Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-12-13
CANAL CONVENTION.

no;nted to draft Memorial 10 congress, asN-
mo further aid for the Chesapeake and ohio "a
nal Company. oe tho
.necifc aid expected from Congress. There
naiOht be objects to be effected by memoIia,
10 Congress to which he would give his coru'a =
support-if however, the object De 10 asn u
Congress, aid, either in money, credit or stoIn,
he would feel himself constrained 10 Oppose "'e
resolution ,oLe anv
.v,l.n at;on of the meaning intended to De con-
.,.,r,ad by the Committee who reported the reso-
,,,;;on aS an individual member OF that Commit-
60 would saw that the aid he lntendeo 10 ASK,
1911 he snch as Congress, in its wisdom, might
extend. was
- s.t,sfactory He understood that the inqui-
n n;os Of his colleague were made to obtain pre-
cise and particular information, so that ne miSht
at in this matter with his eyes open. he agreed
with his friend as to the Improperly OF peu'ioh
mr. C,noress for money for works oil laternal
;,,,rovement. and if that were the purpose oil
those who drafted the resolution, he would nave
TO vote against IT, ..;.h,d
Mr. DUNLOP of Pennsylvania, was astonlshed
that anv one should hesitate as to the meaning
of the resolution in this day when we have the
highest authority for declaring that every man
shall construe every thing as he understands
il For himself he would take the RESPONSE
biIityn of constituting the resolution as NE mtSn-
ed il and he recommended others to do so 100.
Mr. Stra. of Romney. had oouots as 10 tne
authority of Congress to legSlate IN TINS mauer,
and should oppose the resolution, II the opJect
no to apply for further appropriation OF mo-
nev He understood the word further IN the
resolution as indicating the same sort oil ald as
had heretofore been given ana though ne De-
lieyed the people of the section OF country rom
whence he came would sanction any aid Con-
hot hon A
self 10 saw he held conscientious doubts as 10
their powers on this subject, and would like to
understand the manner in which Congress snouiu
afTnrd aid He would remark incidentally that
he was not a member of that party 10 wnicn tue
gentleman had made some humorous illusions.
He hoped that the committee might oe o"ec''
ed to ask for specific aid.
MIR Heath protested against any intention on
his mart to cast fire brand into the convention,
but holding the opinion he did on tnls suoJec! ne
was most anxious to learn the SPECIFIC aid IN
tended TO be asked for-and when so eniighten-
ed, he begged leave to say to the gentleman
from Pennsylvania, he would SHRINK from no
responsibility that might De cast upon nun, anu
he trusted the committee that reported the reso-
mtion would not hesitate or equivocate as TO the
in .ormation desired of them, in regard 10 the
aid asked or expected.
MIR. Coke lamented that it was his misfortune
to be misunderstood or else misrepresented,
though unintentonally. The gentleman asked,
he thought, a simple question: What was the
mid intended to be asked of Congress? He must
answer, as before, that Congress, judging OF Its
own movers, would decide how far the work
was entitled to aid, and in what manner that AID
should be administered and he should tor one
be content with any aid that they might give
He was not prepared to say to Congress, you
must give us aid in particular form, or we will
not accept the boon. He viewed the aid, here
tofore given by Congress, as entirely In their
mowers as prescribed by the constitution, and
would not therefore regret similar appropria-
ton. He would repeat, that he cared not whe-
Their the aid be given in money or IN any tning
else hut was content to take any aid they might
give Ifany restriction is to be prescribed, let
the proposition come from another quarter-we
have none to propose.
Mr.. Brown, of Baltimore county, offered an
amendment going to ask Congress for the APP
preparation of public lands to certain extent
in aid of the Canal, but after some denate' Win
drew it.
Mr.. Lee, of the D. c., proposed an amend
ment which after some discussion was with
drawn.
The question recurring upon the original re-
solution
MIR. Nelson regretted that he was constrained
AGAIN TO obtrude himself on the attenttono OF the
Convention. From the first he was persuaded
that the consideration Of this resolution might
lead TO unfortunate results. Though not doubt
ing the constitutional power of Congress to give
aid TO this work, yet for five years past he had
been satisfied ofthe impocy ofthe interference
of the general government in works OF internal
Improvement and therefore deprecated that IN
reference with this. He believed the application,
however, unnecessary-if necessary, useless, for
the application will certainly be made without
much. If any hope Of success. II Is useless 10
make speculative appeals which will not be gra-
tilted. He feared the passage OF the resolution
might drive from the support of the great work,
MANY who have heretofore warmly advocated
il, and appealed to the majority to reject the re-
solution as they wished the work speedily COM
pleted. We cannot, as he said before, hope that
our application will be favorably responded to
by Congress. He believed it will be hopeless
appeal and rejoiced to say that he did not con-
slider that there was any hope of success of OBJ
tanning aid from Congress-because all such aid
has corrupting tendency, which if carried too
far might eventually destroy the Union. There
was policy too, in not making these, as he heliev
ed, hopeless appeals to Congress-for whilst
those appeal remain unanswered, the Legisla-
lures of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania,
will pause as to the part they may take-but so
coon as they shall distinctly understand that on