Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-08-12

objects for the expenditure Of the public
money, which are local in their character,
beneftting but few at the expense Of the
common. treasury of the whole. It will
engender. sectional fe eelings and prejudices8
calculated to disturb the harmony Of the
Union. 1t will destroy the harmony which
should prevail in our legislative councils.
1t will produce combinations of local
and sectional interests, strong enough when
united, to carry propositions for appropria-
tions of public money which could not of
themselves, and standing alone succeed,
and cannot fail to lead to wasteful and ex-
trayagapt expenditures 3
: It must produce disreputable scramble
for the public money, by the conflict which
is inseparable from such a system, between
local and individual interests and the gene
raj interest Of the whole. It is unjust to
those States which have with their own
means constructed their own internal inn
provements, to make from the common
treasury appropriations for similar improve.
ments in other States. y.
In its operation it will be. oppressive and
unjust towards thoses States, whose repre-
sentatiyes and people either deny or doubt
the existence Of The pnRaf nr- think IDS ex-
ercise inexpedient, and who, while they g.
qually contribute to the treasury, cannot
consistently with their opinions engage ina
general competition for share Of the pub.
lie money. Thus q large portion of the
Union, in numbers and in geographical ex-
tent, contributing its equal proportion Of
taxes to the support of the government,
would, under the operation Of such sys-
TEN, be compelled to see the national treas
ure, the common stock. Of all, unequally
disbursed and often improvidently wasted
for the advantage Of small sections, instead
Of being applied to the great national pur-
poses in which all have common interest,
and for which alone the power to collect
the revenue was given. Should the system
OF internal improvements prevail, all these
evils will muhiplygand increase with the
increase ofthe number of the States, and
the extension of fthe.geographical.. limits of
the settledPortions Of our country. With
the increase Of our numbers and the extern
sion Of our settlements, the local objects de-
manding appropriations Of, the public mon
ey for their Improvement WILDE proper
tionably increased. In each case the ex-
penditure Of the;public money would con-
fer benefits, director indirects only on a
section, while these sections would become
daily less in comparison with the whole.
The wisdom ofthe trainers of the consti-
tuition in Withholding power over such OBJ
jects from the federal government, and
leaving them to the local governments of
the States, becomes more and more mani
fest with every years experience Of the OPP
eration of our system.
In country Of limited extent with but
few such objects ofexpenditure, (if the form
of government permitted i.,) a common
treasury might be used for. their improve
ment with much less inequality and .injus-
tice than in one of the vast extent which
ours now presents in population and terri
tory. The treasure, Of the world would
hardly be equal to the improvement Of eve
ry bay, inlet, creek and river in our coun-
try which might be supposed to promote the
agricultural, manufacturing, or CONNER
cial interests Of a neighborhood.
The federal constitution was wisely a.
dapted in its provisions to any expansion of
our population; and with the advice of the
confederacy of States in the career Of ma
ftional greatness, it becomes the more ap-
parent that the harmony ofthe Union, and
the equal justice to which all its parts are
entitled, require that the federal govern
ment should con6ne its action within the
limits prescribed by the consultation to its
power and authority. Some ofthe pTovis-
ions ofthisbi are not subject to the objec-
tions stated, Land did they stand alone / should
not feel it to be. my duty to withdraw my
approval. s- & E
limo constitutional objections existed to
| the bill, there are others of q serious nature
which deserve some consideration. 1t ap-
|propriates between one and two millions OIL
dollars for objects which are Of no pressing
necessity and this is proposed at a time
when the country is engaged in foreign
war, and when Congress at its present ses
sion has authorized loan or the issue oI
treasury notes to defray the expenses Of the
war, to be resorted to if the 'exigencies o.
1.-THE government should require it.'' +
would seem to be the dictate of wisdom, un.
der such circumstances, to husband oul
means, and not to waste them on compare.
lively unimportant objects, SO that we may
reduce the loan or issue of treasury notes
which may become necessary to the small
est practicable sum. It would seem to be
wise too, tosabstain from such expenditures
with a view to avoid the accumulation Of a
large public debt, the existence Of which
would be- opposed to the interests Of our peo-
pie, as well as to the genius Of our free in
stitutions.. ,sas},..s;g, .,s
Should this bill become law, the princi-
pie which it establishes willlinevitably lead
to large andannually increasing appropria-
tons and drains upon the treasury; for it is
not to ,be doubted that nugleSons other 10.
i