Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-12-23
1.l, had hilhsr,o struck il down. BY such union Of

the good was lost Yes the Dutch message was
killed yesterday BY its union with ttner P'oPosos
there were two ways kill things the one was oy Young
il down by main fuce, and the "tler oy It's pee"ue
friends messing II down. But he would say 70 gen
tlemen there, they must not suppose, no" ,ia' Tue
West had got eighty-add Representatives. ",i' 81.
would not be determined u d. justice to hefsh anu
tr The future a, she not gong to allow any thihg
az, a. bs ,broyn on her shoulders. Now the West
was able she was gong u do herself justice Tier
waters were Of much na,'ona! importance us the mar
bors on the seeboad aud II they snppos d hal she as
gong 10 allow them TO han5 upon her any eAPioaca
s,sen they were mistaken, But If they had no! YET
rsnnh efficient rather Than the interests oil Tue
West h,tched 10 any other. he would be wiling 70
wait years longer and then they couid get lien'
attended 10 by her own ample CONSTITUTIONS sIeng,h
He made these remarks because he uio hoe "is " oe
misunderstood on the subject.
He however again SAID he was glad that gentlemen
had discovered there such place as the west anu
he would repeat that the West would atend 70 her
own Interests. He had no doubt many gentlemen ~"
supposed they could hitch to the Western country
lie admit d that they treated tile more kindly
in the message than they had been before hut sun,
though might be the court fash on ne had thought
it the best policy tell the naked TRUTH as he had cone
With respect TO the reference OF that portion oil the
message which was consideration, he would remark,
that he cared mol to what committee 1t was sent lie
cared so little about it, that he had not even looked
where the proposed committee was located; ior ne was
satisfied that, If the committee (be it which It night
would be done, out OF committee
Mr. HOLMES was greatly rejoced to listen to the
speech Of The gentleman from The West WITH that
gentleman he greatly reJoced that the great west,
Ike strong man after sleep, had arisen and was re.
solved to shake her locks He graf fed TO hear the
sentiments of the gentleman who came from territory
which had been planted by the descendants OF the early
colonis,s of the New England States: and that The
West would rise up and become great EMPIRE ne
fondly believed aud Southern man he iondiy che
rished The idea. 1t time for the West with her
vast rivers and her mighty resources OF SOIL to arse
and act and like the descendants OF that great nalion
which Sc nj her coonsts the Western world to wake
up against their mother, and no longer suffer that mo-
Their 10 give them milk for babes; but On the language
of gentleman who had preceded himl TO claim The
right to purchase the strong meat oil men, and likewise
to control that mother, and no longer permit her 10
posop the very sources from which they drew the ele-
inent of life. The West progressing with rapid
ity that few men, vino had not looked carefully at her
statistics had any conception Of The produce OF her
soil multiplied until actually she produced fortyour
bushels 10 every man, woman and child IN the u ,
irving OF gram no less than hundred million BUSH
els more than could be consumed by the eighteen ml-
lions Of people in the U. S And what was 10 become
of this immense wealth Of her soil? Her abundance,
instead Of being blessing, would become burden,
uni IS there improvement IN the navigation OF her
waters and until she said to the Eastern and TO the
Northern States, We must come in for participation
equal benefits and equal rights, that we may trans
init 10 other markets the vast resources oil our SOIL
There were ALREADY very great Sfdin uod'eu
down the Mississippi, which required facilities for its
transmission, and mi require protection They
had heard the sound of distant thunder, and no man
knew when it would burst upon them, nor IRON what
quarter it would Gomez and so greatly had the interests
Of the West been disregarded by the Representatives.
of The whole people, that there not single mode
of protection devised for the commerce, in time OF war;
which l)ated to the ocean down the MsSissppL-
South Of Chesa peake BAY there net single naval
station, nor a solitary navy for Pensacola was
80. no. Of fho farm nd hat
the result to the West and 10 her produce, which
foated down her mighty waters Why, a small fleet
Of British cruisers the Gulf of Mexico after
had dsmanted our vessels, would be IN possession oil
the produce of the West. The Mississippi ought,
therefore, only to have her navigation improved,
but the gentleman from Tennessee and the Representa-
tves from the other States Dug u insist on having
navyyard at Memphis, some other point that vessels
injured in storm might be repaired in the shortest pos
sibe time. For IT. time OF war, our vessels are dis
masted and must be sent the North for repairs the
many millions Of produce which floats down the valley
of the Mississippi would be blocked up by the ships OF
Great Britain who had now Barbados, and Jamaica,
and other neighboring points and, if that power ge,
possession Of our produce there would be means Of
restoring it until peace was restored.
He did not want this question TO 60 TO the Committee
on Commerce; and amongst the reasons which would
influence him to vote against that reference, there was
which he entertained honestly and IN all sincerity;
il was, that thai committee there was no Western
man He afraid 10 allow the interests OF The West
go there; for he apprehended further, that The CON-
mittse would adhere to The tariff system, which crushed
al The business Of the West He feared that commit
Ice would be favorable 10 the peculiar interests oil
the West; and hence he called upon Western gentle
go with them Of the South in breaking down the
tariff and in bringing 1t to revenue standard Let The
system adopted be such would make the North, the
East, the South, aud the West nation and one peo-
pie. and he would 20 with them.
Mr.. WILKINS spoke Of the Importance 81 the Ohio
and ssspp and their vast superiority over the Hud
son. There was no such highway for commerce on the
face Of the earth the OHIO aud the Mississippi; and
yet there any highway OF commerce that was so
much neglected the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers
had been by the General Government: Compare, Tor
moment, the annual appropriations made tor the
waters the seaboard and for the Western waters
Look what done for the seaboard IN the neigh
borhood Of The Hudson river, not tor that river Itseif
Look at your Notifications, lighthouses, break
waters, walls, and the immense expenditures IN
the equipment of the Navy, all expended the sea-
hoard Look al your annual expenditures at your great
Atlantic ctes-New York, Philadel plia, and Baitl-
Inore-and compare them with your expenditures at
New Orleans 1t Impossible to reflect on the vast
importance of the latter city, without being mortified
ut The little that had been done for IL and looking back
upon lis past history, it would be difficult TO see what
favors had been extended to it by the Government,
unless indeed, in the sending General Jackson there
10 defend it in 1915. On The Ohio aud Mississippi
rivers there were at least, 600 miles OF unnerrnpt-
cd navigation to two trips the Atlantic
year. there expended probably some forty or fifty
thousand dollars, in the commencement OF improve
ments, which must be all lost, without continuance
of the works, thus begun. Now this was an additional
reason for the Presidents recommending the attention
of Congress the Western waters for, unless the
work, which has been commenced, is continued, the
money, already expended, will be lost. There was an
other reason why the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
stood in peculiar light before them ; and that was
there were rivers in the United States, anywhere
else, in which the trade and commerce-carried on It's
bosom-were exposed u 50 many currents There was
an immense volume Of water, to be sure ; but the
whole of these rivers from end 10 the other pre-
scented continued peril to the enerprsng traveller and
trader. Let gentlemen reflect on the losses TO con-
merce, annually incurred these waters, and they
would see all additional for The introduction oil
this subject in the Presidents message.
The Government was now engaged at Pittsburs
(Which stood at the head of the navigation OF the Oho
IN the construction of iron steamships, intended for the
navigation of the Gulf of Mexico; and he hoped the
period not distant when they should see nava