Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1843-02-21

Mr.. Black would heartily join in putting
it down, but not on the ground just taken
by his colleague. No, far otherwise. lie
should no, get up here and oppose a bill
authorizing works of internal improvement
by the general government upon the ground
that the appropriation was TOO liberal in
amount. He should not stop to ask the
Clerk how much the bill proposed to APP
propriate, TO be expended by the Federal
Government upon works Of internal inn
provement. He had learned far other les
sons in Georgia. He had not learned there
that the government was to be justified IN
such usurpations Of authority, By the mod
GRAFTON of the amount Of money to be ex-
pended. The sum was mere bagaele.
The principle was every thing; and the
real question was, whether the government
could appropriate one dollar to such an OBJ
| ject. If the gentleman, his colleague, would
come up to this ground, MIR. B. was ready
to join him. 1t was immaterial where the
money was to be expended -whether in
Georgia or any where else. He had ever
supposed that opposition to works of inter-
nal improvements by the general govern
ment constituted a part of the Republican
creed. He carried out his principles
| There had been a proposition to make some
improvement in the channel Of the Savan-
nah river, and he had steadily and heartily
opposed it. As he had opposed the princi-
pie, when applied to his own State, he
should do the same in the present case. As
to the sum he thought it moderate; and 1t
was founded on regular estimates; his OBJ
lection was not to the amour! of money! but
it was that Congress had no power by the
Constitution to grant money for any such
purpose.
Mr. Pope defended the bill, and spoke
in reply to Mr.. Black, insisting that his
objection could not apply TO works in the
Territories or upon the sea-coast the u.
States, and why should it apply any more
to the internal coast, the shores of our
great lakes? He thought there was moth
ing in the constitutional objection. This
was an appropriation not within State,
but in one Of our own Territories, the pro-
perty Of the United States; and the ira
provements all went to enhance the value
and to raise the price Of the public landa.
The loss oflife and property on these iate-
rior waters was such as to call for the hand
Of the government to guard against it,
1t was question not of the constitution,
but Of expediency, humanity, interest, and
sound and enlarged policy. These bag
bors we're Of great importance to the pros
perity and growth Of the Territories, those
infant States of the confederacy, growing
under lis eye and care, but not yet Of full
age.
But another gentleman from Georgia,
(Mr. Meriwether,) objected to the apPro-
priatons merely because they were put in
q separate territorial bill, and not merged
in the general harbor bill. Why this was
to advocate log-rolling, thing TO which
gentlemen Of the south were so greatly OPP
posed, and Of which they had so often and
so loudly complained. When an appre-
priation was put into bill with many 9TH
ers it got the vote of many gentlemen whe
would have opposed it on IFS own merits,
but who, having other objects in the same
bill they wished to carry, voted for tho
whole together. By being brough, in in
a separate form these appropriations were
left to stand upon their own intrinsic mer-
its. This avoided the practice of log-roli-
ing. The Delegate presented this bill on ito
own merits, unsupported by the concomi-
tant interests Of any great State to aid
them. The whole subject had undergone
full investigation at the last session; and
: he hoped the gentleman would not try TO
: kill the bill, but after they should have
+. heard the Delegates explanation and de-
fence of the bill, would give it his vote.
= Mr.. Roosevelt expressed apprehension
that the appropriation in the bill would be
but mere beginning.
Mr.. Dodge, of Wisconsin, addressed
. the committee in support of the bill, stating
: that it was founded in every item upon
q regular estimates from the War Depart
ment. After some Introductory remarks
y upon the delicate relation of mere Dele
: gate upon that floor, on the lateness Of tho
! period Of the sessi ion, and the existing state
. of the National Treasury, Mr.. D. adver-
ted to attacks made five years since upon
: the objects Of the bill when the estimates
/ for these harbor Improvements had FIRST
been submitted; to the fact that memorials
r had been repeatedly addressed 10 Congress
, in their favor by the Territorial Legisla-
ture, supported by numerous petitions, no.
only from inhabitants Of the Territory but
from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and New York /;
and, after dwelling upon the great impor-
lance Of these Improvements TO all who
were engaged in the navigation ofihe lakes,
and TO all interested in that navigation, ex-
pressed his hope that the subject would be
viewed in its proper light, and that the
same liberal policy would now be pursued
which had marked the action Of Congress
on a former occasion.
Mr.. D. expressed his regret that the
gentleman from Georgia { Mr.. BLACK
should have taken the view he had respect
ing con stitutionaI object 10 the purposed
appropriations. He could not see that,