The Arkansas advocate., 1831-01-05

1 tue fufe Ill titstI AJoPttt PfCSCfiBSQ EJ ] the Constitution. Il the interest of tie
 Uovernmentin private companies IS sub
 ordinate to that of individuals, the man-
 aegement and control of a portion of siie public funds is delegated to an author 1 ity unknown to the Constitution, and be- yond thesuperyisions of ourconstituents: | if superior, it's officers and agents will be constantly exposed to inputations oi ia vorltlsm and oppression. Direct prelu-
 dice to the public interest, or an aliela- tlon of the affections and respect of DOT
 tlons of the people, may, therefore, in addition to the general discredit result ing to the Government from embarhing with its constituent in peeuniary speeu- latlons, be looked for as ttle probable fruit of such associations. 1t is no an. swer to this objection to sajj that the ex- tent Of consequences like these cannot
 be great from limited and small num- Der Of investments: because experience
 ill other matters teaches Us, and we arc
 not at liberty to disregard it's admeni-
 tionss that unless an entire stop be put
 to them, 1t will soon be impossible to prevent their accumulation, uutil they
 are spread over the whole country, and
 made to embrace many of the private andappropriate concerns ofindivduals.
 The power which the General Gov ernment would acquire within the sev- eral states by becoming the principal stockholders in corporations, controlling every canal, and each sixty or hundred
 miles'ot every important road, and giv- ing proportionate vote in all their cleo tions, is almost inconeeivabIe, and, in
 my view, dangerous 10 the liberties of
 tthe people.
 The mode of aiding such works is, al- so in it's nature, deceptive, and in many eases conducive to improyidence in the administration of the national funds.
 Appropriations will be obtained with much greater facility, and granted with lesssecurlty to the public interest, when the measure is thus disguised, thanwhen
 definite and direct expenditures of mo-
 ney are asked for. The interest of the
 nation would doubtless be better served
 by avoiding all such indirect modes of
 aiding particular objects. in Govern
 meat like ours, more especially, should
 all public acts be as far as practicable, simple, undisguised, and intelhgible,
 that they may become fit subjects for the
 appreciation oranimadversion fthep peo- |ple. The bill authorizing sabscrip- ton 10 the Louisville and Portland ca nal affords 8 striking illustration of the difficulty of withholding additional ap- proprlations for the same object, " hen the first erroneous step has been taken by lnstItutipg a partnership between the Government and private companies. 1t proposes third subscription on the part of the United States, when each preceding one was at the time regard ed as the extent of the aid which Gov ernment was to render to that work: and the accompanying bill for light houses, &c. contains an appropriation for survey of the bed of the river, With view to its improvement, by re- moving the obstruction which the canal is designed to avoid. This improve nent, if successful, would afford free passage to the river, and render the ca nal entirely useless. To such imprn- dence is the course of legislation snb- Ject, in relation to internal improve ments.on local matters, even with the best intentions on the part of Congress.
 Although the motives which have in- iluenced me in this matter may be al- ready sufficiently stated, am, never theless, induced by it's importance to add few observations of a general char actei.
 In my objections to the bill authori- zing subscriptions to the Maysville and Rockville Road Companies, l express ed my views fully in regard to the pow CT of Congress to construct roads and canals within state, or to appropriate money for improvements of local char acter. l at the same time intimated my belief, that the right to make ap- for such as were of a na- tional character had been so generally acted upon, and so long acquiesced in by the Federal and State governments. and thea constituents of each. as to jus tify its exercise on the ground of contin- actii aiiduniIlterrupted usage; butthatit was nevertheless, highly expedient that appropriations, even of that character. should, with the exception made at the time, be deferred until the nationaldebtis