement of the Slate, and the regulation of the circulating me dium, as the three great and leading subjects, which should claim your at tention at the present session. Oth er subjects of importance will sug gest themselves to your considera tion, too numerous to receive parricu lar attention in an annual communi cation from the Executive, but of suf ficient importance not to escape the vigilance of the Legislature. The importance of a general diffu sion of knowledge is universally ad mitted; nor is it any longer pretended that learning is unfavorable to morals, cr injurious to the best interests of a nation. On the contrary, our own experience as a nation, and the histo ry of the world prove to us, that most of those who are condemned to the just punishment of malefactors under the laws of a christian community, .ire the exceedingly ignorant, who have been hurried into acts of via lence, or seduced into excess, by the example of a few, whose situation from fortuitous circumstances affords them a passport to luxury, and to criminal indulgence. If then it be true, that the vice, ir religion, and consequent poverty and misery of a large portion of our fel low citizens are to be attrihntpd in their intellectual condition, are these not indispensable consideraiions to iho virtuous legislator? The benevolent designs of the philanthropist, and the particular plans of the political econo mist to promote the general diffusion of education, are mere instrumental expedients in the hands of the legis lator, and without the aid of the strong arm of Government must fall "stiil born," and prove ineffectual for rais ing the ignorant from ilmir ,lorr,.o,u.i condition. The object of education ' ,J u uain tne young to usefulness, and to fit them for that station which they are to assume ,'n after life among freemen. Without a proper cultiva tion of the moral and intellectual fac ulties, this end can never be attained; these artificial helps have ever been found to suffice. Whilst other mem bers of this great confederacy have oeen appropriating millions for the general concern of literature, and es tablishing Schools for the education of their youth, thereby enabling them to keep pace with the enlightened age in which we live, has there not been a manifest dereliction of duly on the part of those who have been entrusted with the regulation of the political economy of North-Carolina, that in all its bounds there never has been es tablished a single institution for gra tuitous instruction, even in the ele mentary branches of education. Fel-low-citizens of the Senate and of the House of Commons, should this be so? and will yOU permit it any longer to be the case? Have we not resources approaching almost to immensity lav ished upon us-and if they are not properly applied, i3 it nor time to raise a protesting voice against a sne cues of economy, which has so long Kept the poor in ignorance, and the State in poverty? Fully sensible of the arduous nature of the duties which devole upon the Legislature; of the difficulty of reconciling the views ev en of those most friendly to the esta blishment of primary schools for the instruction more particularly of the poor, we may yet be consoled by the reflection, that the path is not an un tried one, but has led other legisla tors to the happiest results, by ameli orating the condition of society, esta blishing correct habits, virtues, mor als and religion, always under the do minion of education; and these are the only sure conservators of the govern ment under which we iive. In the archives of the State, you have abun dant materials from which to com plete a system for North-Carolina for the gratuitous public instruction of the youth of the State. If in such a sys tem it be necessary to tax the wealthy for the benefit of the poor.it is in the nature of things that it should be so, and it should be recollected that it is the latter who are oftencr called on to fight the battles of their country. The University of the State, should, in connexion with primary school, also claim the fostering en re of t he Legislature. For this institution spa cious buildings have been erected; ex tensive and valuable libraries have been collected; costly chemical and philosophical apparatus have been pro cured, by which the Professors are enabled to communicate instruction in the elevated branches of learning and science with more case; and these have been effected in no small degree by private contribution. After hav ing struggled through many years for a precarious existence, until it has at tained to a lofty eminence among the colleges of our country, the Trustees are reduced to the necessity of either abandoning it altogether, or of turn ing it over to the Legislature of our country. The lat alternative ha been adopted. To you, many of whom have received your dearest and most valuable inheritance within l consecrated walls, they are about to surrender their trust; and with that, this "child of the Constitution" which, if cheii-shed as it should be, mint become the great moral engine of supplying the halls of our Legisla ture, the liench. the Pulpit, and the Bar, with that learning and talent, which, without it, will be looked for in vain from other parts of the State, and must be supplied from abroad. There can be no better lest of the en lightened wisdom of a nation, than the extent and sufficiency of its pro vision for the mental and moral in struction of its children, and we can never hope to establish for North Carolina, an elevated standard of edu cation, or even of social and national virtue, until the principles of correct education, and their influence upon society, shall have been known, ac knowledged, and practiced among ourselves. Is there not a constitu tional injunction on the subject of ed ucation, and this too, founded on the belief (iq tise no 5lro;r term) that a system ot general education, is in dispensable to a svstem of general ?noratify, and that from lhce alone, we can hope to perpetuate the free in stitutions of our country. To the internal improvement of the State, the attention of the Legislature has for years been directed, without accomplishing many very important objects. For the improvement of our intercourse, both personal and commercial, the liveliest interest has been evinced in every part of the State and with much propriety; for by these alone can the rich bounties of nature, distributed over our ex panded territory, find a market, and a ready exchange for the varied pro ducts of other soils, and the fruits of other climates. Vet this, however correct and sound in principle, is lia ble to hurtful delays, and even utter failure, when undertaken with inade quate means, or managed by incom petent skill. Many of the most lib eral and well devised plans for the in ternal improvement of various parts of the United States have been retar ded, and in some instances have pro ved unsuccessful from these very cau ses, and have contributed not a little to sink into disrepute the whole sys tem. If an appropriation adequate to some great work of internal improve ment cannot be made, it is better to abandon the system entirely for the present to stop and economize, un til our funds accumulate, and our re sources are further developed by in dividual enterprizc, and no longer to fritter away our means by small and ineffectual appropriations, which re quire an additional amount nearly e qual to disburse them. The Board of Internal improve ments, which has ever been distin guished for intelligence, and never more so than at the present moment, is, nevertheless, with the Governor at their head as President ex officio, deemed to be, for all the purposes of their appointment, an inefficient body, and, with great deference to the critJritnrp. should be disnensed with. v., r- Tiie citizens of the State, will not separate the Executive from the Pre sident of the Board, and that courtesy which they are disposed to bestow on the former, will produce the most hurtful delays in the transaction of business in every excursion from the sent of government. Jt is therefore respectfully recommended, that tfie Hoard be discontinued, and' if any works of Internal Improvement shall claim the attention of the Legislature, so as to require an appropriation for their accomplishment, that a Supcrin tendant of Public Works he appoint ed, with a competent salary; who should be responsible to the Legisla ture for the performance of any enter prise, and to whom the Kngineer hould be responsible in turn, for the eucct to ne pro mceu ny ms own P; it-., i i ii i- i J founded responsibility, nothing valu able can be expected, and it is certain t his kind of responsibility does not obtain in our present system. In my lat annual communication to the (ieneral Assembly, I had the honor of calling their attention to the re-opening a communication from the Albemarle Sound to the Atlantic 0 cean, and I cannot in justice to my own feelings (much heightened upon this subject by a recent examination of the waters of this commodious bay under an act cf the last session) per mit it to pass without calling your at leti'iuii to it again. As much oppo sed as any one to the constructive poueis of the (ieneral Government, by which the right to make appropri ations from ihe public funds for pur poses not cltarly and -undeniably nation 1, is claimed, it is nererthe i i i . i . i ies uem vcu io ne an essential iiire (Kent in the general economy of the nation, no less as regards her pursuits in peace, than a preparation for war, that Congress should have the right of constructing' harbors, erecting light-houses and designating ship channels through dangerous bays. Is then the opening a direct commu nication from this bay to "the great highway of nations," not a work undeniably national in its character? Are not "the profits of commerce the dangers of shipwreck pursuit by an enemy convenience for privateers and vessels of war," arc tln.se not national objects, and of sufficient im portance to claim the attention of the General Government? Then a har bor constructed here, will, in the lan guage of their most distinguished En gineers, ''be formed precisely in that part of the coast where it is most needed." The good sense of the Legislature will readily perceive the special ben efit which North-Carolina would se cure to herself by such improved na vigation yet, whatever, may be the peculiar advantages which locality may give to her, as growing out of this improvement, a strong conviction must rest upon the mind of every at tentive examiner of the subject, that the general advantage to the whole nation is of such preponderating in fluence, as to render it an object of pe culiar advantage, and to bring it with in the pale of constitutional apDronri- ations for the General Government. Ihe citizens of Norfolk, with a libe rality and a zeal which have ever cha racterised the commonwealth of Vir ginia, are still pressing on in an enter prise, by which the rich and abundant products of this important portion of our State will inevitably be drawn from us, unless the course of com merce be diverted by the energies of our citizens. If we are then disposed to give the aid of Legislative authori ty to our Representatives in Congress, by. which that influence to which the State is entitled in the councils of the Union shall be duly felt, nothing can more effectually strengthen them in tn?ir efforts at those measWs, which, in the prosecution of this business may be iound needful. The permanent and steady value of property, and the cer tain rewards of industry in any country, depend not less upon the uniform value of its circula ting medium, than ,-upon the proper quantity for its com mercial purposes; nor indeed can the one he well maintained without the others. An undue issue and employment of cur rency, thereby imparting an adventitious value to property, have, in most of the States of the Union, produced difficulties nnrl nmharrassmentS. which l-e-fhavc seldom failed to overtake with ruin, some of the enterpri zing, and many of the most val uable of our citizens. So great have been the evils produced from this source, in most of the Western and Southern States, that many are disposed to wel come the return of the precious metals as the circulating medi um, to the entire exclusion of paper. This latter, however, has been rendered so popular with most persons, and so in dispensable to merchants, for purposes of business, and to the emigrating portion of our community, in consequence of its convenience lor transporta- lion bevond the mountains, and in innumerable instances, its return io the extensive owners of western lauds residing in out own State, that its almost indef inite augmentation was deem ed at one period of our history not only as justifiable, but the sure means of advancing the general interest. Yet as the science of banking advanced, and redundancy and speculation were no longer considered as synonimous with prosperity, but that the precious metals had therely been driven from us, and the currency of the country so depreciated as to have lost its exchangeable val ue, except at so great a dis count, that the poor and middle Classes of the community in point of wealth, were not tin fre quently deprived of all their property, without effecting the payment of their debts. And this will never fail to be the case in any community, where the representative of property is in n depreciated state; for it is up on these classes, that the bur den of such a currency must necessarily fall. The defects of the system under which we have been practising, its tend ency to produce reckless adven ture, improvidence and fraud, and its certain influence and effect on the moral feelings, as well as the industry of the country, are considerations which, should keep the subject before the watchful vigilance of the Legislature; and there are reasons to apprehend that the present moment is peculiary appropriate for its examination fur although the currency of the country is now in as sound and healthful a condition as it can be made, being uniform in value with the precious metals, and the quantity, probably e qual to the demands furnished by the commercial operations of the State, yet it is within the every member of the Legislature, that this a moun t is in a course of such ra pid diminution, that it may pro duce such a sudden apprecia tion in the value of money, and consequent depreciation in the value of property, as will o verwhelm the debtor part of the community in ruin. The State Bank has already discontinued two of its branches, and all the local Banks have lessened their circulation to a sum, within one third of what it was but a few years since, and by a conven tional regulation of these insti tutions with the State, they are all compelled soon to circum scribe their issues within p. cer tain sum, much below even what it now is. When to these considerations is added the fact, that they have all ceased to produce much profit to ( State, and less to individual stockholders, it is but rean able to suppose, that their cL ters, if not surrendered, certainly not be extends? t le Lemslfitnrn. Tho - North Carolina will then .J .. have the alternative present to her, of submitting to a circa" Iating medium furnished by United States' Bank, (the Vk' tencc of which beyond its pr! sent charter is certainly doubt, ful,) or of providing for herself such a medium of exchange, ilN will best subserve the interest" of her citizens, guarding eqiJai. ly against ruinous excess, an sudden deficiency. It is there fore respectfully recommended that a Bank be established somewhat upon the principle of the United States' lank neither exclusively the proper;: of the State, or cxclusivtht r individuals relying neither or . the prudence of directors alont, nor yet committed ctitiroh t0 the management of the Led lature. 4 The first actuated" bv mercenary motives, and regard ' less of a due limitation Jftb quantity of paper to th- dc mands of commerce, rai ,f multiply the circulating meuiua beyond all due bounds an,!: the latter, feeling only a corn ' munity of interest in" such a: institution with the other ci:i zens of the State, and suhjec: to annual change, might require the excitement of individual in terest to preserve in a heahlrtV condition the affairs of a Bank. In such an institution, restrict ed in their annual dividends f a specific sum, and this voir little, if any, beyond the legii interest of money, it is believed that an innate check would It provided, whose force and infiu- ence from its very nature, would operate on the director; at the moment when loans were made, obviate the motive to ex cess of issues, and thereby cr- sure a uniformity in the curren cy with the precious metiiis the primary object to be effec ted by all legislative enactment; on this important branch o; pollitical economy. And if fo: such a charter, or any othc which the State may grant,; compensation should be re qui-' red, it should be paid, not in an nual tax, but at the expirafc of its charter, and out of ti t surplus profits of the Ban For this modification of the system of Banking, now propo . sed and recommended to th' adoption of the Legislature, i am indepted to the simultane ous suggestion of two of the most distinguished citizens o the State, who have comniar.- ded almost an unequalled share of the public confidence, which will, I doubt not, ensure fori the respectful consideration c the Legisluture. The Congress of the Unttec States at their last session pas sed a law, commonly called the "Indian Bill," by- which th . President of the United States is authorized to have so muci-V of the territory belonging to tfr United States west of the Aliss-. issippi, and not included in an)" State, divided into a suitable number of districts for the rt . ception of such tribes or nation? of Indians, as may choose K exchange for them the Ian , where they now reside an' making an ample appropriate for their transportation anc; " subsistence for one year. This measure, emanating flf less from hnmanity than ftoti 1 wisdom, is the only practice ble means of effecting the vol untary emigration of the rem
The Tarborough Southerner (Tarboro, N.C.)
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Nov. 23, 1830, edition 1
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