Magnanimous Quotes
Honore Gabriel Victor Requiti. France was in desperate financial condition and the "radical" notion of an income tax was proposed and debated but the rich nobles violently objected. The tax was not enacted. The French Revolution followed. The nobles lost more than part of their income.
This section of the message was all about the Erie Canal that was under construction. Note that unlike today, where interest in public works and development is so localized, Clinton was extolling the virtue of developing the economy of the region and the nation. The money was all New York State money. The Federal Government would not fund the Erie Canal as they did not believe it was technically feasible to construct. See {624484} . Patriotism had a different meaning then.