Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-08-26
Political.
From tke Me,o YORK. Giole.
dn. .5AInous,s MEMPHIS REPORT.

Mr.. .CAInous's MEMPHIS REPORT.
This document is destined to be stand
ing and standard commentary on one o
tho most difficult parts Of the Constitution
The powefto regulate commerce with for
eign nationsi and among the States, has
receiyedSagr greaterdiNersily of construction
than any olller. The Republican parry
has been moro bewildered on this subject
and more inconsistentin its action than
perhaps on allo,hers. Jefferson and Mad.
son approved appropriations for The Cum.
berland landroad-which nearly all Dem
ocrats nnw condemn. But after Mr.. Mad
ison half sanctioned that work, and recon-.
mended TO Congress the construction ol
other roads and canals, he turned sudden.
ly round and vetoed a bill for surveys
merely and made sweeping declaration
against The improvements ofriyers, as we'll
as The construction Of roads and canals
The great authority of Mr.. Madison set
tied the question with many of. his party.
But as 10; all cases where men permit
themselves I'd be controlled. by authority
rather thai principle or reason tfor MIR. NJ.
did not afguo The. question in this veto
message. )the evil itself was not avoided,
the name only was changed-for in a few
years the harbor Improvement system
commeuced. Mr. Madison having said
nothing about harbors, nor established any
principle. bysswhich the hafbor system
could be ttied. The moment appropria.
lions were made for harbors, all men saw
The absurditySDf withholding them from
rivers, and hence tho ',So,Refe united aud
wen, on together This policy commen-
ced with the Administration ofthe second
Adams, bW il continued throughout thai
Of Gen. Jackson. ~ ho. although he vetoed
the Maysvillsroad.bIIr. and acknowledged
hs sy, s Sysss e M .d 81
ras aas2l9isa
works OF local and those of national
character mas been generally rejected as
unsatisfactory. For almost any work,
particularly roadside most Objectionable
may be made national by being. made
long. MeanwhiI6,s amid these doubtful
; and conflicting opinions. appropriations
we're going OH without limit as to their
amount or as TO their principle-the only
rule that governed them being that by
which the requisite number Of votes could
be combined in Congress to carry them.
OF course the popolous out voted The
sparsely settled dislricIs.-anl the COM
mercial and manufacturing sections ap-
proprialed the lions share. At last, how
over, The Yves, came into Congress by the
census of 1910, and being like The South
chiefly agricultural, and connected with il
by the most wonderful facilities Of natural
navigation on the Globe, the idea at once
occurred that The time: had arrived 10 de.
mand for the Southern and Western wa.
,ers their share of federal aid, and to de.
lermine the great principles on which q
system should be founded for interest:
had grown too vast and varied TO tolerate
longer uncertainty. The Memphis Con
yenton was called, and was attended BY
The most prominent men Of the West anc
South. Distinguished above all other:
came Mr.. Calhoun, whose long and bril-
liant career 10 the chief departments @
government naturally indicated him as tht
President Of the body-and the man whose
counsel was to be first called for. He de
liverea speech Oh taking the chair which
satisfied and delighted the Convention
aud was received with general approba
tion throughout the Union. |, WIS, how
ever, not so we'll approved in some part
of South Carolina aud Virginia-and Mr.
| ~, tL~.,,, ,,,,, tbroo,onod ,,;tt, tbn looo n
some of his friends.
The proceedings Of the Memphis Con
yention were however sent 10 Congress
with a memorial, and the whole subjec
was committed 10 u select Committee. O
which Mr.. Calhoun was made Chairman
He thus had an opportunity Of presenting
his views in the most elaborate and com
prehensive manner.-and has done 80 i
his report. This document is perhaps on
Of the most able and characteristic Of tn
many profound and original achievement
fMr. Calhoun's mind 1t is mas,e
piece, combining ruany qualities of III
highest order, and such as, from their di:
similarity, are seldom uniled in the pre-
.duc,ions Of the same mind. Ii is at one
acute and comprehensive, deep and clea
, plain and new: rs.r5s
He ascribes the power for improving ou
GREAT navigable,rivers 10 that conferred o
Congress for the regulation of commerc
, among the S,ates-one Of the great ot
iecrs for which the Convention that passe
the Constitution was called. The icgul;
,ion of commerce among the States, /
: "Justice however to Gen. Jackson requir
: that we should state that by his veto Of Il
I, Maysyills Road Bill, he arrested schemes the
lnying on the. table Of Congress. contempt
{ ,ine an expenditure Of over two hundred N
lion of dollars. for which in many cases su
/, Iyeys or examination, had already been mad