Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-01-24
made The hadhecn printed so,s,nmeut h,

| N'i"t N'fhS " HaC bttn r. i''ift q ne
'nittrs of the whole, nlrr-r hal trrn :cr
'hro' section by ser'inn 6, her, ne had calie,'
on gentlemen :" niT,r their a,ncn,lni,i.ts. ar,t
make their ohlPc:iuns. Meme were submitted
and the hill bad hrrn permitted "a ii;ug-rs,
aud me cngrossrd, when i, WAS ton late "a uf.
Ter any amendment In reconcile IA. ruun,ei
ing views of gcnl. men.
| ile disclaimrd any wish to introduce init
the bill the constitutional gtr.li.,n alluded 10
Its friends had suGlnusly avoid, 4 il and lac
| Thought it could Ne proven nat "a have been
touched. He objected IL testing the merits
of the bill, in relation {" this paint. hy the
proceedings of the Conventona ~ Washington.
| The only question WIS, was :he bW liable 10
tn" objection ursetf m. ddnrt presu;r,I iha.
any one would qurstiun. hut that Cong; cas-
had as nntm'tfd u Jurisdiction over the Dis
irc; of Columhi. the Legislature had A.
yer the state of Virginia The creates, diff
entity on the whole proposed schrnp or i'm
nrovemeni. MAS within the District of Column
bia, over which Congress possessed this ex
ciAs've power, and he could not see how the
company could carry their canal without
the assent ofthat body. And fthis assent be-
necessary, what mode was To he pursued TO
Obtain IL There was no other mode, he said.
hut bya Joint stock company, and this mode
only requests transfer Of the rights of Con-
gress 10 this company. The District of Co
lumbia was even more Interested in the sub
ject than Maryland or Virginia, and should
therefore provide its portion of the funds
Commissioners must be appointed in each
state. and the District, and the government Of
the U. States must he called on TO provide for
their appointment in the District. The Com
n,issioners so appointed, were strictly confin-
ed to the District, and the states by which
they were appointed, and required tn open
books for subscriptions, Sc Sc
He thought there was nothing covert in the
provision requiring reports TO be mad. To the
secretary Of the treasury: that officer was to
the district what the auditor and treasurer
were tn Virginia, and the reports were intend
ed to afford to the people OF the district the
means of obtaining Official information OF the
state of the company.
He saw no reason for the alarm Of the gen
tleman. The consent of Congress was asked
just as the consent of the states had been ask
ed And the very act of asking this consent,
he thought denied 10 Congress the power Ia
carry on the works themselves. There was
nothing IN the bill SoiFg 10 commit the House
oi Delegates on the qnes,On--but if Congress
on the application of others should exercise
the power. the House conld not he RESPONSE
bile for it. He asked ifit would not he idle to
refuse To do any thing nm subject ofso much
Importance. fnr fear that Congress should vi
ola'e the constitution. There was "A scheme
before congress To appropriate certain funds
I" the states in proportion 10 their rrprrsen-
'ahon, tn he applied 10 objects of Internal I'm
provement Probably on the success Of this
scheme would depend the fate of the appli-
cation made by the hill. He believed that
there were now only two States, Virginia and
North Carolina, that maintained rigid inter-
probation of the constitution according 10 its
strict letter. And would il not be unwise in
us, whilst all the other states were availing
themselves of the appropriations of Congress,
tn allow the portion allotted to us to remain
undrawn and unused He thought il would
he wise To disclaim the violation of the consti-
luton, hut as other states We're using
the money, 10 take our share uf it, &C. No
provision in the hill, he commended. conceded
any power TO Congress on the subject or to
any oftheir agents.
MIR. Loyal replied that no one he presum
ed, entertained the least doubt az To the iuris-
dctton of the general government over the
District OF Columbia and so long az their
power was confined TO that district, he would
not raise his voice against it. Last session, he
said, bill had passed by which a joint stock
company had bren Incorporated for the pur-
poses contemplated in the bill under consider
alton, but IT had net been found sufficient, and
this bill had heen resorted to-a bill by which
the cooperation, The po,cer, and the means of
the United States were to he as much exprted
as those Of the states. To sustain this position
he appealed 10 the words of the bill.
He appealed IN the candor of the gentle
man Ia say, il it was not contemplated TO call
on Virginia for an appropriation. in pursuance
oi the provisions of the bill.-Was there not
already, If not in that House, in the possession
oil some person, bill calling on Virginia for
100000, as her portion If the Joint fund
created by the bill under consideration 9-and
would not the United States be asked for nj
least one million as their proportion will
me gentleman contend that this sum from the
y. states was necessary to carry the canal
through the District of Columbia? But, if
'he nlli dId not concrde 10 congress power
which 1t was the inlexible determination of
The House to resist, let the gentleman show
the TACT by some other argument than ne had
used ;else they ought not, and would not en-.
terrain it for moment. 1t pointed To. and
distinctly marked out the co operation OF the
general government in the whole scheme.
Mr. Chllton had not expected that the flu
trre views of the friends Of the bill would be
called for TO acknowledge that the u. States
were TO he called on to aid in the object. He
Thought that government ought TO furnish all
The means TO carry the canal through the Dis
trict.
Mr.. Coston replied to the appeal made to
his candor, and said the legislature would BE-.
called on TO subscribe for a portion of the
stock. But he said the merits Of the bill, and
the subscription on the part Of the state. were
separate and distinct questions, which ought
not To- he blended
The objection to The bill passed last winter
was, that the assent Of Congress WAS not ask
ed; and without that assent il could never be
carried into effect
Mr.. Gordon did not wish to vote agains,