Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-05-14

SHAPE.
Mr.. Wick!ilc, of Kentucky, replied at large
60 Mr.. Basscit. he explained the nature of the
objections 10 the navigation of the Western ri
vers, and the Importance of removing them, il
practicable. The Mississippi and the Ohio, lie
said, were not interior but boundary rivers.
They washed twelve states and territories, and
formed the only channci OF communication with
the ocean. His plan for executing this i'm
proveiucnt, he said, would be, first, to rcinorc
tue snags in the Mississippi, because the in
proyement iii the navigation of rivers must be-
gin al the mouth OF i!,eIn, Nc all thence to pro-
Ceed up the river.
Mr.. Buchanan, that he nigh; be distinctly
understood as 10 how tar hc willing, to go on
the subject, stated the comparative merits OF
the bill, and the amendment now under cons-
deratioD. BY the bill, experiment was to be
made in removing sand bar; ii successful, it
was to be followed mp by other similar operations;
ifnot, the attempt was to be abandoned. Tho
amendment, however, reported by the commit
tee OF the whole, as iudctntc in its terms
AS language could make it II pledged the go
vcrnmcntto proceed 10 remove every o5structi-
on to navigation from the town of Brownsville to
the mouth of the River Ohio, and down the Mis-
sissippi, and this Hcrcuiean work was proposed
bv or, amendment To the bill. which could scarce
w be understood, read fton the Clerks ia
Die. MIR. Is. said, he was friendly 10 the i'm
proye,nent ofthe navigation of the Western wa.
Sus9uehannah, the Hudson, and the Connec:i-
cut and he wiling that the experiment
should be made in the W cstern waters, before
it is male in the Susuuahannah, though he by
40 means admitted that they possessed superior
c!ainz. Ills oh lection was, not To The object of
tlic biz but To s!ic nicntc terms urthc amend
II 1T
air. Stewart, of Pcnns,iean;a having been
on, s.. ti., members of the committee winch re-
ported this bill! and assisted in preparing the a
incnd.nent, rose to eNpain the grounds on Which
il was presented to the House. He adyertei to
the surveys and reports which had been made
by the commissioners appointed for that pur-
nose furnishing all the facts of the actual con-
Ition OF the river, and recommending the very
measure now proposed for improving the nari-
cation. Tho losses sustained III present by those
who navig,t tie the river Ohio and Mississippi,
were estimated as high as from iyc to ten per
cent. OH the amount; and, when it was rccolIec-
ted that the commerce with Piitsburg alone l.
mounted to million AMI half of dollars, the Il
mount of the annual loss would be found to be
enormous, aud to justify much larger expcn-
diture than 10 now proposed He compared
this expenditure with those for improving and
protecting other bays and rivers, affecting but
one of two states, whereas eleven states boun-
Ged on this river and asked with what con-
science gentlemen on the Atlantic could ask
this House for a hundred thousand dollars n year
for its lighthouse establishment, and refuse The
people OF the west, toC their navigation, this pii-
tance of as 900 dollars, sc.
Mr. Brent of Louisiana, had no objection 10
tue ,icct Of this bill, but considered Tie ancnl
Inent, as it now stands, embracing we'd ali
the tributary streams as tic Iiain stream OF ti.y
Dii,s sud Mississippi, as too comprehensive: ana
.loved an amendment, the object OF which was
10 confiuei il to the latter.
Mr.. Sharpe made some additional remarks ou
the subject, the general import OF which was,
that he thought the appropriation now to be
made ought to contiacd 10 the purposes Of an
g .leTi!ncDt-
ar. Mercer, of Virginia, delivered tho {
<is.ys Of this subject, which his personal Know
ledge All Investigations suggested. Any ali
tempt to extend the iTProy cionts oi ,.c.ig,tio.
TO the streams tributary 10 the Ohio, No.:!l liz
believed, be entirely inconsistent with any rea-
sanabe limit to the expenditure on tiiis subject:
for, he believed, nothing short ofa canal the
whole way from Br wnsye to Pittsburg could
effect a navigation OF that distance. lie was in
favor of the amendment Of Mr.. Brent, with a
further amendment, that the expenditure should
commence from the mouth of the Mississippi
At some future day. lac hoped to a general
system adopted for the purposes Of internal i'm
urove,nent, founded on the very local feeling:
which opposed any inproT OF particula,
point by embracing all objects ofthS desert p;iD,
calling fo- the national interpretation. Mr.. VI.
IN conclusion, exposed the error OF those who
attribute 10 the sea-ports the payment of the
Imports, which are not paid by them, bat by the
consumer, in the w c;i as we'll as The Easi-a,.d
the error on the other hand, OF surprising that
expenditures for improving navigation pro!itci
only those who lived near the scat of it, &c.
Mr.. Livcunore said, he verify believed, If
the simple question were presented Il apprJpri-
ate money to improve the navigation OF ta::
Western Rivers, nine-tcn.hs of the House 9o.,,G
be in favor of it. The bill was embarrassed BY
It's detai,s and fit was lost would fall by them
'Tie5e details es5ary, AMI lie wis!a;.
l.,cy might be cxclt lei b. some amendment.
Mr.. Conway, Delegate from arkansas, pro-
posed an amendment TO the bill, the object OF
which was to give the President general pow
er to apply 5000 dollars to the Improvement of
navigation of the Mississippi, Ohio, anil the Mis-
sour, as high up as Franklin.
Mr. buchanan said, that every amendment
offered to the bill, proved that a general arcad-
ment was necessary, embracing the object Of
making an experiment to improve the naviEati-
on Of the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers, wf:ic.
:, dcciie1 majority Of the House would be in IA
vor Of. 70 allow offs be-; =; prope"!y prepared
~ n1Ye1 10 az ne 0tN on NE ti5ie.
" mich motion was agreed 70, AMI ti.c oil! was
ordered to tic %, the table accordingly.
After refusing two successive motions to in
tcrrupt the regular progress Of the assigned or
ders of the day
The Biii 10 confer certain powers on the Levy
Court of the County of Alexandria, passed
through a committee of the whole, :ir. Latliop
in the Chair, anil was ordered 20 be cngrosscd
for a third reading.
WABASH AND M!AtU CANAI..
IT,. House tI,an resolved itself into con-
rnttce Of toe whole, Mr.. Ross in the Chair OF