The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-08-10


and ending on the 10th of August, 1916. There
have been very great number of private bills
passed but with perhaps one exception, more
important measures have been perfected this ses-
sion Of Congress than in any previous one.
They may be enumerated in the following
order;-
LIST. The Oregon Notice.
I'd. The Declaration of War with Mexico.
3D.. The Ratification of the Oregon Treaty.
4th The Ad Valorem Tariff
9Th The Warehousing Bill.
9th. The Sub Treasury.
It'll. The River and Harbor Bill.
9Th. The French Spoliation Bill
OF these, the two latter have been vetoed
The River and Harbor bill has been twice ve
toed before. and if the position taken by President
Polk is proper one, it will undoubtedly be vetoed
as often as it may pass Congress; and the only
way to get the appropriations fer the objects pro-
posed, will be by two-thrds vote. The princi-
pal objection to this bill was its unconstitutional.
ity. This alone was sufficient to condemn it at
once; but lift is unconstitutional now for the Co
venment to appropriate money for the improve
ment of rivers and harbors, it has always been
since the adoption of the constitution, and conse-
quenty appropriations heretofore made and ex-
pended, have been illegal. An immense amount
of public money has been expended in the i'm
provement of rivers and ports not directly con-
nected with foreign commerce; and how is it that
constitutional objections have not hitherto been
made against these expenditures If Congress
only has the power to make appropriations for
the improvement of those rivers and harbors, di-
rectly engaged in foreign commerce, there has
been a great want of constitutional knowledge in
former executives, in not vetoing bills making
appropriations for the improvement of other
rivers and harbors.
This point appears to be pretty well settled by
the veto message of President Polk; and we shall
hereafter have no more competition or rivalry in
Congress between representatives from diff
ferent sections OF the country for sectional advan-
tages of this nature. 1t is now established that
Congress has no ri. hit to appropriate funds for the
improvement of ports not connected with foreign
navigation, and that will be the basis of all future
bills of this nature.
AT many Of our ports of entry, no foreign goods
have ever been entered, and no duties ever col
lected. They are not. therefore, connected with
foreign commerce /; and, consequently, cannot
claim any appropriation from government for
Improvement of their navigation. The bill vetoed
by the President contained appropriations for
more than twenty objects of internal improve
been declared by law either ports of entry or de-
livery, and at which there has never been an
arrival of foreign merchandise, and from which
there has never been a vessel cleared for foreign
country.
The Oregon affair has been disposed of; both
the notice resolutions and the treaty. Consider
able excitement has recently been produced by
the announcement that the British Government
claimed the perpetual navigation of the Columbia
river. 1t matters very little what that government
may claim. Any construction which may be put
upon the section Of the treaty relating to the navi-
tons of the Columbia, different from that under
stood by our Government, although not expressed
by the Government of Great Britain, will be of
little consequence. When the time arrives for
us to place our own construction upon the express
sed and implied meaning of the treaty, we shall
be better able to sustain the position we NAV
assume than at present The treaty secures the
" mastery inactivity" so important to u.s. There
has been mean, contemplate species of diplo-
macy resorted to by the British Government, in
negotiations upon this question, and is about on
par with that used in the North Eastern Bound
airy Question.
The war with Mexico is likely to be longer
winded affair than was anticipated. When Con-
gress proclaimed the country in state of war
with Mexico, appropriations were made to carry
on the hostlities. These appropriations amounted
TO little more than twenty millions of dollars, and
were supposed to be sufficient to carry the affair
through to successful termination. 1t now ap-
pears, however. that the President has plan to
settle the whole trouble by the aid of two mil
lions more. 1t is to be hoped that he will succeed,
but we advise him to go on with the war until
Mexico steps in and cries " enough" We will
then take California to cover our war expenses
fill up that fertile territory with people; fortify
the magnificent bay of San Francisco and turn
oar attention to the rich trade of the Pacific and
the East Indies.
The tariff, the warehousing bill, and the SUBJ
treasury, are connected in such a manner, that
they must rise fall together. 1t is our impress
sion that these bills, individually and collectively
will work more favorably for the people, than for
the government; that the independent treasury
will to the manufacturers all the protection
they require, while it will restrict the revenue of
the government from imports. The warehousing
bill will aid the other two in their operations and
tend to preserve a uniformity in the supply of
foreign merchandise, regulating more by the
actual demand, which may from time to
time arise, and make this city the great
depot of foreign manufactures imported, and of
domestic products for export. 1t will give our
commercial marine employment, and make it
more profitable than it has been for years. We
shall carry on extensive external trade,
if we can call it. Large quantities of mer-
chandise will be imported, but not entered for
consumption, consequently the government will
derive no revenue from it, and immense quantities
of foreign merchandise will be exported, from
this external deposit the same though it had
never been within our limits. The navigation
laws of different nations protect their own COM
merce in the carrying trade with their colonies !;
and this warehouse bill, will throw portion of
the carrying trade between the British colonies
and Great Britain into our hands Heretofore
we have imported foreign merchandise princi-