Democratic banner., 1847-07-19
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and myself undertook 10 calculate the cX-
tent Of the boatable water in the valley of
the Mississippi: we made it about $4,000
miles! of which 10000 were computed to
unite above St. Louis, and 10000 below.
OF course, we counted ali the infant streams
On which a fiat, = keel, or a battcau could
be floated, and justly: for every tributary,
Of the ~humbiest boatabie Character, helps
to swell not only tie volume of lie central
waters, but Of the upon them.
Of this immense extent Ct river Ia.i..,ion,
all combined into one system Of waters, St.
Louis is the centre! and the c~ntyepot of its
trade! presenting even now, in its infancy,
an astonishing AID almost incredible amount
of commerce., destined to increase forever.
1t is considered an inland town. Countinn
by time and money. The only true CONNER
cial measure Of distances. anu St. Louis is
nearer TO the sea than New Orleans was
before the steam tow boat abridged the dis
lance between that city and the mouth Of
the Mississippi. st. Louis IS a sea port, as
well IS an inland city, and is Il port Of de-
livery by law, and has collected 30, 200 Of
duties on foreign imports during the cur
rent year; and with a liberal custom law
would become a great cntrfpof of foreign
as well as of domestic commerce. With
the attributes and characteristics of a sea-
port, she is entitled TO the bcncfts of one,
as fully and as clearly as New York or New
Orleans.
About twenty years ago, I moved in Ike
Senate, and obtained an appropriation for a
survey Of the Rapids Of the Upper Mis<is-
sipPi: it was probably The first a~ppropria-
ton ever obtained for Tie Improvement Of
the upper part Of the river. About twenty
fTe years ago, ] moved, and succeeded in
the motion. to include the Missouri rivcrin'
Il BIZ fot the improvement of tie western
rivers: Ii was Tie first time that river had
been 50 included. Thus, On the important
items of the Chicago canal, the Rapids of
the Upper Mississippi, AMI the Missouri
river, | was among ;he first 10 propose to
include them within thc circle Of internal
by the Federal Government.
] have always been friend TO tiat SYSTEM,
but not to its abuses. and huc lies the diff
Guilty, and the danger, and the ~stumblingI
block to lis success. Objects Of general
and national Importance can alone claim
the all ri the Federal Government: and i'll
favor Of such objects | believe all the dc
parimcntS Of the government to be united.
Confined t. them, and the constitution can
them, and the treasury sustain them.
Extcr ded to local or sectional objects, and
neither The constitution. nor the trcasur,
could uphold them. National objects Of
Improvement are few in number, definite in
character, and manageable by the treasury:
local and sectional objects are innumcrablc.
indefinite, and ~ruinous TO the treasury.
Near twenty years ago the treasury was
threatened with a demand for two hundrCdl
millions Of dollars for objects of INTERNAL
then applied for, and many
them of no national Importance. The
enormity of the sum baked the system; and
80 it must be again, if the proper discrimi-
nation is not kept up between local and ma
-ional subjects. 1t is for Congress to make
that discrimination: the President cannot:
he must reject, or approve the bill as al
whole. Here, then, is the point al which
he friends Of the system, in Congress, must
exert all their care and vigilance. No ar
rule can be given for the admission
'r exclusion of proper objects; but really
national objects admit of no dispute; and,
confined to them, | apprehend but little
LANCER Of losing "a bill, either from Execu-
i've ~vetoes, or for want of votes in Con- Is
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Very respectfully, Gentlemen, e
Your friend and fellow citizen,
rPIYnNJkCI IT EENTnN