The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-07-21
From the Charleston Mercury.
MIR. CALHOUN's REPORT.

aiiow them 10 Judge, unpreJuuiceu Oy any opinion
of ours. All who study politics. Knowing the
vast Importance of this topic of Internal Improve
'nent. whether regarded as question Of constitu.
tional construction, or Of fiscal economy, or Of
party interest, have Of course carefully read Mr..
Caihonn's exposition. And we doubt not that
me strict States Right men have felt themselves
especially called on To weigh maturely the Report,
not only because II treats of question always as
s"c'ated with Stale Rights, but because it comes
rom The statesman who has long been their hon
ored leader. and still more, because by its con
s'ant appeals To the Constitution as the only law
on 'hIs subject, it manifeslly appeals especially
tn them
well, we have ever claimed to be one of the
s'rictest among State Rights men. and trust we
have not been wholly inefficient soldiers in the
defence of the Constitution against thuse who
maintain that the will of the majority is the su-
rreme law Of the land. Against the system Of
Internal Improvement by the General Government
we have ever warred, and expect to do so to the
end Upon all the issues made between the
friends and opposers Of that system, we have
| stood with the latter, feeling that they were right
in the construction of the Constitution, and right
in policy.
With these feelings and convictions, we have
studied Mr.. Cahoun's Report. and we can see
no answer to his arguWent-we believe it nnan.
swerable. Not however, as a vindica ton of l,ose
improvement by the Federal Government. II
goes no step towards those ends. Nothing ever
emanated from the author more distinguished for
a manifest and pervading veneration for the Gun
stituton. Every principles drawn directly from
that instrument. and every Limitation of the State
Rights doctrine. is sternly enforced. There is
nothing vague either in the argument or in the
conclusons-no advance is made under cover of
a mist, and VIXEN we reach The deductions. we
kro, ,l,s ~
clearness and precision of definition characerzes
| the whole document. Yet with all ihis Mr.
Calhoun reaches a conclusion hitherto deemed
| inadmissible by the Republican party, that the
Federal Government has the power of improving
and rendering safe the navigation of the Misss-
| sippi and lis branches-a power which has al
WAYS been identified with that to build and i'm
prove harbors of commerce, to construct roads and
| to improve the navigation of every stream in the
Union. 1t is by carefully separating it from all
these. by referring it to distant grant of the
Constitution, and establishing its identity in char
acier and object with the power tn make safe
the navigation of the Atlantic coast, that Mr..
Calhoun arrives at conclusions to which every
State Rights man can heartily assent.
He denies the constitutionaity Of any i'm.
provements which t,co States can effect, because
the Constitution allows of compacts. under the
sanction Of Congress. of two States for such
purpose But it absolutely nrbids all alliances or
compacts Of three more States. and of conse.
quence all Improvements depending upon such
general onion are impossible, unless within the
power of the Federal Government.
He repudiates all expenditures for harbor's of
commerce-the States having the right, with the
sanction of Congress. to levy tonnage dates
adequate to their Improvement He holds the
construction of roads and canals beyond the power
Of Congress- works being always strictly
within the States and under their exclusive ju-
rlsdictiOn and moreover the States and diyidu-
ais being always equal TO all such undertakings
If they worth making, they will always re.
pay their cost.
The pnwer to regulate commerce." has from
the commencement Of the government, by the
consent of all, been interpreted TO contain the
power to render the navigation of the Atlantic
coast safe. by such measures as were of common
benefit to all using it. In this the dangers
were of kind that could not be removed and
the power has been exercised by pointing them
out, that they may be avoided las by the con-
struction of Light houses, the placing of bnoys,
&c. Like dangers on the Mississippi and its
branches impede commerce as great, and shar.
ed by as many States but they are of kind
that cannot be pointed ont to be avoided. and
can be removed. The conclusion is Irresistible,
that the powers should be exercised in the way
that will make its exercise beneficial and that
will attain the object, of rendering the transit
of commerce safe. To this purpose Mr. Cal
honn limits the power TO appropriate money To
these rivers. and he shows that very moder-
ale expenditure, not greater than that required
for the like object on the Atlantic, will be suffi
cient. Such are the leading positions of this
remarkable document.
As we said before. we can see no flaw in the
chain of demonstration by which Mr.. Calhoun
arrives al his conclusions, and of course assent
to them, and feel bound to sustain them. If they
are sustained by the South. this Report will 90
far to settle forever the great and vexed question
Of Internal improvement. The South and West
can unite, and the great Free Trade party Of the
West will be restored 10 lis true position, lie
leased from all temptation to bargain and logrol
with the friends Of every petty local scheme of
plumber The safety of the vast and growing
commerce of the Mississippi. raised to object of
| legitimate concern for the Federal Government,
becomes by acknowledgment the commerce Of the
Union.
IL this result shall be attained Internal I'm =
provemeni as a grand of corruption and
ceniralism, will be destroyed and the Demo
cratic party may stand united on the two vital
questions of all OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and expen
ditnre.
OF one thing we think all the friends Of Mr..
Calhoun have a right To complain, viz: that he
should have left us so long in doubt as TO the
grounds of the opuons he announced in the
Memphis Convention. We confess 10 have par
taken Of the surprise and dissatisfaction widely
felt. on the annunciatlOn of those opinions. He
ought not. it seems to US. to have ayowed con
illusions heretofore identified in opinion with the
general doctrine Of Internal improvement, unless
where he had opportunity To vindcate them from
such connection, and thus relieve his position from
all donbt and all chance Of misc0nstructon As
one Of his friends, we rejolce that can now I'M
derstand and support him. A more mastery ex.
position Of the Constitution has never been made
even by himself, than this Report contains.
BLUE RIDGE COPPER.
This Copper Region, says the Fredericksburg
KecOIdeI, has been examined BY some Of the most