Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-03-21


constitutional power 70 do this work is too late TO argue
this question If any question may be considered settled
by precedent the sanction Of the first of the
onmen who formed the Constitution, and who have given
their sanction TO the power expend money for internal inn
provementshis certainly The numerous precedents
produced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr VSTos) ought
to have satisfied the most scrupuous as to the power 90
gress appropriate money for all improvements necessa for
the internal commerce of the country and for lis defence
Mr. RATHBUN next and said that he did not mean
TO argue the constitutional question: too late 10
do that II he asked any one who had preceded him. and
who denied the constitutional power to improve habors and
rivers which national in their character where they
found power the Constitution purchase cables
cho for ships Of TO construct dry docks build
navy yards they would be compelled TO acknowledge that
no such power specified in the Constitution may be
asked and Mr. r. believed had been asked where the
necessity of these harbors Would you build navy and
send the and the lakes without harbors
protect from the storm Certainly not The bill had been
chrsened 's bill for internal improvement" II was done
with view make it odous II an internal i'm
provement bill it bill to protect and facilitate com
The item for the purchase of the Louisville and Port
land Canal ought not to have been put in the bill and
less that item stricken out he feared he should be
PEELED against the BILL Harbors essential and
necessary coasts well upon the lakes They
national they open alike domestic and foreign
In time of harbors necessary for the proec
ton Of your navy Harbors not internal improvements
No denies the constitutonay Of building Notifications
and yet some gentlemen maintain it is unconstitutional to inn
prove harbor however great the necessity To
nag from that would destroy the lives and property
thousands, not internal improvement. The bill WINS
wrong named it not bill Of internal improvement it
was bill TO facilitate and protect the foreign and domestic
commerce of the country
One gentleman who had preceded him had called great
lakes ponds" 1t evident that the gentleman had
them, and Of their great andn
porance lakes on which almost inconcevabe amount
OF commerce floats amount nearly equal to
the When such the fact will gentlemen allow
harbors the lakes fill up and become useless II
they did, our lake commerce would be destroyed Mr. r. in
sisted that harbors for the navy and that the Go
venment bound to keep them in good order. II
wise to provide for in time of peace by increase
Of the army not by extension Of the navy but by
and udcious preparations that may be necessary and useful
in peace well as in
Mr.. McCLERNAND obtained the floor, and spoke some
time to the charges Of Mr. EwING of Pennsylva-
na Of inconsistency and dscoance the opinions of the
Democratic party also in defence of the party regards
the imposition alleged by Mr. E. have been pracsed
alton the opinions Of Mr. Polk the tariff Of 1912 He
then turned his attention Oregon and spoke of the
Of the Government of parties and Of individuals in relation TO
the proper to be pursued in the settlement of the
ctng rights Of Great Britain and the United States in that
country.
In the of these remarks Mr. McCLERSASD alluded
to the proposition of arbitration offered by Mr. WISrHRoP
and spoke Of its similarity to that subsequently offered by the
British Minister remarkable coincidence.
Mr. WINTHROP here and inquired whether the ho-
norabe member from Illinois (Mr McCLERSASD) intended
to impue to him any collision understanding with the Br
fish Minister
Mr.. McCLERNAND said he did not. What he had said
that the coincidence in the views of the gentleman with
those Of the British Minister remarkable.
Mr. WINTHROP. Then, the gentleman disclaims any
offensive mputation, desire take this opportunity
myself right This the remark that made by
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, (Mr. c. J. INGEHsoLL
in his speech at the close of the Oregon debate desire 10
say in the presence Of God and my country repre-
scented by the Representatives. Of the People here that neither
at the time moved the resolution looking arbitration, Con
the 18th December upon the day 1.-THE Sd january
which made the speech advocating it, had the slightest
knowledge-e slightest knotoiedge-the slightest founda
ton for the belief that proposition for arbitration, any
form, under any circumstances had been about
be- offered by the British Minister the Of the
United States If any gentleman desires any further expana
ton, i am here ready TO give il.
Dir. McCLERNAND then resumed, and after few Isoie
remarks in relation to Oregon, turned his attention The
subject matter Of the bill pending before the committee and
argued at length against the bill constitutional grounds
as also grounds of expediency involving the country, if
to the extent contemplated by those who advocated
the system in the most exvagan and waseul expenditure
of money, well in hopeless bankruptcy the system
were pursued il would engender jeaouses between different
portions and sections of the country and would be followed
by the most extensive and corrupng system of the
consequences of which would in the end be fghu and ap
paling in the extreme
Mr. McC. then spoke of particular items in the bill the
first Of which that he pacuazed the indefinite appro
priaton for the purchase Of the Louisville and Portland Ca
nal That canal he sad wholly inadequate to the pur
poses for which it designed TWAS the settled opn
Of those best qualified form opinion that the only way
to afford free passage to the vast Of the Ohio
by of locks and dams and if that
was fully accommodated, it must be by that mode.
He next advered to the appropriation of $4,000 for the
hdrbor OF st Louis-yes, horbW Of ST. Louis! The term
'nabor used to accommodate the bill TO the views Of
certain gentlemen This appropriation he considered useless
God and Nature had decreed that the channel the Mss
sipp this location, should on the Illinois side He
then spoke Of the extravaganza of the appropriations for
purposes now pending before the House, only in this
bill but various other appropriation bills These he said
exceeded in amount the largest appropriations which had been
made at session by what had been termed the
VACANT Administration Of Mr. Van Buren, Mr. McC was
this branch Of his remarks when his hour expired and he
took his seat.
Mr.. BR0CKENBROUGH rose and denied the constitu-
tonalty Of this he also denied its justice and its
expediency in every part and particular in principle and in
detail II the Government 10 establish system Of i'm
povement such this great and growing country called for
and TO make just and equal TO all the States the people
would have to be taxed hundred millions dollars
ally He protested against the inequalities Of the approa
tons under the BILL II provided for a few harbors on the
Northern lakes, and few habor the and the West
ern rivers and small appropriation for the Mississippi all
the rest Of the country entirely neglected II
the amount Of the BILL but the principles involved in it. against
which he protested He alluded TO the argument Of Mr.
McCLELLAsn in favor Of the appropriations the lakes
the ground of necessity and showed according that gen
emans saemepts Of facts reference risk Of property and
loss OF life, that the necessity pressing
been claimed 10 be- $500 7sstt " VI ~ -
But, while gentlemen were urging the appropriations for
the harbors the lakes for the protection Of navy why
did they not at other points, and upon other waters give
couragement to this great Of national defence Mr. b.
presented the importance Of the Pensacola yard in
very urgent appeal no complained that neglected by
Congress- while the money Of the Government avished
on other points Of inferior importance. He commented