Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-07-23

object, indicated, and almost accomplished |
nature herself. and wanting from man but lit
to complete it. Articles in the St. Louis FL
qnirer Of April. 1919. express the opinions whic
| then entertained, and the report " of that p,
ROD published in the same paper, to the Sncr,
tary of Wlr, by Messrs. Graham and Phillip
in favor Of that canal, (and which report "
wrotn) was probably the first formal commnn
cation. upon authentic data, in favor Of the Oh
caro canal. These gentlemen, with John {
Sullivan, of Missouri, had been appointed BY tn
Secretary Of War to run line from the sou,
end Of Lake Michigan to the Mississippi Rive
! proposed to them to examine the ground BE-
tween Chicago and the head waters of the iii
nois river, with a view to the construction of
canal by the Federal Government. They di
so. and on their return to st. Louis, submtte
all their observations to me, and hence the pub
llca'ions in the newspapers. aud the report of tn
Secretary Of War. mention this to show tina
my opinions on this subject are of long stand
ing; and that the nationality of the Chicag
canal, and, of course. Of the harbor at its month
are by no means new conceptions with me. Blu
| must confess that did not observe then wha
| have since :cen-the Falls of Niagara sur
mounted bv ship canal and schooner clear
ing from Chicago for Liverpool
The river navigation of the Great West is thu
most wonderful on the globe and since the APP
pIication of steam power to the propulsion OF
vessels, possesses the essential qualities of opei
navigation. Speed, distance, cheapness, magni
tude of cargoes, are all there and without tn,
parlls OF the sea from storms and enemies. The
steamboat is the ship of the river, and finds il
the Mississippi and its tributaries the amples
theatre for the diffusion of its USE and the dis
nj e II
with seas by the head and by the mouth
stretching its arms towards the Atlantic and the
Pacitic-lying in valley, which is val,y
from the Gulf of Mexico to IIndson's Bay
drawing its first waters not from rugged noun
tains but from the plateau Of the Lakes in the
centre of the continent, and in communication
with the sources of the st. Lawrence and the
streams which take their course north to Had
sons Bay-''ranng the largest extent of the
richest land-collccting the products of every
cline, even the irigd, to bear the whole to a
genial market in the sunny so 18th, and there to
meet the products of the entire void! Such is
the Mississippi! And VINO can calculate the
aggregate of its advantages, and the magnitude
of lis future commercial results 4?
Many years ago. the late Governor Clark and
myself undertook to calculate the extent of the
boatabe water in the valley of the Mississippi
va IN ,de it about $1,000 miles Of which 3D.
O)) were computed to unite above st. Louis and
10000 below. Of course, we counted all the
infant streams on which fiat, a keel. or a bat
teauX could be iloated, and Justly; for every
tributary of the humblest boatable character,
heips to swell not only the volume Of the cen-
iral waters, but of the commerce upon them.
or this immense extent of river navigation. all
combined into one system of waters, st. Louis
tbn and y,,f;t H.,
senting, even now. in its infancy, an astonishing
and almost incredible amount of commerce. des
tin ID to increase forever. 1t is considered ar
inland town Counting by time and money, the
only true commercial measure of distances. anC
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 ct th'
Mississippi. ST Louis is a seaport as well a.
an inland city, and is port of delivery by law
aud has collected 100000 of duties on foreign
imports during the past year; and with a liberia
custom wonld becom" great enireDO' of foreign
as well as of domestic commerce. With the attr
bute> and characteristics Of a seaport she is
entitled to the benefit Of one. as fully and as
clearly a Nc1 York or New Orleans.
About twenty years ago, moved in the Sen
ate and obtained an appropriation Tor survey
of the r ,pids of the L pper Mississippi; it was
probably the first appropriation ever obtained to
the improvem mt of the upper part Of the river
About twenty-five years ago, moved. and sue
cncded in the motion, to include the Missouri
river in bill for the improvement of Western
rivers-it was the first time that river had beef
50 included, Tnus, on the important items o
the Chicago canal. the rapids OF the Upper Ms
sssiJpi and the Missouri river, was among tn
Fl st to propose to include them within the circl
of internal improvement by the federal govern
ment. | have always be N Il friend of that Sy+
TEN, but not to it, abuses and here lie the d iii
Guilty, and the danger, and the stumbling-bloc
to its success. Objects of general AMI nitiont
importance can alone claim the attention of tn
f. lrrtl govern nnnt; AM in favor OF such object
believe all the departments of the government
t. be united. Confined 10 them, the ConStltl
ton eau reach them. and the treasury sustain
them. Extended to local or sectional object
and neither the Constitution nor the treaSur
clnld uphold them. National objects of i'm
provemcnt are few in number, definite IN chal
actcr. and manageable by the treasury; loca
aud sectional objects are innumcrable, and IN
definite, and ruinous 10 the treasury. Nea
twenty years ago, the treasury was threatene
with "A demand for two hundred millions of dol
lars for objects of internal improvement, the
applied for, and many of them Of no mt ona
the system and so it must be again, II IN
proper discrimination is not kept up between
local and national su iects 1t is for Congress
to make that discrimination the President can
not he must reject or approve the blll as
whole. Here, then, is the point at which tn
friends of the system, in Congress, must excr
all their care and vigilance. No arbitrary rul
can be given for the admission or exclusion o
proper objects, but really national objects adm
of no dispute; and confined to them, ! appre
bend but little danger of losing bill, either trol
executive vetoes, or for want of votes in Con
gress.
Very respectfully gentlemen, your friend an
fellow citizen, THOMAS ii. BENTON.
SilaS IVrigh's Letter.
CANTON, 3lst May, lsi7,
GESTLFMES: Your circular, inviting me t
attend "a North Western llarbor and Rive
| convcution" TO be assembled at Chicaro on IN