The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-09

the whole on the state Of the Union, Mr.. THohA
ShTn, OF Indiana, in the chair
Mr. STANTON was entitled TO the floor on tn
river and harbor bill.
MOUNTED RuLEhEs
Mr.. SAWYER made an effort TO take up the bill
from the Senate, providing for the raising of Tegi
ment of mounted nfsmeD.
TERNnoKIAI GOVERNMENT o. OREGON.
Mr. MCDOWELL made sn Intellectual effort tc
Jake up the bill to protect the rights Of American
settlers in the territory oforegon, until the tsrmina-
ton OF the joint occupancy ofths same,
EAsBoRs AND RIVERS.
The COMMITTEES then resumed the consideration
Of the bill making appropriations for the improve
msnt Of certain hsrbors and rivers.
Mr. STANTON was entitled to the floor, and
addressed the committee during the hour IN favor OF
The general objects of the bill.
MIA. JOHNSON offered the following amend
rnsnt as a substitute for the amendment Of Mr..
CROuEE
..iss The sum Of $500 900; onsha said sum as aboy.
.vproprssd shall be expended between the city Of
,se.. 10 The Of Alabama; the other half above the
city Of Knoxville upon the Holston. French Broad and
). sspsndsd aDdsr Of ky. eomm.siOn
en- whose sppoiDmsn'. shah be hereafter be provided
tsr the o. a.. river in the State
T.sn...ss u. san q fsss tss sum as shove sPRr0
ca. ss wss u. T %Ss O. said river
He remarked that he did not intend to commit
himself upon the constitutional question Of internal
improvements In offering this amendment But II
the Conxrsss Of the United Stsies had the power
under The constitution 70 apPropnats money for the
mprovsmsni of the Mississippi the Ohio, or the
Missouri rivers, they had the same power over the
Teuosssse river; and jusues demanded that their
appropriations should be equally distributed over
,hs various sections Of the country, proportion TO
The Importance and the national character Of the OBJ
lects calling for appropriations. This question, Il
Appeared 10 him, had assumed rather a strange po-
stien. Il wss admitted by many gentlemen on this
floor that this government had power over the Mis-
assippi river. but that il was powerless when they
came 10 the principal feeders Of that river He con-
tended that they stood precisely the ground
The Tennessee river for instance fosted every ele
msnt Of commerce that was borne on the Mississpp
n,er the only differences being that the amount of
commerce wss less upon the one river than another
and be could not understand the metaphysical dis.
docton which would make one river a constitu-
uonal object Of appropriation by the general
government, because IL waited a certain amount
Of eommsroe, and which would declare another
river out Of the pale Of the constitution, because its
AMOUNT OF commerce was little less. Where was
the dividing line, he would ask Of gentlemen who
look this ground. He referred to the magnitude, |
extent, and importance, In a national and CONNER
ea point OF view, Of the Tennessee nver and urged
hat it stood on the same grounds with the Mlssisslp-
p river.
But he offered the amendment for another rea-
,on. He wished TO test the sincerity even Of his
colleagues upon this question, and TO see whether
this amendment would be met by sneers and taunts
here from those gentlemen who believe that this
government has the power TO make appropriations
br objects ofinternal improvements. And he repu-
dated the system Of log-rolng which had been
psctised upon TO some extent IN former years-to
gentlemen making their votes upon any appropra-
ton asked for by others depend upon whether
hose other gentlemen would vote for appropriations
which they wished for their peculiar sections. The
only question was Is it proper and constitutional to
What might be the individual opinions OF the gentle
men representing that particular section OF the coun-
Try should influence the vote.
In reference TO the lack Of appropriations under
this bill, for the State of Tennessee Mr.. J. noticed
the fact that Tennessee had no member upon the
Committee on Commerce., (from whom it was re.
pored) and he depressed into general review of
The composition Of the standing committees of the
House; commenting upon what he considered the
inequality Of representation therein Of the different
sections of the Union. In the course of these re-
remarks, ,..-
Mr.. BRoDHEAp inquired how i, was with ref
uence to executive appointments Had not Ten
nessee her fu share Of them
MIR. JOHNSON replied, that from county in
Pennsylvania there were eighty-odd executive ap-
pointments Pennsylvania had more of those APP
pointments in one county than the whole State Of
Tennessee put together.
Mr.. J., resuming his course of remark, ex-
planned the local bearing which his amend ent
would have upon the interests of that portion of the
State of Tennessee which he bad the honor to rep
resent, and advocated its adoption calculated TO
advance and promote those interests.
He hesited not to avow his conviction, that if this
policy Of indiscriminate internal improvement were
once opened--if the aood-gates were once hoisted,
bankruptcy, Indebtedness, and all the catastrophes
which come in the train Of such measures, would
ensue, This bill was combination, Occidental or
inended,) of measures which it hoped would
secure its passage, and would thereby enable
majority Of this House to walk up to the public
treasury and take out millions upon millions in an
ndiscriminate, and, to some extent, wholly unau-
thorized expenditure. Among its advocates they
found that representatives from Illinois and Indiana
occupied a prominent position. although he was
happy to see one gentleman from Illinois orthodox
and against this measure. If the legislation Of Hi
n0is and Indiana was TO be introduced into our gen.
eral government, let him ask every sober-minded
man to what disastrous results would it not con-
duct They had attempted it under their State
governments and had involved themselves thereby
in large Indebtedness and had exhausted their
resources; and the same system adopted by the
federal government would necessarily lead TO the
same consequences. There was not money enough
In the whole world successfully to carry on and
complete all the schemes of internal Improvement
that had been commenced. The States were now
indebted to the amount of 5000, 900 OOO with their
all exhausted and failing to pay the inter-
est their bonds. If they were now to turn their
eyes on the general government, and the general
government were to hold out to them the facilities
necessary to carrying and continuing the scheme
what an amount of Indebtedness would be heaped
upon il! And how would it be relieved BY re-
pudation, It was suggested to him; he had been in
hopes, however, that the days Of the bankrupt-law
were passed Let the States thus become depen-
dent on the general government and the sovereign
ties Of which this glorious Union is composed
would soon mink into petty corporations, dependant
the federal power the recipients of the bounties
and favors Of THE federal government; and it would
become great consolidated power, around which,
- satellites, the States would revolve, receiving
from it their light, heat, and motion.
Were we prepared for such state of things'
Was the Congress of the United States ready to
adopt system which would bring along with 1t so
DISASTROUS catastrophe ..... s-.F.- .. !
This system Of internal improvements had re-
Gently received an impetus from the assembling Of