Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-11-18


~ changing the name to- Potomac of the
prevalence of local iaterest in the undertake
,lg? He hoped other gentlemen had, like
hun, No objection TO the lateral canal, or 10 a
connection between the Potomac and the
chesapeake nj Baltimore. The hints which
ne had drnppe,', he trusted, would have their
due innu-rcr on his friend from Montgome-
~, aud induce him To Withdraw his u~tinn.
Mr.. A. LEE congratulated the Convrnlioul
:nd himself that IRIS sugg-stun had drawn
forth from the gentlemen from Kentucky aud
Ohio 81 much Information rs tn the views of
the West upon this subject. lie would as
.sire his friend from Prince Georges, that nei-
Their himself nor his trruds in the last LeSisla-
turc of Maryland had the most remote inien-
Ii"n tn deprive Baltimore orany portion of
hrr trade. Ia my opinion. said Mr.. LEE, Bal
timore stands pre-em,neutiy high for her var-
GUS merits, amongst which her fnrtitude and
her enterprise are conspicuous: she is the me-
lr,rulis ofthe State in which WAS born and
which hope Ia end my life. Her interest
l. dear to every Maryander, 10 the People Of
the Western States, and the People OF Virgi-
mia am sure she is dear. Ii rs mt for me- to
pronounce her euloSy, hut may be allow ed
10 speak of her az feel. My object, said Mr..
i. was tn elicit the feelings of the Western
section of the Union, not merely as to the
greater question of the Canal but also rs to
the minor consideration Gifts mere name. He
hoped, he said, gentlemen would pause before
any step was taken, which, however it may
appear ofttle Importance here, will he of vas,
importance where the work must be COM
tnenccd-for, said he, yon must have char
ter before you go any further you cannot go
one step until you get charter, by an act of
The State of Maryland. By giving the name
10 the Canal, as proposed by eth- committee,
he hoped the Con, ention would stand acquit-
ted oiany views pre.judicia To the interests OF
Baltimore.
Mr.. M'LrAN said, the reasons which had in
duced him To he in favor Of achange in the
name of the Canal WAS, that hs supposed that
there was more than one Canal ofthe name of
the " Union Canal" in operation, ard that
Ohio and Chesapeake" would he designa-
ton acceptable 10 gentlemen on both sides of
the mountains, and would not fail to call M To
the mind associations pleasing, TO every citizen
oithe community. IL was nnt proposed to H.
nit the canal 10 the mountains or to any par
tcnlar point, but to extend il wherever il could
penetrate.
mir. FoRRrsr Withdrew his proposition to
amend the name reported by the Committee.
But he said, as this is great national work, in
which the whole nation is Interested, and he
thought the name of " Union Canal" peculiar
iy appropriate for il, looking at lis moral and
political consrquenCes-he should resist alto
Seiher the proposed change of,hr name.
The question was then taken on changing
the name 10 :" The Ohio and Chesapeake" and
decided in the affirmative, but not without "a
DIVISION
The next amendment proposed the alterna-
tive. in part only of the sums required
should he raised, &c.-and being read,
Mr.. MERCER briefly stated the reasons
which induced The committee TO recommend
this qualification of The original proposiiion.-
he made variety Of observations, in addition
TO his elaborate exposition Of yesterday, going
70 shew the reasonabeness of the apporton-
rnents which were proposed to the States of
V,rginIa, Maryland, SC and suggested that it
nIR... possibly be in their power To present To
the Sidt" OF Maryland plan for removing
some of the objections which have been here
fofore urged against her embarking in this
undertaking. The hesc way he said, to pre-
vent the operation of local considerations islto
found systems on their existence that Isl in
deed, the OILY way in which they can he oh
waited. fla system similar to that Of Virginia
could bf offered TO the People of Maryland
Mr.. NJ said he would venture 10 predict, from
what he knew, that there would be little diff
Guilty IN inducing that state 10 sanction it, Sc
with regard 10 the proportion which was ask
ed Of the United States Mr. NJ, said, there
were some difficulties IN the way. One of
these was, as To the question Of the authority
OIihP United STATES 20 set on foot any scheme
ut iniernal improvement. IL was wished
therefore, though he considered the wish I'M
worthy of the object, to regard the Congress
OF The United States in this case, as the mere
1t gislrture Of the District of Columbia and
he presumed The most scrupnous would ad-
nl' tiiat the Congress has the same power over
The people and territory of this District as he
States. respectively, have over their people and
territory. Looking every where about him u,
this riiv, Mr.. NJ. said. he saw vacant lots, and
on Inquiry, he found that five thousand Of these
lots helong to The People and Government of
the United States. Ifhe looked ut the esti-
mate of The value of that property, hp found
that that estimate doubled the amour; which
u vas proposed 10 ask from the United States
Tor this object Only suppose, he said, that
civ as large as New York could BIZ brought
here or what hr verify believed we stall have
here in century after this undertaking is
COMPLETED, Il city as large as Canton or Pekin,
md we can form some idea what s. i'll then be
the value of This property. IL, therefore, said
he. We arpral to the most sordid propensities
of the National Legislature, lif they have any
such propensllies,) | presume we do not ask
tor much for their share in this great work.
with regard To ~ bat vas asked from The cities
nf the District, Mr.. VI. said, if he confidently
behrttd The whole money could be got else
where, hr would not appeal 10 them, not be-
cause they are DISTINGUISHED as is sard-hp
knew that his fellow citizens Of this District
aTr IS high minded and patriotic az any in the
nation he should b. sorry ifthry were not SO
because they ifubibrd this feeling from the
sa o source AS hmsrlf-buf he should fnrbear
10 rrcss them, for obvious rrasons, Is bich he
would not mrnilnn, except that, so far as il re