Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-08-13

'r governed by the cardinal points who is e., :, =
e against a proposed measure, according 10 i,s ~
y u'catioh by compass, or as IL may hsppon >,
!, .eho iafther from, or come nearer to. his or.,
u immediate connexions. And look at the Wos
look at those rivefs--look at the Lakes-.lool
u especially at Lake Erie, and see what modar
l a'e expenditure has done, for the safety of bu
2 man HE and the preservation of pronertv If
t'ie navigation OF the Lake, and done. lei me-
= tom "'''"' oPPos''
, Gentlemen, pass over what have .o;d -,
o'ner occasions, IN support of measures for Ia r.
nor and River improvements. and in doanoa y,
: the grounds OF right and policy, on wbirb ann.
pose such measures to rest and como IN ~
'a'n recent and most interesting occurrences.
II Is well known. gentlemen, that a bill for H.,
improvement Of harbors, and the paviga,ion ''f
piT"rs ~oassai both hnnsoa IN Irlv 1sds T,L ~.
veto message, as 1t Is called. was sent to Con-.
gress on the third day of August. WI"
ms message the first Of It's kind transmit.
ted to Congress- by the present President of m,
United States, may well be supposed IN baro
been drawn up not only with care, but also
upon consultation with his usual advisers Tho
heads OF departments, whose concurrence and
support 1t no doubt received at least i, is mn,
known that any dissent was expressed in tho
Cabinet, or by any Of its members and n. J,r.
trines were supported bv majority Of Tho d..
sident's friends in the House of Renreson,a,;,os
when the bill was again put to the vote ,bore
according to the forms of the Constitution II
was lost, OF course, by the want of concurrence
OF the votes OF two thirds Of the members This
veto message, as 1t is the most recent. NAV ,lso
oe regarded rs ''ic most authentic exposition of
,he principles and opinions of those leading no.
litclanS, who are opposed to grants of mono,,
nd r
OF similar character. The message is in every.
body hands, and has. of course been nnvo,-
sally read. It is not my present purpose in
comment on H. except so far as to show in
what ilght lis doctrines and its character strucL
me, and how widely it differed from NV ou,,
opinions. Three or four months ar,er tho defe,t
of the I1arhor bill by the veto MESA ge ON tho
I'd day OF December, 1916, made a speecb n
meeting OF merchants and other citizens Of Phi.
ladepha On that occasion, so interesting a
matter as The loss of this bill, could not but ut.
tract attention. From my printed speech deliy.
cred before that assemblage, transcribe the
following extracts WV
= Let us contemplate. for moment. the M;s.
s'sslppl ms noble and extraordinary stream.
with seven or eight millions of peonle nm ia
banks, and on the waters falling into il. abso.
lutely calls for harbors for clearing ont rivers
tor the removal of snogs and other obstacles to
safe navigation. Who is to do this =? Will anv
one Of the States do it Can all the States do
1t! Is 1t the duty appropriate of any State or
any number of States No, Move knov II
is not. We know that unless this Government
be placed in the hands of men who feel tha, II
is their constitutional authority and duty to
make these improvements, they never will be
made, and the waters Of the Mississippi will
roll over ShagS. and snGPs, and srngs tor a CEN
fpr 10
from the Government Of the United States or
in the nature of things, they cannot come at ali.
and say that every steamboat that is lost bv
one OF these snagS-erery life that is sacrificed
goes TO make upa great account against this
Government Why, what a world is there
What rivers, and what cities on their banks
Cincinnati, New Orleans, ST. Louis Louisville.
Natchoz, and others that spring up while wa
are talking ct them, or. indeed before we begin
to speak of them commercial marts. GREAT
places for exchange of commodities along these
rivers, which are so many inland seas, as it
were And what the General Government no
authority over 'hem-no power of improve.
mcnt! Why. that will be thought the most in.
credible thing, hereafter. that ever was heard
of. 1t will not be believed, that it ever had en-
tered into the head of any administration. that
these We're not objects deserving the care and
attention of the Government think there,o
that the Ilarhor Bill negatvcd BY the President,
raises vital question. This question was put in
Congress it has been put since, it was put at the
i polls. | put ii, now, to be the question whether
these internal improvements OF the waters of the
Lakes and Rivers, shall be made and those
who say they shall not be made. are right to ad-
here TO Mr. Polk and those who say they shall
be made, and must be made, and they will have
them made. why then, they have the work in
their own hands, and if they BE- majority of the
people, will do it. do not know that we, of
/ the East and North, have any especial interest
in this but tell you that we of the East think
that we have an especial interest in it. have
/ thought so, at least, ever since have been in
! Congress, and believe all my associates from
/ Massachusetts have also thought so. We think
We have an interest. an especial interest, in ma.
niesting spirit of liberality in regard to all ex-
penses for Improvements Of these parts of the
country watcrcd by the Mississippi and the
Lakes We think it belongs both to our inter-
est and onr reputation, to sustain improvements
on the Western waters
Now. let us not be carried away by q vague
notion that the Constitution of the United States
has no power to make internal improvements,
and therefore does not authorize expenditures
on harbor. We are speaking of things not by
any general name not by classification, or elias.
ses, we are speaking OF things by phrases des.
criptive of the things themselves. We cali a
harbor, harbor. II the President of the United
States says that it is matter of internal i'm.
provement, why then, say that the name can.
not alter the thing, the thing is harbor And
does no, every one of these harbors touch navi.
gable waters 4? Is not every one of them on tho
shore OF the sea, bay, gulf or navirabIe river
and are not the nayigable waters Of the ocean,
and gulf. and bays, and rivers, are they not all
for commercial purposes out of the jurisdiction
OF the States, and in the jurisdiction of the Uni.
ted States How can il be said that these are
within the particular jurisdiction of the States
Wherever the money is so expended, it is eXpen-
ded within the jurisdiction OF the United States,
and tor the purposes conceded TO it by the Cons.
t'tutloni that Is TO say, the regulation and pro.
lection of commerce. But now let us 20 TO the
origin Of this power. Let us appeal from the
opinions of the President of the United States TO
the written text of the Constitution +; and let us
see what that is. 1t says, that Congress shall
hare power to regulate commerce uuh toreisr
/ nations and among the Sereral SAFES, and D,th
The Indian tribes, The whole force is concen.
trated in that word, regulate Well, Mr.. Polk
\ himself admits that the word regulate, as ap-
piled to facilities for foreign trade does not ex.
tend to the making Of beacons, piers and light
houses but his whole message attempts to run
a distinction between foreign trade, and trade