Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1834-12-11

y y
d ed. Nearly years have elapsed, and seyc-
If raj sessions OF Congress have ntervened, and
C no attempt within my recollection, has been
: made to induce Congress to exercise this
C power. The applications for the construc-
It ton of roads and canals, which were formerly
n multiplied upon your files, are no longer pre-
o scnted; and we have good reason to infer that
# the current of public sentiment has become
t, so decided against the pretensions as afiec-
= tually to discourage its rc-asserton. So
y thinking, ] derive the greatest satisfaction
4 from the conviction, that thus much at least
: has been secured upon this important and
= embarrassing subject.
= From attempts to appropriate the national
> funds, to objects which are conlesscdly Of n
local character, we cannot, trust, have any
5 thing further to apprehend. My views in re-
: gard to the eXpediency of making appropria-
r tions for works which are claimed to be of Il
, national character, and prosecuted under State
authority, assuming that Congress have
right to do so, were stated IN my annual mes
t sage to Congress in 1880, and also in that
, containing my objections to the Maysville
Road Bill.
SO thoroughly convinced am l. that no
such appropriation ought to be made by Con-
gress until suitable constitutional provis-
ion is made upon the subject and SO essential
do regard the point to the highest interests
of our country, that could not consider my
self as discharging my duty to my constitu-
ents in giving the Executive sanction to any
bill containing such an appropriation. THE
people of the United States desire that the
public Treasury shall be resorted to for the
means to prosecute such works, they will
concur i'll amendment ofthe constitution, pre-
scribing Il rule by which the national charac-
ter Of the works is to be tested, and by which
the greatest practicable equality Of benefits
may be secured to each member of the con-
fcderacy.-Tbc effects of such regulation
would be most salutary in preventing unprofit-
able expenditures, in securing our legislation
from the perniclous consequences OF scram-
bic for the favors of Government and repres-
sing the spirit of discomfort which must inev-
itably arise from an unequal distribution of
treasures which belong alike to all. \
! There is another class appropriations for
what may be called, without improperly, in
ternal improvements, which have always
been regarded as standing upon different
grounds from those to which have referred.
alude to such as have for their object the /
Improvement Of our harbors, the removal of
partial and temporary distractions in our ma
vigabe rivers, for the facility and security of
our foreign commerce. The grounds upon
which distinguish appropriations of this cha
racter from others, have already been stated
to Congress. ! will now only add, that at the
first session of Congress under the new Con-
stitution, 1t was provided by law, that all eX- J
penses which should accrue from and after
the 18th day of August, 1889, in the necessa- {
ry support and maintenance and repairs of all
light houses, bcacons, buoys and public piers, o
erected, placed, or sunk, before the passage
of the act, within any bay, inlet, harbor, or
port Of the United States, for rendering the '
navigation thereof easy and safe, should be
betrayed out ofthe Treasury Of the u States; +
and further, that it should be the duty of the t
Secretary of the Treasury to provide by con- t
tracts, with the appreciation of the President, n
for rebuilding when necessary, and keeping Q
in good repair the light houses s,-beac h
buoys, and public piers, in the several States, 6
and for furnishing them with supplies. APP G
preparations for similar objects have been con- d
tinued from that time to the present without S
interruption or dispute. AS natural conse- p
quonce of the increase and extension of our Il
foreign commerce, ports of entry and dclive- Il
ry have been multiplied and established, not Il
only upon our sea board, but in the interior Il
of the country, upon our lakes and navigable p
rivers. The convenience and safety of this "
commerce have led to the gradual extension J
of these expenditures for the erection of light h
houses, the placing, planting, and sinking Of ii
bnoys, beacons, and piers, and to the remov-
al Of partial and temp ovary distractions in d
our navigable rivers, and in the harbors Of rt
our great lakes, rs well as the sea board a!
| have expressed to Congress my ST
apprehension that these expenditures have al
been cxtravagant and dispropor- p'
Iiunate to the advantages to be derived from to
them, have felt it to be my duty to refuse al
my assent to bills containing them, and have vi
myself to follow in this respect the III
footsteps of all my predecessors. Sensible, al
However, from experience and observation, of ty
he great abuses to which the unrestricted hi
exercise of this authority by Congress was bl
exposed ! have prescribed limitation for 1t.
he government Of my own conduct by which fe
expenditures Of this character are confined to ra
he places below the ports of entry and deiv- f
'ry established by law. am very sensible III
hat this restriction is not as satisfactory as tn
could be desired, and that much embarrass-
nent may be caused to the Executive De- e.
'artment in its execution, by appropriations
or remote and not well understood Objects III
But as neither my own reflection, nor the te
lghts which may properly derive from 9TH pi
II sources, have supplied me with BETTER ,,l
hall continue to apply my best excrtions to W
faithful application of the rule upon which
is founded. sincerely regret that could
lot give my assent to the bill entitled "An &C
ct to improve the navigation of the Wabash cr
iver;" but l.could not have done so without ,.
eceding from the ground which have, upon "
ne fullest consideration taken upon this SUBJ
oct, and Of which Congress has been hereto
)re apprizcd, and without throwing the SUBJ do
;ct again open to abuse, which no good citi- So