Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-12-10


one important omission. I think there onsh,
To have been a vcy.1iber.l appropriation Tor
the better navigation Of Salt RiveT-(rar, of
laughter. in which the ladies' in the gallery
hrarily joined.) Now. there j. The bill that
the President ncgatiVed, aud ! will shortly
state 20 YOU the reasons, as ! collect them from
his Messages, and make such remarks on these
reasons. a. ] may whilst | 60 along. The
President assumes that these hsrburs are inter.
nal Improvements. aud because there is no
power vested in Congress 10y the Constitution
under that specific head, he denies The exist
cncc OF such a power.
The course Ot the government has been just
The other way. The people not only scquies-
ced IN these improvements. bat clamored Tor
them, and the, are now very likely TO clamor
again. n, continues:
MIR. w here read that portion of the veto
message in which the President assigns rs a
ra>on Tor the veto that several OF his pTcdc-
cessors had denied the constitutionaliiy of
Congress To make such appropriations.
! know not where, siid Mr.. Webster. II
YOU say that some OF his predecessors denied
the general powcroi making internal improve
mcuis-ii that b. what he means, why. no.
body contends that such a power as that is i'm
The Constitution. But then the question is.
does this belong to- any such power These
- - hANHAha improvements. ilfN
are harbor improvements connected with com
merce, aud the question is whether, a. such.
they are not provided Tor in the CONSTITUTE m.
The Prsidrnt SAYS that some OF the objects
provided ior by the bill, are local and lie with
in the limits at q single State. Well. dare
SaN they do. IL would b. hat remark
able TO bud a harbcr or Mississippi SAWYER
lying IN two or ihr,e States. 0sughter.1
IL would b. rather a large harbor that would
even Connecticut and Rhode Island,
two OF the smallest of the States. The ques.
ton Is not whether the site be local. or wheth.
er the expenditure be local, bat whether the
plausc.)
AS well might it he said that expenditure
upon the Capitol was local aud not provided
'of, a. to say that expenditure upon a harbor
~oreakwaler, which is Necessary for the cen.
enl purPosesot the IN of the country:
Is a local expenditure made within two States.
and therefore not BY all. The President pro.
ceeds To say that the power exercised by Con.
grcsS was novel.
(HrTc several sentences were lost. in con.
SEQUENCE OF interruption by individuals in the
viClnity OF the Reporiers.)
ihc ITcsilent drew a distinction between
Improvements Tor the benefit OF foreign com.
inerCe, and those Tor the benefit oI internal
WV U . NhlN WI htDNitr.l where
hnds that distinction. Nh. Polk states
that many ot these appropriations We're mnd,.
Tor the first time. Well, II the appm ,ris,,o, ,
had ben made Hnd they were adequate. there
woa!d b. no occasion ior making rev ones.
Mich ldugh'er.) Now let rs not be carried
way 10y o vague notion that the Constitution
the United States has no power lo make
improvements. We are spcskinp of
Things not By any general name-not by Cas.
'e,--wc arc speaking of things by phases de.
,cnPiIVe OF the things themselves. We call
, harbor. a harbor. II the President of the
United States says that Is a matter of internal
Improvement. Why then, ! say. that the name
,annoi alter the fact-the thing il a harbm.
And does not every one OF these harbors touch
waters! is not every one at them
,n a shore ct the sea, bay, gall, OF n~avigable
t'eTSt aHd arr not the nav gable waters OF
he occan, and guilt, and bIys. snd rivers
~ th'y not all Tor com uercidi purposes out
ihc jurisdiction ol ihe United Slates9
How can II b. said that these are within
he particular jurisdiction oi the States -
tie W"ucy u - expended, 1t sex
ended WITHIN the jurisdiction Of the United !
states, ani ior purposes conceded To il by the
Constitution.
Bat let rs now 60 10 the origin of his
'owcr. 1T rs appeal innn the opini ms OF
ht f"sidrDt oi the Uuitrd States TO the
written text oi tie Constitution, AMI let us
e what he dIl. Tie power of tile United
states IA THIS respect. il expressed in the Con
utui'on III a very lew words. IL sa,s that
Congress shall have power TO rgu late com.
ncrce between Ihe States
1 whole force u concentrated in that
word regulate" Well, Mr.. Polk himself
'dmits that the word regulate, az applied Co
Tor ioTcign trade, does extend To The
makt2g OF hoTbots. bcacons, piers. and liebt.
houses, bat las whole message attempts 10 ran
D distinction between the foreign trade b.. |
tween the States. We'll, tho power over
y gwen an the same clause OF tie Con
,utution--ln the very same words, and is cN-
acly oi the same length snd breadth with the
oihJ. IL one j. deuIca, both IL denied--if
one = conceded, both il conceded. IL is ian.
to srPemte them Tvs any Argument. or
logical process worthy OF a siRicsmun's mind.
" holly arbitrary | sty, without the least
foundation, To- say that Congress may make
provision lora hsrbnr accommodation for for.
commerce, aud not for domestic trade
i ile latter not a. important az the iormerl--
= The brcakwsteT at the month oi the Della
ware BAY. as important for the trade OF Phila-
with New Ohcans. 8s with Liverpool.
sni - every where elsc2 l. not our c~oasiing
Trade OF one OF the largest branclIes of our ma
raiime interest, and eau we DO nothing with
that
ITO be continued.