The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1846-08-21
NUMBER 40.

fine on The ocean or lake shores. TO cal!
The mouth Of a creek, or a shallow inlet on
our coast, harbor, cannot confer the au.
thorlty to expend The pubic money IN IT.
improvement. Congress have exercised
the power coeyal with the CONSTITUTION of
establishing lighthouses, beacous, buo,s,
gnd piers on our ocean and lake shores, far
the purpose Of rendering navigation safe
and easy, aud Of afordng protection and
shelter so' our navy and other shipping
These are safeguards placed in existing
! channels Of navigation. After The long
acquiesccnce Of the go7ernmen; through
all preceding administrations, | am not dis.
posed TO question or dislnrb The authority
TO make appropriations for such purposes
When we advance step beyond lhls
point, and in addition TO the establishment
and support, by appropriations from tbs
treasury, Of light houses, beacons, buoys.
piers, and other Improvements within the
bays, ineis, and hsrbors on our ocean and
lake coasts Immediately connected with
our foreign commerce, and attempt TO make
improvements in the interior al points un.
connected with foreign commerce, and
where they are not needed for the protec-
ton and security Of our navy and CONNER
cal marine, the difficulty arises in draw.
ing a line beyond which appropriations
may not be made by the FEDERAL govern.
menl.
( One Of my predecessors, who saw the
I evil consequences Of the system proposed
I to be revived by this bill, attempted to de-
fine this hne by declaring that, "expendi.
lures Of this character" should be conf.
ned beIo;o the ports Of entry or delivery
established by law !" Acting on this re-
strlctIon, he withheld his sanction from e
Bill which had passed Congress 10 i'm.
prove the navigation Of the Wabash river"
lie was at the same time " sensible that
this restriction was not as satisfactory as
could be desired, and tina, much embnr.
rassmont may be caused TO the executive
department in its execution, by appropra.
lions for remote and not well understood
objects" This restriction, il was soon found
was subIec. 10 be GRADED and rendered
comparatively useless 10 checking the sys-
TEN of Improvements which Il was design.
ed 20 arrest, in consequence Of the facility
with which ports Of entry and delivery
may be established by law upon the upper
waters and in some instances, almost tho
head springs Of some Of the most unimpor.
tant Of our riyers, and at points on our
coast possessing no commercial impor-
lance, and not used as places Of refuge and
safety by our navy and other shipping,
Many OF the ports Of entry and delivery
now authorized by law, SO far as foreign
commercials concerned, exist only in the
statute books No entry Of foreign goods
is ever made, and no duties are ever col.
Iected at them. No export Of American
products bound for foreign countries, ever
clear from them, To assume that their
existence in the statute. book as porls OF
entry or delivery warran, expenditures on
4the waters leading 10 them, which would
{ Be otherwise unauthorized, would DO 10 as.
serl the proposition that the law making
power may engraft new provisions on the
constitution. Ii the restriction be sound
one, it can only apply to the bays, inets,
and rivers connected with or leading to
such ports as actually have foreign com.
morce ports at which foreign importa.
lions arrive in bulk, paying the duties
charged by law, and from which exports
are made 10 foreign countries. 1t will be
found by applying the restriction thus un.
ders;ood 30 the biz under consideration.
that it contains appropriations for moro
than twenty Objects of internal improve.
ment, called IN the bill HARBoRs, at places
which have never been declared by law
, either ports Of entry or delivery, and at
which, as appears 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 for
foreign country. II will be found that
many Of these works are new, and at pla.
ces for the improvement Of which appro.
prlanons are now for the first time propo.
sed. 1t will be found, also, that the bill
contains appropriations for rivers upon
which there not only exists no foreign
commerce but upon which there has not
been established even paper port of en-.
try, aud for the mouths of creeks, denom-
mated harbors, which if improved can ben.
eff, only the particular neighborhood in
too, to contain appropriations the exPendi.
ture Of which will only have the effect OF
improving one place a, the expense of the
local, natural advantages of another IN its
vicinity. Should this bill become law
the same PRINCIPLE which authorizes the
appropriations which il proposes TO make,
would also authorize similar appropriations
for the improvement, Of all the other bays,
inlets, and creeks, which may with equal
propriety be called harbors, and of all riv.
ers, important or unimportant, in every
part of the Union. To sanction the bin
with such provisions, would be TO concede
the PRINCIPLE that the federal government
possesses the power to expend the public
money in general system of internal i'm
provements, limited in its exten, only by
the ever varying discretion of successive
Congresses and successive EXECUTIVES. II
: would be to etlace and remove the limta.
tions and restrictions Of power, which the