Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-12-18

power The President the ground in utter defiance Of
such power and denied its existence at all He sent in his
veto year ago, based the principle of public pocythe
want Of money all the of this Government being
qued for the proper and prudent management of the
with Mexico and if the President had assigned that
for giving his this bill he (Mr. T. would
have listened to him with Difference But when the President
told them that they had the power inlet
improve harbor he begged leave say that he differed from
the President.
He did not agree with gentlemen who had taken part in
this debate who had asserted the right under the
feng power regulate commerce. make artificial chan
nels Of communication They had the powert regulate
merce with foreign nations and between the Suites and the
gentleman South Carolina (Mr RHErr yesterday took
the ground that this power did confer the authority
guae commerce. unless passed from State another.
That gentleman said that every vessel these and the
Atlantic of twenty tons burden must be registered Now
take illustration If vessel OF hundred tons sailed from
Louisville Maysvie in Kentucky, not touching Ohio at
ALL that need not be registered according to the act of Con-
gess So if they passed from Cleveland to Sandusky,
the vessel be registered No it with
foreign naons between the several States and this Co
vernment entrusted with it at all Now, he should
not insist that by virtue Of the clause giving to regu
late commerce. they had authority improve all the harbors
and rivers and nlets of the country but the question was
whether by any and all of the clauses of the constitutions
they had authority improve harbor river lake, inlet
for purpose whatever Because clause of the
sttuion does authorize it did not foow that another
did not Had they then, the power 1t was not question
Of expediency but of power He was an advocate of pru
dence now, and prudence forever but what their power
lie believed it good constitutional doctrine, that, when
ever subject gveT CHARGE all necessary
carry it out rghtfu and proper What necessary
now he admitted might not be necessary ten twenty
hence. But the point to which he wished address him
self was that where power existed in the constitution over
any subject there existed also all the necessary power
incident carry out. Under what authority had this Go
vernmen erected the marble palace yonde for the General
Post Office Under the power establish post offices and
post roads It was necessary to have place in which to
transact the business of the Post Office Department And
again. if power existed employ mail carrier because
there specific grant of such power, the authority
would exist to establish post offices and post roads, but there
would be no power to carry out the business of the Post Office
Department.
But further by what authority was the palace or chateau
erected in which the President lives BY what power was
the spacious temple in which they assembled built
There specific grant of power for either. II was an
incident to the power establish Government But it ap-
peared that this power denied for fear Of extravaganza
Expenditures must be kept within reasonable bounds Our
predecessors erected this stately mansion for the meetings of
Congress, but according to the doctrine mantained it
ought not to have been erected What but extravaganza
brought those marble pillars here and the other marble de-
coraions about this spacious hall Coaser material would
have answered the same purpose Now, it really
that they had power to make building ALL lest they
should be exavagant and involve themselves debt But
in the uness OF me when population shall have in
creased the resources of this country shall have been develop
ed and we shall have become the greatest the happes and
the weahest country earth who shall say that this Gov
vernment may not erect temple of gold
The power, be maintained, ndspuabe. Now,
how these remarks applicable the subject before them
They designed to show that when power was gven
the means to exercise that power necessarily incidental
to Here in the constitution, in few words said
Congress should have power to declare but there
power given to make peace Power given to raise and
maintain armies but where is the authority clothe them
Was it not necessarily indicated If it not so, how
could they the soldiers they had the power raise
Must they continue to the old guns which borne
the revolutionary war BY what power could this Govern
ment purchase paxhan guns for the public There
was no such specific grant of power in the constitution
How then, could it be done by the general power TO raise
and armies hpra ha actaJ
Again, how could they build large and magnificent foica
tons How maintain large ship yards and build docks
What portion of the constitution authorized There
no such specific grant OF power But all these things were
necessary appliances enable this Government to carry out
the which it undoubtedly possessed for they were
specifically given. If this modern doctrine were correct he
would ask by what power given the constitution they were
enabled to move their army from place to place II by
virtue OF the general war power The power of this
Government unlimited. But, again. another illustration
This Government had large manufactures Of arms and mu-
ntons of at Hapers Ferry and other places but by
what power did they transport them the different sections
Of the Union Could they employ carts and railroads for
their transportation to the places where soldiers stood ready
10 receive them and anxious, with them To defend their
country Yes, the power clothed them with all necessa
authority to use all the means requisite accomplish the
end But there power, the President given by the
constitution to the General Government to clear rivers and
habor log from road that this must he done
by the individual States Well suppose then in the trans
mission Of munitions OF through those which
eernay opposing the war; should be found that road
sucons and the General Government without constitutional
power do it, what to be done This was plain and ia
miar illustration, but it which clearly showed that if
the positions assumed correct of war our
cities the seaboad might be beaten ruins because
this Government possessed not the constitutional power to cut
a log out of road. And il would be with every thing
ese granted that they had power to make guns of
various descriptions, and had they power transport them
such sections of the country might require them Must
they lie where they made They had certainly no con-
stuona authority ihem according these modern
constructions Of that instrument If they could have nothing
done by incidental power They could not transport arms
and enlisted from New York Pttsburp in Pennsylya-
na and thence New Orleans by the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers for there nothing about that in the constitution
Frequently and shipped from Pilisburg down
the Ohio and suppose vessel employed gets suagged"
had fallen into the and obstTuc.ed It's passage
where the constitutional power remove the obstruction
Suppose this transportation and this obstruction should oc
duling our with Mexico in an emergency was the
Government wait until State authority should clear
the for the passage of the and our troops that
they might meet the wel-organized of Mexico Such
position ridiculous and yet The reasonngs the
sage precisely 10 that. Gentlemen might say that in
emergency the Government might exercise this power
but where, he would ask them the grant Of power IL
this power possessed in case possessed in ALL
This the inevitable consequence Of the reasoning those
whose arguments and conclusions he reviewing
But if this power impedments exs all, when
shall they be removed Is il question Of time Shall il
be done when the Government vessel or week be-
fore, year, twenty years The Father Of bis County
had left them the advice ''n time Of peace prepare for
a,J L., of tba