Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1838-05-05

Dom0sks ~ m. RARlDEN. Of 1nataaas
, - Hssse ef Representatives, April II, 1885. >
b ~bill mixing appropriations foe tho con- &
sisuatioa of the Cumberland Rord thro' Ohio, {
lsdiasa, sad Illinois, being under coosideraiieo
The question pending vas he motion Of MI:
IMpq1WooD Of Kentucky, % Tec0mmSt the bail
. the eemm;sies Of Ways end Means, with M
tsuctioas 70 report, in lieu ,hercsf, bill To pro-
jds foe the surrender Of said road 70 the States
hesssh which il passes.
NJ RARlDEN rose and said, that living in,
NJ rspessensing, . district Of the country thru
which this great national work passed, he must
naturally b supposed 70 feel . very deep inter
Ut u every thing which was done OF said in this
Hosss 10 relation 10 il; and he hoped his sisua-
lioa and Ssslings would be sufficient apology for
lhe time - might occupy in giving the House bis
views upon IL. He regretted exceedingly that
Ne proposition 70 secoWmit the bill, with the
psepased distractions, bad been made, and espe- |
eiatly ftom the quarter whence it came; and that
ssesss was BY no means diminished by sbe avow |,
u q The gentleman, that his proposition was re-
saliatosy. Sir, asked Nj. Raridsn could not the
ReetjemaA have sought out measures Of this adj
Sniaistsasioo less identifsd with his political
fsisads and himselfss western man, to wseak
bic resentment upon, and have saved his friends
and . measure much sndearcd to many Of shemf
Ne. Rasiden thought he could, and ho did hope
Sho Rootleman would sec00sider; end that what
vssesscs he had in store for tho bafIcd hopes Of
he Portland Canal, might Gall upon tho heads e.
0ea0use0 81 his opponents, and Of the opponents
q his iavosits measure Of Kentucky.
Me-. Rariden proposed to 60 into a very brief
account Of tho origin Of that great national
shosOughfarc, and the considerations which no
supposed governed thoughts Of those who then
controlled tho destinies Of this great Republic,
in regard to Il. II should be borne in mind said no,
that, in 1909 the United States had acquired
Louisans, . great cotton growing country. II
was then comparatively wilderness; so was the
entire region west Of the Ohio river. Each
might be made capable Of producing, and b.
usado auxiliary 70 each other, and To the whole
sation, in producing products for forsign markets,
- we'll ss domestic consumption, by tho adoption
q . liberal and enlightened policy towards them;
and % became very important, in bringing about
this end, 70 adopt such . course would facili-
could b done only by opening . way, and by
creating facilities Of commerce and intercommi-
sicatien between the emigr.nt aud his farther
land. This road was tho expedient wisely hit
upon 70 produce this result. By an net Of Con-
grses a 1903, sanc,iooed by Nj. Jefferson and
its survey from Cumberland TO wheeling; and
this, tao, 1t time whea the revolutionary debt
asd the Louisiana debt was upon d, and reve-
nue. very inconsidcrablc.
Well. sir, we went on from year to year, after
the road had bsen commenced in 1910, till tho
Prsssos time, while the country was undergoing
every vicissitude q fortune, pcase and war, Of
scarcity and plainly. Yet 1t all times, md un-
der every :dmisissrs'ioo, and every party which
has held the seigns Of power, this work has
gradually progressed, and been considered Of ma
tiooal importance. Il has loug been finished to
WheeliaG. Tho way thus opened, and tho IA
cilities created, had the desired effect. The
Western wilds became Peopled with an iadustri-
ous and snierPsising population, its wilderness
WAS cooverted into fruitful fclds and the avails
n ~
The public lands Cor which n market had been
created by western enterprise, found their way
into tho National Treasury, and from thcnce in
70 Lighthouses, becakwatess, hasbors, navy yards,
&c. &c. This 10 not al sir. BY this policy the
West had become, - had been predicted by the
protectors Of this work, the Eounsasn Of Southern
subsistence.
The whole force Of the Lower Mississippi
valley was directed to the production Of cotton,
that great staple and inlet Of national wealth.
ID into ies production, and the South finished the
process, ard paid US our portion. This, sir, said
Mr.. Rariden - what be supposed was in the con
semplasioa Of the patriots who projected thi,
Rod to bring about. How their anticipation,
have sses realized, let tho present condition o
the West and tl.e Southwest bear witness. LIE
GAs unparalleled increase Of Western and South
era peoductio0, and their effect upon tho ma
sioosl income, speak for the wisdom Of our faith
ess upon this measure. Well, sir, in 1918 the
States Rad acquired the lands through which thi
rod would pass, through Indiana and Illinois, {
shs hank q The Mississippi. nearly the Who'll
souie; snd In 1919 also had made a very lare
augDeatation n its cotton growing land by IN
aequisitiss of East and West Florida. Thes
Two eoasiderations induced The government I
ezssad the survey Of tho road from Wheeling
through the seats Of government Of Ohio, Indian
aad nliaois, to the left hank of the Mississippi
asA % make appropriations to commerce its con
seruction in Ohio, locking to that point on III
1ississipPi. When this vas done, tho lands in i,
viciaity, In those States, the main part Of whic
were owssd BY the govemnens, we'e muc
soaght after from the enhanced value which the
psezimity TO this ihosoughfars gave them: the
were oil bought up Lands which had little ,
~ ether value than their connection with ii
sead, and which, without il, would have remain
ID unoeesPisd and unbought fos fifty years
come, were purchased and repurchased enchan
% prices. During this time, while the sale
governments lands was going on tho road va. .
ing On. Every year you gave it its accus,ome
appropriation, as if the government really int,
dsd its eesstsuction without a word Of oppoe
tiea, snvo the fashionable, sterotypcd, cons,it
tional objections which few always profess<