Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-04-30
GOMgsRBS SIOMAT.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, MARCH 2S
PHILIP u. BARBOURS SPEECH
ICON LUDED.

ng crisis in political history. During The war OF
he revolution, the whole energies Of people
in support of that great struggle and they
went together with heart and one hand During
he interval between that and the late our strenu
rus efforts were extred TO repair the mschefs OF the
Irst war; 10 build government; put il into
,raon restore public credit, and by every means
our power, TO acquire stand among the nations OF
he earth. The late again put into requisiton all
'ur civil and military energies in vindcation OF our
ondl honor Since Its termination, new era has opened
upon us. With nothing seriously TO disturb us from
abroad, we are left to look at home. The action OF
he government has turned inv ards with over
lowing revenue, and near approach to the extngnsh
nent OF our public debt. New schemes OF policy are
devised; principles OF government avowed. iear
sir, that we may hnd other paons have found, that
period Of peace, however desirable in ITSELF is precise
ly that in which government is to he put to its
verest trial Amidst the din of arms or in the great
effort 10 build up political establishments the selh.h
passions in great d. gree absorbed in the more i'm
pc, tant objects TO be effected These being
moved there is full scope for their action, and 1t
calls for all our hrmness and all patriotism TO pre-.
vent the injurious effects. Sir, ii this government
would confine its action TO those great Objects which,
in my estima ion, its founde intended, such as
peace negotiation, foreign commerce, Sc, and leave
every thing municipal in its nature to the States, we
should i'm harmonious concert aud peace, content
and happiness would prevail throw bout borders
In relation 10 these great questions, there IL con-
munity oil interest throughout the Union; as on the
one hand, these must be acted upon by the federal go-
vernment, on the other its action upon Them is not,
in It's nature, necessarily calculated to create strife
whole. Sir, il is when pass beyond this line, and
ntrude upon the field of municipal eeisatiop;when we
act on subjects In which the df-re States have dercn
aud opposing nteresisin which the benefit we extend 10
one Is at the expense Of another; aud in which each
State can best act for ITSELF IL ia by this that
ara corv, ri ng content ino dscOn,ent harmony into
dicord and bringing in'o direct conflict those DIFF rent
interests which, if acted internally by the States
and externally by this Government, would afford the
strongest cement 10 the Union. The natural pursuits
OF the North, for example, those Of commerce end
ia Let ZACH
be managed at nome,-I mean 10 their internal oper
ton,-and they are the allies of each other; the North
ern merchants aud ship owners the buyers and
transpoters OF Southern produce; and the South pur
chase the imported goods Of the North but the moment
this Government attempts to control AMI requisite the
whole, then the conflict begns for then the regulation
which advances the Interests OF by the ope
ration Injuries that Of the other.
Sir, there strong objections to this SYSTEM arising
from the difficulty OF executing it, ifs road is to be
constructed by our authority, must have power tn
demand the land for il ste-mber, stone and gravel
tor its construction How are these TO he oh.ined!
The Constitution forbds from taking private proper
~ without just compensation. To make this must,
by our officers, summon jures, condemn the requisite
land value the stone. timber Sc. IL this munich
pal legislation? The bill in question makes provs-
ion Tor this Suppose the of the soil refuse,
by contract 10 supply these things, you must 60 into
this whole process Again. air, after the roads shall
have been constructed. they must be kept in repair.
Shall II be dsne by perpetua drain upon the Teasury
or w III you proceed TO erect toll gates? Sir. this has
been attempted in the Of the Cumberland road,
out we have not yet screwed our courage up 20 this
point Here let me remind you Of the solemn convic-
ton OF some OF The States that you cannot these
gates Will you, in the face Of this, press and put
such States in 'he rliniul dilemma OF restricting your
authority or yielding up what they believe TO be their
rights: God forbid that the experiment should be
made! would not have serious conflict with
single State for all the roads which you will ever
make.
which charm, like the Syren's song, which beg leave
to examine closely aud TO expose to the people large
wish to prove TO Them and think can, to demon.tra
non, that they are under inter deuson in relation to it,
The gentleman from Pennsylvania has given us glow.
ing description Of The value of good roads and other
channels OF communications they enhance the value OF
land, they diminish the price OF they al
most annhilae time and space and. in the fashiona
figure Of speech they the body polite what the
veins and arteries are TO the body natural The gentle
man, not content with description OF their vaue
has held TO Tie in bold relief the thousands OF mile
| OF turnpike constructed by Nspoleon the splendid
bridges, sc he might have added the eighteen thou
sand miles turnpike in England; he might have gone
further hack TO the time OF Louis 14h, the Grand Mo.
narque, and described the Canal Of he mig
have gone further back tn Henry 4th Of France, and
spoken of the splendid road constructed by SuIy from
Paris towards Brussels adorned with iriple rows oil
elss nay, Sir. he might have gone back further still
anu spoken OF The magnificent aqueduc OF Rome, n
| Appian and Emilan ways. This. cir ia the splendid
Illusion which charms and captivaes our people Unit
this shall be dispeed, they be brought Il
dispassonaie reasoning the subject wish the ren
teman had held up TO view on the same canvass
the thousands Of miles of turnpike in England and the
tens OF Thousands Of people who either 90 supperl
to bed. driven by taxation 10 live The lessl
tenance which will support human lille: and the 1000 l.
rishmen, the most brave and the most petsrcucd POO
pie on earth, who subsisi OConnsll tells us each
uron three half pence per days So the FIR nch can
vass, he should have presented the roads the canals
the bridges, and, at the time, the Tuinou, grind
ing. and oppressive gabele and %. the Ro
man canvass, he should have presened the splendid
queduci and the paved ways, and Al the time, h,
should have told us, in the eloquent language Of mo
dern writer, chat the payment and ruins Of Rome
buried in dust shaken from the feet OF babrians" Sir
let II not he supposed that am hostile 10 good rosd
and canals; the gentleman may exhaust himselin the
eulosy. and shall not object; by righnul meaus, le
mountains he leveIled, valleys filled upeven the Ap
paachln mountains u you please suhdned by the ha
OF man. The value OF all this concludes nothing agains
my arguments il does not at all touch the question at H.
sue between the gentleman and myself that question
s not whether these things useful for that nohod,
denes-hnt il is how, and by whom, these improve
ments shall he made' The gentleman says, they sbou
| be made here; cay. they should be made nv III,
States; when thus made. We shall enjoy all their u'il
iy, and that only. When made by this Government
fear, believe. for the reasons have already stated
and others which shall hereafter urge, that the sys
tenn will eventually destroy the Independence Of I'M
Sates, that the States in their erect independence A
The pillars which support great political fabrc hat
| II these be weakened, the whole fabric will Crumb
into aoms, and fall, with tremendous crash; that will
IT, will fall our political liberty which In the language
Of Cato, value more than houses, villas siafu,s pic
turesand will add roads, canals and bridges Civ,
me people who are free, happy, anil not
tixed though IN Che plain gsrb OF republican simplic
ty, rather than Weighed down by oppression ibougi
surrounded by all the monuments n( the arts nation