Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1847-05-04
RaarbOr a. ksEver Convention
ADDRESS OF THE CHICAGO COMMITTEE,

connection with the loss oil life and pro.
perty upon the western waters, last sea.
son. caused several public meetings to be
held in various sections of the country,
for the purpose ofdevisiBg the best means
of remedying these and other evils of
which the great mass of the people in
terested in commerce, were complaining.
At all these meetings, the propriety of
holding convention at some convenient
point, was discussed and universally con.
Cured in.
In consequence OF Chicago having been
generally named as the proper point, its
citizens called a meeting, named the fifth
OF July as the appropriate time, and chose
the undersigned committee to draft an
address, setting forth the objects of. the
convention.
The movers in this matter, have been,
from the first, like the undersigned. of
entirely different politics.and, so far from
there being even in the remotest degree,
any political design in the contemplated
convention, one of the chief objects of it,
is to call together for common object.
the men of all parties, and to convince the
people every where that the improvements
desired, are not now, never have been,
and never should be connected with ssIay
ty Politics" in the ordinary use of that
term. Such connection would, in the
minds of all interested, have a very de-
leterlous tendency. 1t cannot be denied
that thee is pradisposition among all
politicians to support the measures of a
chief magistrate of their own party, and
hence we have seen western represen.
tatiVes, originally supporting harbor and
river improvements, and elected upon
express pledges to do so, finally vote to
support reto ofbills providing for that
purpose and assigning as reason there
for that it was their duty to sustain an
executive Of their own selection, even
though 1t be in express opposition to the
wishes and interests oftheir constituents.
Repeated instances ofthis kind must even
tually give this question somewhat of q
political cast, which the Undersigned and
all who cooperate with taem, would Sc
liousiy regret.
The construction of har6ors upon our
northern lakes, as well as upon the Alan
tic, with the improvement of our great
rivers, whose commerce is of national
character, necessarily involves no ques-
tons of party difference. They are mat.
tiers that must interest all parties, as they
do all classes, alike, and Harbor and Riv.
er bills have been supported by the ablest
men OF both the great political parties
which devide this country. This subject
has never entered into any presidential
canvass, since each party he's always
taken it for granted that the candidate of
the other was above suspicion upon
matter Of such pre-. eminent importance.
The first Congress that ever assembled
under the present constitution, many of
whose members bel ped to frame it, passed
law defraying ali expenses which should
accrue after the fifteenth of Aug. 1889,
in the necessary support, meintainan &C,
and repairs Of all light houses, beacons,
buoys, and public piers erected, placed
or sunk before the passage of,his act, at
the entrance of or within any bay, inlet,
har5or, or ports of the United States, for
rendering The navigation there of easy
and safe. Gen. Washington signed the
bills for tho continuance of such works
were also successfully sigueI by Presi-
dents the elder Adams, Jefferson and
Madison. The first Lake Harbor bill was
signed by Dir. Monroe. He never raised
the constitutional question; nor do the
Congressional debates of those days
show that any members of either branch
ct Congress made any distinction be-
tween salt and fresh water improvements,
or between foreign and domestic com
merce. All at that time were acknowl-
edged alike deserving the fostering care
OF the General Government. as they also
were during the administrations of the
| younger Adams. Gen. jackson and Mr..
Van Buren,. Though remarkably scru.
| pulous as to extent to which the power to
construct works OF internal improvement
should be exercised, General Jackson
and Mr.Van Buren, signed bills for the
improvement of rivers and construction
of harbors, 10 the amount of $1,000, 600
and the two bills signed by Gen. Jackson
in 1885 contained no less than 80 items,
and the bill Of 1887 no less than So
: After the General Government has ex
pended upwards of seventeen millions O
dollars for works of internal improvement
and mostly in the old states by the con
sent and support of the very trainers o
the constitution, and their cotemporaries
and by men, too, of all political parties
there can now be but little consideration
due the cry that ait is Unconstitutional
or the plan of single political party t,
extend the advantages of such works t,
the new States and to such portions o
the old States as have thus far been ne
elected.
Thus disposing of the constitutions
and the political question. the friends q