Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1838-11-19
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS BY THE
GENERAL GOVERNMENT.

GENEhAL GONEKNMENI.
Practically, the righ, OF the General Government.
under the Constitution, appropriate money in aid
OF works oil Internal improvement, has almost cea,.
ed 10 be question of importance, although, for par
y purposes the subject is perpeually par. ded in III.
columns of certain journals and occasionally descau
ted upon By candidates for office, rs a part of that
combined system of heavy taxation and profit gate e.
pendure, which it is alleged, will be certainly estaL-
lshed, if the Wing party obtain the asceudancy in
our National Councils, and MIR. Clay as a conse-
quence, be elected President. In vain does Mr..
Clay, speaking the general scntimen, Of the Wing
party, protest that there is the slightest prssxt
10 ask for the ihicrposion and aid Of the General
Government, IN the existing circumstances of the
country. When the various States with wise fore
and an nvinoible energy, commensurate will,
the magnitude of the interests involved, are endea
voring to outstrp each other in the noble rivalry,
which shall most rapidly and 10 the greatest exiep,
deyelopc their resources and open great highway
from their remotest borders to the Atlantic markets
In vain does he assert, that the Polcer IS dormant.
and must necessarily remain so, inasmuch all no
ccssity for exercise is obviaed by the sagacsus
enterprise and the boundless credit ofhe individual
members of the Confederacy. He, and the party of
which he is the acknow lodged head, still charg-
cd with design TO squander the public treasure on
these works. and for the purpose of raising fund. to
carry GU, their schemes the further design impu-
ted to them OF swelling the receipts OF the treasury
by the imposition of additional duties foreign I'M
ports. 1t seems TO be hardly worth while to reason
with men who thus wfuy pervert, unless they arc
shameiuIly lgnoran; offacs. Yet, for the informa-
ton of those who may thus be imposed upon BY
| III IL,
their interest, partisan aspirans, to keep alive.
though if they were tutl-loving and truth seeking
patriots, the, would pursue different course, NO
beg leave call public attention to few circumsan
ces connected with this subject, which well cal
culatcd to crimson their checks with shame if they
be not already callous to that emotion.
Notwithstanding the lar-iamed Maysvlle veto tho
power Of the General Government to make appropri-
| atoms to works Of Internal Improvement was
practically fully recognised by Gen. Jackson, tho
author of that veto, as itever was by the most lat
itudinous of the constitution In truth his
application of this power to works Of a -" national"
character alone, was only an apparent restriction
| upon the action of the governmeni-and the princi-
pie thus restricted dangerous, far. than tho
unlimited recognition Of the power,-ln this tnat it
enables the President to reward his friends and
punish his enemies" by arbitrary, caprcious and
and vindctiyc employment Of the Veto. otherwise,
Just policy s?iiit OF revenge, feeling of g,ati
tudc or desire 10 conciliate, may prompt him to
withhold OF TO exercise this tremendous and, during
the last eight years, much abused power.
Look, for example at the statute book for the
sion during which the Maysville road bill was vetoed;
and wha, do we sect Appropriations without number
works of far Inferior importance, whether their
mag ntude, their their location be regarded.
Why this shameless partiality! BY what rule Of
equity that road determined to be without the
pale Of Congressional Jurlsdlcton-in other words.
not i" national, while dozen obscure roads aud
creeks the very of which are forgotten, in
significant are they, were brought within the
ing of this convenient term, and permitted share 10
the bounty of the federal treasury Let this rule,
or that other, equally loose senseless and absurd,
by which the existence or establishment of sports Of
OF entry" are made determine the consttutiondlty
of appropriations be recognised as the settled
principle OF construction, and it requires Solomon
to perceive that caprice and favortsm will regulate
all legislation upon this extensive subject, and
that it will be perpctualy perverted into engine Of
pariiaiy and oppression-The President will rare
y be al loss for arguments to demonstrate the ma
the desire TO conciate opponents may render it ex
pedient to add and just rarely will he be at loss
or reasons 10 show that some other road, which,
hough decidedly more " national" in its character,
he may wish defeat for the purpose of punish
ing" those who may have incurred his resentment,
is entirely local' to have any claims upon the
assistance of the government We verify believe,
that to feelings of hatred TO some of the prominent
advocates of the Maysville Road and some of
those whose property it was supposed would be en-
HANGED in vaue by its completion, and not any
stituiional scrupes, indebted for that celeba
ted Veto, one Of the most singular circumstances at
tendant upon which was that it came even upon the
warmest friends its author unexpectedly as if
they had seen a vivid electric lash parting a cloud
less sky. Like the Veto of the Bank il sprung
from personal and political rancor, and not from
conscientious constitutional ruples.-Antipathy
| TO Henry Clay in the case, and TO Mich
| olas Bddle in the other, the ruling motive
of action. That it was So the appropriations sane
toned by the Presidents approval, al, the same ses
sion, abundantly prove. And thus it is thst he has
obtained the credit of being opposed to system
which nevertheless he pushed farther than it had
ever been carried before, by the introduction OF a
principle of construction, which, though apparently
| limitation of the power, is in fact nothing but
"spder's most atenuaed web,' in the hands OF an
| 4. at