The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-08-08

Connected with foreign commerce. and wb.r.
they are not needed for the protection and secnri
ty Of our navy and commercial marine the diff
Guilty arises in drawing line beyond which an.
Preparations may not be made by the federal GOV
eminent
One Of my predecessors. who saw the evil CON
sequences "f the system proposed tn he revived
hv this bill, attempted to define this line by de-
clarlng that, expenditures of this character"
should be ' confined bctoc the ports of entry or
delivery established ny lawi' Acting II this
restriction. he withheld his sanction from a bill
which had passed Congress to improve the
navigation of the Wabash river" He was at
the same time sensible tina, this restriction was
not as satisfactory as could he desired. and that
much emba rrassment may he caused to the exc
cuiive department in its execution. by appro-
| priations for remote and not well understood OBJ
| Jecis. This restriction, II was som found was
subject to be evaded, and rendered compa ra tivey
useless in checking the system ut Improvements
which II was designed tn arrest, in consequence
"f the facility with which ports of entry and de-
livery may he established by law upon the upper
waters, and in some instances almost at the head
springs of some of the most unimpnrtant of our
rivers, and at points on our cuast possessing no
commercial importance and not used as places %
refuge and safety by navy, and other shippinu
| Many Of the ports of entry and delivery now au-
| thorized by law, so far foreign cunmerce is
Concerned, eSlSt only IN the statute 6OnkS. No
entry of foreign goods is ever made and no duties
are ever collected at them. No exports of Anne
rican products bound for foreign countries, ever
clear from them. To assume that their existence
IN the statute books as ports of entry or delivery
warrant expenditures the waters leading Ia
them, which would he otherwise unauthorized
would be to assert the proposition. that the law
making power may engraft new provisions on the
constitution. Ii the restriction be a sound one, il
nDIv ,p1u o. ah ,x, III,
nected with or leading to such ports as actually
have foreign commerce; ports at which foreign
'mporta'lons arrive in bulk, paying the duties
| charged by law, and from which exports are
made To foreign countries 1t will he found by
applying the restriction thus understood 10 the
bill under consideration, that it contains appro-
priatinns for more than twenty objects of internal
improvement, called in the bill hnrbors at places
which have never heen declared by law either
ports of entry or delivery, and at which AS an
pears from the records of the treasury there has
never been an arrival of foreign merchandise. and
from which there has never been a vessel cleared
t"r foreign conntry 1t will be found that MANY
ct these works are new, and at places for the
improvement ot which appropriations are now
i"r the first time proposed 1t will be found
also that the hill contains appropriations for riv
ers upon which there not only exists no foreiun
commerce. but upon which there has not been
established even paper port of entry and for
the mouths OF creeks, denomnated harhnrs which
IT improved can benefit only the particular neiqh-
borhood in which they are situated IL will he
found, too. to contain appropriations the expendi-
tnre of which will only have the effect of i'm
proving one place at the expense of the local
natural advantages of another, in its vicinity
Shonld this bill become a law the same principie
which authorizes the appropriations which it pro
poses to make, would also authorize similar ap-
preparations for the improvement of all the other
bays. inleis, and creeks. which NAV with canal
propriety be called harbors. and of all the rivers.
important or Dnimporant. in every part of The
Union. TO sanction The hill with such provisions,
would be to concede the principle that the feder
al government possesses The power to expend the
public money in general system of internal i'm.
provemenis. limited in It's extent only by The ever
varying discretion of successive Conc resses and
successive Executives II would be To efface and
remove the limitations and restrictions of mower.
which the constitution has wisely provided to
limit the authority and action of the federal GOV.
eminent 10 a few we'll defined and specified oh
Jects. Besides these objections, the practical evils
which must flow from the exercise ON the part of
The federal government. of the powers asserted in
'hs bill. impress my mind with grave sense of
my duty to avert them from The country as far
as my constitutional action may enable me to do
so.
IL mot only leads TO consolidation Of power in
The federal government at the expense Of the
rghlul authority of the States but its inevitable
tendency is, to embrace objects for The expendi-
ure Of the public money, which are local in their
character. benefitting bnt few al the expense of
the common treasury of the whole IL will en-
gender sectional feelings and prejudices calculated
To disturb the harmony Of the Union 1t will de-
stroy the harmony which should prevail in our
legislative counses.
II will produce combinations Of local and sec
carry propositions for appropriations of public
money which conld not of themselves and e,apJ
ing alone, succeed and cannot fail to lead to waste
fu and extravagant expenditures.
1t must produce dlsrepuable scramble for the
public money. by the conflict which is insepara-
bile from such system. between local and indi-
vIdnal interests and the general interest of the
whole ~ is unjust 10 those States which have
with their own means constructed their own in.
iernal improvements. iu make from the common
treasury appropriations for similar improvements
in other States
In lis operation IL will he oppressive and unjust
towards those States whose representatives and
people either deny or doubt the existence of the
power. or think its exercise lnexpedIPnt and Who
while they equally contribute to the treasury,
cannot consistently with their opinions engage in
the general competition for share Of the public
money Thus a large portion Of the Union in
numbers and in geographical TX tent contributing
its equal propoTtipn of taxes 10 the support Of the
government. would, under the operation of snch
system. be compelled to see the national treasure
the cobmon stock Of all-unequalIy disbnrsed.
and often mpr0videnIly wasted for the advan-
ago OF small sections, instead of beino applied 10
the great national purposes in which ali have
common interest, and for which alone the power
to collect the revenue was given. Should the
system Ut internal improvements proposed prevail,
all these evils will multiply and increase with
the increase Of the number Of the States, and The
extension Of the geographical limits Of the settled
Dottinne IF uor country With tho i,oro.oo fo..