Litchfield enquirer., 1834-12-11

est practicable equality of benefits may Be se- cured tO each member Of the cOnfederacy. The effects of such regulation would be most saIutary in preventing improbable ex- penditures, in securing our legislation from the perDIciOus consequences of a scramble for the favOrs of government, and tn expressing the spirit of discOntent which must ineN itably arise from an unequal distribution of treasures which belong alike to all.
 There is another class Ofappr0priatiOns for what may be called, without impropriety. in- ternaI improvements. which have always been regarded as standing upon different grounds from those to which ! have referred. a. Jude tO such as have for their object the in- provement of our harbOrs, the removal of par lial and temporary Obstructions in our Daviga- ble rivers, for the facility and security of our foreign commerce. The grounds upon which distinguish appropriations of this character from others. have already bern stated L" Con- gress. I will DOW only add, that at the first session of Congress under the new Constitu- ton, it was pr"vided by law, that all expen- ses which should accrue from and after the 18th day of August, l789, in the necessary support and maintenance and repairs of all light houses, beacOns, bunys, and public piers, erected, placed or sunk before the passage of the act, within any bay, inlet. harbOr or port of the United States, f"r rendering the navi- gation thereof easy and safe, should he de- frayed out nf the Treasury of the United States; and further, that ii should be the duty s.f ths Secretary of the Treasury to provide hy contracts, with the appreciation of the President, fur rebuilding when necessary and Keeping in good repair the light houses, bea- cnns buoys, and public piers in the several States. and for furnishing them with supplies. Appropriations for similar objects have been continued from that time to the present with out Interruption or dispute. As natural con- spqmpnre of the increase and extension of our foreign commercr, ports of entry and delivery have been multiplied and established, not only on our sea hoard, but in the interior of our country, upon our lakes aud navgabe rivers. The convenience and safely of this com. m+sce has led {" the gradual extension of these expenditures; [" the erection of ght houses. lhe placing, planting, and sinking of buoys, b-ac"ns, and piers, and to the removal of partial and temporary instructions in our Ravigablr rivers. and in the harbors upon our great lakes, as we'll as on the seab0ard. AL though have expressed to Congress my ap prphensinn that the expenditures have some times been extravag gant and dispr"portionale t" the adv antages to h. dpriv ed from them,I have not felt it to be my duty to refuse my assent to bills containing them, and have cOntented my self to follow in this respect in the footsteps of all my predcceSsors. Sensible. however, frn,D experience and ubs"rv ation. of the great abuses tO which the unrestricted exercise of this au- thnri,y by Congress was exposed, have pre- srribed limitation for the government of my own conduct, by which expenditures of this character are confined to places hc!nw the ports of entry and delivery established by law. atn very sensible that ihs restriction Ss c,S ho Hucir nd that much embarrassment may be caused {" the Executive Department in its execution, by appropriations for remote, and not well understood objects. But as neither my own reflections. nor the lights which may proper iv derive from other sources, have supplied me with better. shalt continue to apply my hest exrrtinns t" a faithfnl application of fhr rule upon which i, is founded. sincere " regret that could mt give my assent to the bill entitled An act to improve the nav isa,ion of the Wabash river;" but I could not have done so without receding from the ground which have. upon the fullest consid rration, taken mpon this subject. and of which Congress has bren heretofore appriZrd, and without throwing the subject again open to abuse, which no good citizen, entertaining my opinions, could desire.
 1 rely upon the intelligence and Candor or my fellow citizens. in whose lbrraI indulgence 1 have already SD largely participated. for correct appreciation of my motives in inter- posing as 1 have done. on this and other "cca. sions, cheeks to a course Of lrgislat"n which, wthout, in the slightest degree, calling in question fhe motives of others. l consider as sanciioning improper and unconstitutional ex- penditures ofpublic treasure.
 am not hostile to internal Improvements, and wish to see them extended to every part Fse, ,,R ' f.,ftr As.A they are not commenced in a proper manner, confined to proper objects. and conducted un- der an authority generally conceded 10 be rightfuI. that successful prosecution of them cannot be reasonably expected. The attempt will meet with resistance where it might Oth- 4rwise receive support. .and instead of strength rning the bonds "f"ur c""frderacy. it " ilI only multiply and asgrsva,r the causes of dis"ni"n.
 ANDREW JACKSON.
 December 1st. 1884.