Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1847-06-26
COL. Observation-Disclosures
BORS-MR. CALHOUN.
From his st. Louis Speech.

From his St. Louis Speech.
Col. B. turned to subject of great inter.
est 10 the people Of Missouri, and Justly so:
he alluded to the improvement OF their
great rivers. This was the established pol
ICY OF all branches Of the government now,
though unhappily suspended and baked for
while. The suspension was no condem.
nation OF the policy, but the effect OF vicious
legislation--mixing local object with ma.
tional measures--putting small streams in
10 the same bill with such rivers as the
Missouri and Mississippi, and harbors which
never harbored any thing but their owners
interest, or local trade, with the real
harbors which shelter the commerce, and
ships, and steamboats, Of nation. The
policy was not abandoned. The fault OF
the suspension should not rest upon the
President, but on the members of Congress
who, negligently, or sinistrously, permit 10.
cal objects TO be mixed up with national
ones IN the same bill, and thus force the ma
tional to carry the local, or all sink together.
There is where the fault lay, and that is the
point at which the constituent should Oh.
serve the conduct Of his representative.
Col. B. had long been an advocate for
the improvement Of our great western riv.
ers. Above 20 years ago, and when fresh
er from the classics and from his Roman
reading than at present, he had character
lied the Mississippi in the Senate as the
Romans did their Mediterranean sea-
Mare noStram was the term he applied to
it., in alusion 10 the sea which divided the
earth in the middle, and saw one flag wave
over it all. The Mississippi, like that sea,
divided our land 10 the middle, and with the
help Of steam and its tributaries, afforded
as much navigation, as the Mediterranean,
and collected all its waters, and rolled all
its floods under the single flag OF the Amer.
lean Union. He called it OUR SEA, but
without the slightest suspicion that he was
the constitution of the United States. A
short time ago a convention--he believed
it was called river conventon--assem
beld OF Memphis: it made the discovery
that mare nOstrdm was not mere figure OF
speech, but reali,y--that what were for
merly only rivers, had expanded into seas
inland seas-and that the constitution,
accommodating instrument, like that mrac.
ulous tent in the ARABIAN NIGHrs, so com.
pressible that it might be squeezed into the
grasp Of one shut hand, and so expansible
that it could spread over the whole encamp.
mont OF an oriental army, had expanded
also to cover the length and breadth Of the
new sea! and that now, these improve
ments were perfectly constitutional, in the
same river, under the name OF "inland sea-"
which were perfectly unconstitutional IN.
der its own name, or under the classic EN-.
Enlistment Of mare nostrdm, or the equally
classic, and still more appropriate title at
the same time bestowed upon it of REX
FLUvIoRUM-King Of Rivers. The consti.
tutional difficulty was solved; but there
was practical difficulty. There were
many rivers in the United States, and OF
many sizes, and all could not be seas. The
pinch was to assert them; aAd the genius
OF the convention was equal to the Difficult.
ty Of the task. A rule was glven-a gen.
eral rule-nothing like generalization. 1t
was land down, and accepted, that where
river washed three states or more, it be.
came sea--an inland sea--and entitled to
the benefits of the constitution; and where
not, not. This was the rule; and now for
the application. Applied to the little states
in New England, and river Of 800 miles
long became sea, and received consttu-
tlonal improvement: applied to the Great
West and a river 5000 miles long, (the Mis-
souri,) remained only river. 1t was no
sea, by the rule, for it had bu, one state up
on it; and, consequently, could have no
constitutional improvement.
This was an awkward exemplihcation Of
the rule; but, it was not a case Of despair, and
no hope, or consolation. There was light
hoo oh
grow up on the Missouri; in fact another has
already come (lowa land, in time, there may
be third. Then this great river which comes
this capitol, and goes on towards the rising sun,
may complete its growth, and become a sea
an inland sea-and be entitled 10 constitutional
improvement. COL B. said the idea Of the
growth OF river was not new and not origin
al to the Memphis conventon--only borrowed
for the occasion by that illus!rious body. II,
was an old idea, and often Swallowed forth in
the exclamation Of The astonished traveller at
finding large river, like the Mississippi, or
the Missouri, in a new country; This is a Jorge
ricer for new country. In this exclamation
was the seminal conception Of the idea Of the
growth Of rivers! so felcitously developed in
the proceedings Of the Memphis convention
Oh metaphysics! political metaphysics! thy
name shall hencefor,h be, Memphis convention
IMPORTANT TO VOLUNTEERS.
We have been furnished with a copy oil
the following letter for publication, for the
benefit OF the volunteers, 10 whom it is in.
teresting in the last degree.-N. O. Pic.
Pension OFFICE, May "a, l847.
SlR: In answer TO your letters Of the 900
mat | have IN inform Won that M aold;a,