Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1847-06-21
INLAND SEAS

Col Benton possessed with the cdcoees logucn
d yet since the Senator generally speaks SO well! the
public need not complain. He seldom loses an opp1r
tunlly to attack Mr.. CALHOUN, and makes no conceal
mont OF his dislike towards that gentleman. Recently
at jefferson city, Mlssourhc Senator delivered an elab
crate speech, from which we quote the following pas
SAGE
Col. b. had long been advocate for the improve
mcn OF our great western rivers Above twenty wears
ago aud when Tesher from the classics and from his
Roman reading than at present, he had characterised
the Mississippi in the Senate the Romans did their
Mediterranean sea. .ifTc R0drdm was the tefnt Re
applied To it, in auson to the which divided tl
earth In the middle and flag wave over all
The Mississippi like the sea. divided land IN the
middle, and with the help Of steam and its tributaries
afforded as much navigation as the Mediterranean, and
collected all It's waters and rolled all Hoods under
the single FLAG of the American Union. He called
1t but without the slightest suspicion that he was
making II into altering clause in the consti
| tuition OF tho United States.
short time ago, cunventlon-he believed it was
called rlyer conven,lon-assemhled at Memphis -
1t made the discovery that noStrGm mol mere
figure Of speech, hui reay-tlat what were former
ly only MYERS had expanded into seas-inand seas-and
that the constitution accommodating instrument like
that miraculous tent In the Arabian Nighs SO compress
slOe that 1t might he squeezed into the grasp of one
shut hand and SO eNansbo that ii could spead the
whole encampmcnt oil an oriental army had expanded
also 10 the length and breadth OF the new sea- and
that now, these improy perfectly con- t,u-
hona IN the same rlyor under the Of inland sea-
which were perfectly unconstitutional under lis own
name under the classic embcshme N of mare nosran
or the equally classic, and still appropriate title a,
the same time bestowed upon ii oiREx FLuroRuM-
| King Of Rivers.
The constitutional difficulty was solved; hut there was
practical difficulty. There many rivers in the
mod States, and Of many sizes, and all could not be
stas The punch MAS 10 assert Them and the genius OF
the convention was equal to the difficulty If the l. SIX
iule was sivtn-a general rule nothing like general
zailon 1t was laid down, and accepted. that where a
fiNer washed three States more il became sea- an
inland sea-and entitled to the benefits of the cunsiilu-
ton and where net, not. This was the rule and now
Tor the application. Applied 10 the lttle States in New
England. and ryer OF three hundred miles became a
sea, and received constitutional improvement APPLIED
to The Great " est, and river three thousand miles
long, (the Mssouri,) remained only a river Ii was no
sea, by The rule, for had but one State upon IT, and
consequently, could have no constitutional improve
ment.
lhlS was an awkward eXemplifcatiou Of the rule; bu,
was not case OF despair, and hope of consultation
| There was light ahead, aud nous re,rons. Other
States might gruw up on the Missouri IN fact another
has already come (iowa and III time there NAV be a
third Then tins great river which comes from The sun
and washes the lase of this capitol aud goes On towards
the rising sun, may complete its growth and become 4
soa-ah inland seaand be entitled 10 constitutional i'm
pOrement Col. b. said the idea Of the growth Of q
lver was not new and not original to the Memphis CON
sentlononly borrow cd for the occasion by tina, st
os body II was an old idea. ard often sadowed forth
! III the exclamation Of tie asiUnlshed traveller al