The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-04-14

and ceded to the States through which Il passes and
said average per mile shall BE- paid 10 The States
Immediately interested, in three annual instalnens,
the first 10 be payable on the passage and approval
| Of this act
Mr.. POPE, who had the aoor from yesterday, went
! into general discussion, OF the origin, Progress;
constiiutonality and expediency OF continuing and
completing The road. He examined the doctrine Of
contract as applied 10 this work, Insisting that the
Government was bound complete i, and dwell
upon the Injustice and the national disgrace Of now
/ abandoning the work
Mr.. HOLsEY Of Georgia, next took the floor, in
decided opposition to The bill generally insisting
that The appropriations for this rucd went 10 create
n national debt, and to advance consolidation. lie
argued The constitutional question, insisting that The
whole system Of internal Improvements by the &C.
neral Government was unconstitutional and that The
i continuance Of this road was bad policy IN every
| view. He utterly secuted the doctrine of contract
as binding the General Government TO It's cohsrue-
| ton
Mr.. ROBERTSON expressed much qualification
AT the presentation Of Mr. underwood'S amendment,
in which he Thought he The dawn Of better times
| when the system Of internal improvements by The
General Government should be totally abandoned or
at least placed upon footing Of more equal justice
lie denied the obligation of any contracts IN relation
10 this road between the States and The General Go
vernment since the States had received lar over the
amount Of their . per cent fund.
! Mr.. UNDERWOODs supplied him with state
ment going TO show that than seven millions
/
States
MIR. ROBERTSON then went into a constitutional
argument against the system Of internal improve
] ments as whole Iflhe system operated unequally
| it ought 10 be abolished as unjust; If il operated
equally il ought to be abolished as useless. lie adj
verted TO the exhausted stale OF the Treasury and
appealed 10 the friends Of the administration as hay
/ ing the power TO arrest this system for which there
conld not b. better opportunity than the present
| Mr.. RARlDEN traced back The history Of The road
from lis commencement; adyerted 10 the continued
favor shown il by the Government; the sanction Of
! its consulonalily BY Jefferson Madison and Gal
! latin, Monroe, Adams, and Jackson, and deprecated
1 the injury which must result from Withholding the
appropriation now proposed in The bill He regret
| ted the unexpected quarter from which The opposi-
lion TO i now proceeded.
/ Mr.. ATIIERTON expressed his concurrence in
the views taken by Messrs. Campbell, Underwood,
1 and Robertson, against the bill denied the obiga-
| ton OF any contract in the matter quoted speech
/ of Mr.. ClayS in the Senate in 1885 and another of
Mr. P Babours in the House or an earlier date
argued generally against the system, and concluded
by sending 10 be read at the Clerks tgble certain
resolutions adopted by the legislature Of New Hamp-
| shire. TN" ...".'. H.,
Mr. GoODE briefly expressed his regret at the
/ opposition Of Mr.. Underworld the bill. ..
| Mr. MERCER then went into an extended vindi-
cation of the BILL and of the system Of internal i'm
provcments generally he went into the question Of
its constituiionaliy, and referred to Messrs. Giles
and Randolph Of Virginia, as having both reported
III favor of the system, Of which those two decided
advocates of State rights virtually The fathers.
| He argued the right 10 make this and other roads
in the new lands The ground of proprietorship in
the United States, and insisted strongly on their util-
! y and indispensable importance in time of war an
event he dreaded likely soon TO take place on our
Western frontier. 10 conclusion, he replied to the
speech Of Mr.. Robertson, whose charges against The
manner in which the system had been conducted he
considered as very unfair
| Mr. HAYNES having obtained the floor, moved
an adjournment which motion prevailing,
! The House adjourned.