From the book The Life of Davy
Crockett by Edward Sylvester:
Several years ago I was one evening standing on the steps of the
Capitol with some members of congress, when our attentions was attracted
by a great light over in Georgetown. It was evidently a large fire.
We jumped into a hack and drove over as fast as we be done, many houses
were burned and many families made houseless, and besides, some of them
had lost all but the clothes they had on. The weather was very cold,
and when I saw so many children suffering, I felt something had to be
done for them. The next morning a bill was introduced appropriating
$20,000 for their relief. We put aside all other business and rushed it
through as soon as it could be done.
The next summer, when it began to be time to think about
election, I concluded I would take a scout around among the boys of my
district. When riding one day in a part of my district in which I was
more of a stranger than any other, I was a man plowing the field and
coming toward the road. I spoke to the man and he replied politely, but
I thought rather coldly.
I began: “Well friend, I am one of those unfortunate beings called candidates and—”
The men replied “Yes I know you; you are Colonel Crockett. I
have seen you once before, and voted for you the last time you were
elected. I suppose you are out electioneering now, but you had better
not waste your time or mine, I shall not vote for you again.”
I begged him to tell me what was the matter.
Well Colonel, it is hardly worthwhile to waste your time or
words upon it. I do not see how it can be mended but you gave your vote
last winter which shows that either you have not capacity to understand
the Constitution, or that you are wanting in the honesty and firmness
to be guided by it. In either case you are not the man to represent me.
I intend this only to say that your understanding of the Constitution
is very different from mine; And I will say to you what but for my
rudeness, I should not have said, that I believe you to be honest. The
man continued “But an understanding of the Constitution different from
mine I cannot overlook, because the Constitution, to be worth anything,
must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all its provisions. The
man who wields power and misinterprets it is the more dangerous the
honest he is. “I admit the truth in all you say, but there must be some
mistake. Through I live in the back woods and seldom go from home, I
take the papers from Washington and read very carefully all the
proceedings of Congress. My papers say you voted for a bill to
appropriate $20,000 to some sufferers by fire in Georgetown. Is that
true?
Colonel Crockett said, “Well my friend; I may as well own up.
You have got me there. But certainly nobody will complain that a great
and rich country like ours should give the insignificant sum of $20,000
to relieve its suffering women and children, particularly with a full
and overflowing treasury, and I am sure, if you had been there, you
would have done just the same as I did.”
The farmer replied, “It is not the amount Colonel, that I
complain of; it is the principle. In the first place, the government
ought to have in the Treasury no more than enough for its legitimate
purposes. But that has nothing with the question. The power of
collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power
that can be entrusted to man, particularly under our system of
collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country,
no matter how poor he may be. What is worse, it presses upon him
without his knowledge where the weight centers, for there is not a man
in the U.S. who can ever guess how much he pays to the government. So
you see, that while you are contributing to relieve one, you are drawing
it from thousands who are even worse off than he. If you have the
right to give anything, the amount was simply a matter of discretion
with you, and you had as much right to give $20,000,000 as $20,000. If
you have the right to give it all; and as the Constitution neither
defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to
any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a
charity and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily
perceive what a wide door this could open for fraud and corruption and
favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other.
No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity. The farmer
continues; “Individual members give as much of their own money as they
please, but they have no right to touch a dollar of the public money for
that purpose. If twice as many houses had been burned in this country
as in Georgetown, neither you nor any other member of Congress would
have thought of appropriating a dollar for our relief. There are about
240 members of Congress. If they had shown their sympathy for the
sufferers by contributing each one week’s pay, it would have made over
$13,000. There are plenty of wealthy men around Washington who could
have given $20,000 without depriving themselves of even a luxury of
life. The congressmen chose to keep their own money, which, if reports
be true, some of them spend not very creditably; and the people about
Washington, no doubt, applauded you for relieving them from necessity by
giving what was not yours to give. The people have delegated to
Congress, by the Constitution, the power to do certain things. To do
these, it is authorized to collect and pay moneys, and for nothing else.
Everything beyond this is usurpation, and a violation of the
Constitution. So you see Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in
what I consider a vital point. It is precedent fraught with danger to
the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond
the limits of the Constitution, there is no limit to it, and no security
for the people. I have no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not
make it any better, except as far as you are personally concerned, and
you see that I cannot vote for you.”
Colonel Crockett thought; I felt streaked. I saw if I should
have opposition, and this man should go to talking and in that district I
was a gone fawn-skin. I could not answer him, and the fact is, I was
fully convinced he was right, I did not want to. But I must satisfy him
and I said to him:
“Well. my friend, you hit the nail upon the head when you said I
had not sense enough to understand the Constitution. I intended to be
guided by it, and thought I had studied it fully. I have heard many
speeches in Congress about the powers of Congress, but what you have
said here at your plow has got more hard sound sense in it than all the
fine speeches I ever heard. If I had ever taken the view of it that you
have, I would have put my head into the fire before I would have given
that vote; and if you will forgive me and vote for me again, if I ever
vote for another unconstitutional law I may wish to be shot.”
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