Democratic banner., 1846-09-21

from the treasury for that purpose, 81 1t is
there to exempt some, at least. Of the OBJ
lects Of appropriation included in this bill
from the operation. of the general rule?--
This bill assumes the existence Of tire pow
sr, and in some Of its provisions asserts the
principle that Congress may exercised al
fully as though the appropriation which it
proposes were applicable to the construc-
tion of roads and canals. If there be 4
in principle, it is not perceived
and should be clearly defined. Some of the
Of appropriation coptained in this
bill are local in their character, and lie
contained within the limits ofa single state;
and although in the language of the bill,
they are called harbors, they are not con-
nected with foreign commerce, nor are
they places of refuge or shelterfor our ma
w, or commercial marine on the ocean or
lake shores. To call the mouth of q creek,
or q shallow inlet on our coast, a harbor,
cannot confer the authority to expend the
public money in its improvement. Con.
greGs have exercised the power coeval with
constitution Of establishing lighthouses,
beacons, buoys, and piers on our oceans and
lake shores, for the purpose of rendering
navigation safe and easy, and of affording
and shelter for our navy and
other shipping. These are safeguards
placed in existing channels Of navigation
After the long aequiesccnce Of the gov
eminent, through all proceeding ~administra-
tons, | am not disposed to question or dis
turb the authority to make appropriations
for such purposes.
When we advance a step behind this point,
and in addition TO the establishment ard
support by appropriations from the treasu-
~, Of lighthouses, bescons, buoys, piers.
and other improvements within the bays,
inlets and harbOrs OIL our oceans and lake
coasts Immediately connected with our
and attemptto make improve
mentS in the interior at points u~nconnected
with foreign commerce, and where they are
not needed for the protection and security
Of our navy and commercial marine, the
difficulty arises in drawing a line beyond
which appropriations may not be made by
federal government.
One Of my predecessors WHO saw tue G.
vii Consequences "f tie system proposed
to Or revised b, tbs I'LL, attempted 70 de-
fine :I.is line r. t-ci,r;nc that, '"xpcrdi-
:ures Of this character s. un;s be "confn,
ed 5ek1w the ports nf entry or 4, livery IS
hy law" Acting on the r~estric-
tom he WITHHELD Lis sanction from a bill
wlic: lad, sstd Congress, "to improve
t:t ~navIga.;,n Of the Wabash river" He
Was at'igt lime "sensible that this ~res,ric-
t.cn was nnt as satisfactory as could he de-
sired. md that much embarrassment may
be caused to the executive department in
its execution, by appropriations fur remote
and not well understood objects" This
restriction, it was soon found, was subject
to be invaded, and rendered comparatively
useless in checking tie system Of im~ 'rve-
ment which it was designed 10 ans:, in
consequence of TIE facility with which
ports of sntry and delivery may be Pstab-
lished by law upon tie upper waters. and
in some instances, almost at the springs Of
some of the most unimportant orour rivers,
and at points on our coasts possessing no
commercial importance, and not used as
places of refuge and safety by our navy,
and o,Eer shipping. Many Of the ports of
entry and delivery now authorized by law,
so far as commerce is concerned, exist on
ly in the statute books. No entry Of for
cign goods is made and no duties are ever
collected at them. No exports Of Ameri-
can products bound for foreign countries,
ever clear from them,
To assume that their existence in the
statute bouks as ports Of entry or delivery
expenditures on the waters leading
to them, which would be otherwise unau-
thorized, would be TO arrest the PROPOSE
ticn, that the law-making power, may en-
graft new provisions on the constitutions
If the restriction be a sound one, it can on
" apply to the bays, inlets and rivers o
nected with, or leading to such ports as act
tually have foreign commerce, ports a.
which fpreign importations arrive in bulk,
paying the duties charged by law, and from
which exports are made to foreign coun-
tries. It will be found by applying the re-
striction ;hus understood f. the bill under
consideration, that it contains spPropria-
tons for more than twenty objects of inter-
nal improvement, called in the bill hdrbOrs,
at places which have never been declared
BY law either ports Of entry or delivery.
and at Which, as appears from the records
Of the treasury, there rsrer has been On ar
.;rol ,.f {. reipn mercf andlse. and fire.