, 1844-12-14

The resistance oil 4 State law IS
notification Of the worst character.
1t is the qualification of a law, where
we have a tribunal to decide upon its
constitutionality, and without an ar-
peal TO that tribunal; or it is the multi
fcation of alaw after it has been de-
cided to be constitutional. 1t is an
open resistance TO all social order, for
which there can be no Justification;
and it is the spirit Of mobocracy in It's
blacklist character--a spirit that
should not be countenanced.
The subject of Internal Improve
ment is one Of growing interest a.
mong our questions of State policy.
On this subject a great diversity OF
opinion has heretofore existed; but
experiments, comparatively recent,
made by some Of Our sister States.
have gone far TO settle this diversity
of opinion, and TO unite the public
mind upon this important question.
A few years back, and both at home
and abroad, our State was declared
10 be benighted-grofing in the
dark-half a century behind her SIS
ter States in public spirit. and public
Improvement; but time has proven
our course 10 have been the wiser
one; and that some Of our sister
States were running far in advance
of their age, population and meals,
in the construction of inferno, i'm.
provements. We were r..,ht. They
were wrong. If We can, we should
keep right. Or this subject. in the
middle course, there may he safety.
We should pursue steadily. a system
of internal improvement but we
should not involve ourselves in debt,
by an ~extravagant system.
But | will not say that a people
should undertake no Improvement,
when they have not the means to
pay. When labor is cheap, and the
necessity of an improvement great,
and the advantages TO result TO the
people certainly equal 10 the interest
on the cost of the Improvement and
all the expenses of repairing and the
wealth, population and business OF
the country is increasing, then n peo-
pie may be justified in borrowing
But in most cases, there is SO. much
uncertainty about the existence Of all,
or many Of these circumstances, and
men are so apt TO fail in such caIcula-
tions, some from interested motives.
and others from want Of knowledge,
that borrowing becomes a hazardous
business, anG more frequently proves
~ruinous than beneficial. 1t is, there
fore. generally the safest course for a
government not to borrow, and !
would generally advise this course
and would deviate from it with great
reluctance and caution.
But the question Of borrowing Is
not important to US now. We have
a fund for internal improvements, a.
rising from the sale of the five hun.
dred thousand acres of public lands;
and the proper disposition of this
fund is the subject for Dur c%onsidera.
ton. If rightly appropriated, and
faithfully applied. the State can be
r1uch improved, and the people great,
" benefited by the disposition Of
this fund.
III %conne1ion with this subject
there are several matters which should
he considered. In the first place. too
much should not be expended in con-
tests about the disposition Of the fund.
Public spirit should override section
al feelings in selecting the objects to
be improved, and in making the ap-
preparations for that purpose. In
the next place, a proper reference
should be had to the amount Of poPu-
lation that can be safely withdrawn
from the ordinary pursuits Of life TO
the construction Of internal improve.
ments, without interfering to an inju,
rious extent with the other pursuits
of life. We should net so effect the
farming interests as materially TO
shorten the crops and render the
price of provisions extravagant.-
And again; we should make the best
use of our means. We should not
undertake too large an amount oil
work at any one tine. By offering
too much work-too many contracts
at the same time-we shall destroy
all competition between bidders
greatly enhance the cost OF our i'm
provements. and thus waste the pub
lie fund. The State should give fair
but not extravagant prices. She
should pay well, and require goot
work and enough Of it, in return.
1t has not been unusual to adopt
system Of improvements covering
whole State, and to commence then