Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-03-12

canals have IL Lm.ei and appropriate rr.1-
tuu" Ia the military driLrce oI me country, !
" III SURF entler the whole arSum-ni. Sir, WHO
Is the situation of this cnuntry, IN refereu,c {"
its capacity for defence There is mol Il VA
ton on earth Astounding ;" much in the lie
ments of strength, that $50 much weakened
by their diffusion. Aud every one knows, th.t
not only the Increased energy, hut The veiy
existence Of military power, depends upon The
concentration Of these clements. ii, by a Judi
! cious system of roads and canals, we double
the facilities Tor military movements, aud the
rapidity with which the forces at the country
may be brought to bear upsn an invading force,
| We increase, i'm nearly the same degree, our de-
fensive power. II, by the same means,we t"abls
the 90, eminent To transport arms, munitions,
troops, and subsistence, for one-iourth at he
price it would new cost, we qiadruple the pow
or of the country, SD Ear rs money is Ia be re-
| garded as an element IF military power
These Hypothetical cases, sO Tar from being
eXtravagant, are short of the reality. ii tins
were not apparent, from mere inspection of
the map Of the country, II could not fail to- be
deeply Impressed upon us, by the disastrous
experience of the recent war with Great Brit
| ain. We cannot have forgotten the waste of
life and treasure, which we sustained On the
Northwestern frontier, principally for the
want of facilities of transportation. The ex-
traordinary expenses of a single campaign,
lin which -four cost the government upwards
of one hundred dollars u barely arising from
this deficiency, would defray the expense of
the most important of the roads and Canals,
contemplated for military purposes. Can it,,
then, be doubted, that roads and canals have
direct and appropriate rrlstion to the militia
ny defence of the country? Let us suppose,
sir, that any one, or combination, of the
great powers Of the world, should wage a war
of determination against this republic. will
not undertake To say, how p'"hable such an
event may be, or how remote bot, IN discus
sing the constitutional power ot This govern
| ment To defend tie country, we are bound TO
regard all those combinations and ,icissi-
tudes Of human affairs, Of which history fur
| nlshes SO many examples. Upon what, then,
would pur safety, and even our existence, de
| pend, ifthOse combinations and yicissitudes
should cover our coasts with the hosts of
an invader, aiming tn extinguish, in blood
the light Of our example? Sir, the whole
power of the country would he called in re-
QUESTION and need not say how much of
| that power, both as il regards men and sub
sistence, lies beyond the mountains. In an
emergency, such az have supposed, at least
a fourth part of the military energies Of the
Republic would be almost entirely unavaing,
| for all the purposes of its defence and pre-
servation, without the improvements here con-
tempiatcd. Indeed, the power of this go
vernment to make roads and canals for mill
tary purposes, is so obvious, that my friend
from Virginia, Mr.. Archer, has, with his cha
racteristic candor, distinctly admitted it but,
he contends, that the roads and canals con-
templated in this bill, are not OF that Gascrp-
ton. Now, perfectly agree with him, that,
ii, under the pretext ofmaking military roads
and canals, Congress were to assume the pow
er OF making them for purposes not military,
1t would be AN act ofusurpaton. The powers
OF this government must be honestly exercis-
ed; and, although cannot perceive any prin-
ciple upon which the Judiciary could pro-
nounce any road unconstitutional, Oil may be
permitted so TO characterize road j yet,
admit, that The conscience of every member Is
tribunal, before which he must be able TO
Justify his vote, in each particular exercise of
| the powe in question.
| An honorable gentleman from Virginia, Mr..
Rives,) who favored us with an argument of
great ingenuity, and TO which listened with
unusual pleasure, has told us, that if we as
simulate a military road to a forthcaiion, we
may, with little more license Of the imagina-
] tion, say, that bread. and even the hearts of
| our citizens, are Notifications I trust, sir,
there is more Of fact than of fancy in this
And, would ask the honorable gentleman,
VI he means to deny the power of this govern
ment to provide bread for the sustrnance Of
its armies, or TO call into requisiton the hearts
and the blood Gifts citizens, for their common
defence?
Driven from the ground of precise consti-
tutienal investigation, gentlemen have conjur-
ed up phantom which they denominate con
solidation; and which ] shall now endeavor
to exercise. And should be glad il some Of
them would favor us with precise idea of
what they mean by consolidation. If they
mean by it firm and indssoIubIe union of the
states. for one, am decidedly in favor of il :;
hut, iftbey mean by il the annibistien of the
state governments, or the destruction Of SIN
gle power that appropriately belongs to them,
there is no man who dsapprOves Of ii more,
and, will add, who fears il less than DO.
II gentlemen will atfentively examine the
organization and structure of our Govern
menf, they will perceive that a consolidation,
in this sense of the term, cannot possibly take
place. What, sir a.? Annihilafe the State Go
yernmPntsi when one Of the branches of the
National Legislature is absolutely dependent
upon them, and The other emanaies from the
very same people who create those Govern
ments Usurp the powers Of the State Co
vernmrnts wlIen this Government could
not exercise them lift would and would not
exercise them If il conId Gentlemen have
deIuded themselves by the vague gcnerali-
ties in which they have INDUCED, and have
tIiumphantly asked, What may this Govern
ment not do. IL il has power to make internal
improvements? Sir.I would ask in reply, What
may this government mott do, under any consiruc-
ton which they would themselves give to the
constitution For, / must he permitted to
say, that, IL the liberties Ofthe Republic are in
any danger from the powers of This Govern
meni, il is from these expressly granted. II
has, in The power Of war and peace, the alb