Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-02-02

one to have charge Of foreign commerce
and the other of commerce among the
States. In case Of such separate COM
mir-ees being formed, the committee on
commerce a.nong the States would GER
tainly be in" proper and appropriate one
for this reference.
Let me say word here, Dir. Speaker.
as to that proposition Of my colleague.
lie moves that the present Committee On
Commerce be made the committee Oh
commerce among the States, and would
create an entirely new commute for for
cign commerce. At a proper time shall
move an amendment providing tina, direct
" the reverse be the organization and ar
of those two committees: that
the committee as it now exists shall be the
committee on foreign commerce, and the
new one to be raised the committee on
commerce among the States. find cause
for this in the constitution Of the present
committee, without disparagement Of the
ability Of any Of the worthy and honor
able gentlemen who compose it. Looking
at its composition it will be seen that il is
made up of six members from the Atlantic
States, (somc Of them, il is true, not i'm
mediately on the seaboard) one from the
extreme Southwest, and two only out Of
the nine from the West proper. There is
in fact found upon it but one single
member representing country on the Mis-
sissippi. the Missouri. the Ohio, or any Of
their tributaries, unless indeed in that cat
egory we place the honorable gentleman
from Louisiana, (Mr. Thibodcaux,) who
has heretofore so worthiy occupied place
fhr,( ~ ITO 81 and whom
have before mentioned as coming from
the extreme Southwest.
But to the message | regret that did
not hear i, more distinctly as it has been
read from the Clerks desk II struck me.
as far as was able to gather anything Of
its contents, as being foi the most part a
serving up and elaborate presentation of
the old arguments against the existence OF
any power in Congress to take care Of the
great commercial and interior interests of
the country. But it certainly contains
one thing that heard. which, as far as
know. is entirely new. We have had
various tests proposed from time to time.
on the part of those opposed to internal
improvements, for determining whether
appropriations from the National Treas
ury and :heir application to such objects
were constitutional or not. There is the
chemical test referred to to-day. making all
to depend upon the fact whether the wa
ters to be improved are salt or fresh. Then
connected with that, is what | would call
the icihyoiOJical test. whether the fish
which frequent the harbors or rivers.
where YOU would expcnd your money, are
from the sea or found only IN fresh water.
There is a meteorological test sometimes
proposed. to be found by watching the
course Of the tides and the distance to
which they ascend: and Gen. Jackson.
less contracted in his views Of the consti-
tuition than Young Hickory" was willing
to cxpcnd money freely for these purposes
so only that it should all be below a port
of entry. That was a Legislative test,
and a very convenient one too, inasmuch
as Congress has power by law to establish
a port of entry where it will. even though it
should be at the source of the smallest
creek, or on the top ridge OF the ALE CHA
ny mountains! We have also the geo
Srapbicai test. which determines the con-
stitu'ionality of a work upon the question
whether il lies within i State, or is cut by
the dividing line Of two'or more. And
know not how many more ofthese solvents
of constit ltional doubts and difficulties
there may be; but the President has now
hit ON one that is surely novelty. If a
patent is to be taken out Cor The discovery,
trust no one will interfere with his claim
In that part of his message which seems
to treat OF the definition of the terms
..river" and .'harbor." and to be. as far As
could hear and understand. sort Of lee
ture therefore on the elements ofgeographv
and after he has taken the bold ground that
YOU cannot help nature at all. can make
no improvements in aid of navigation. he
comes to the conclusion that the constitu-
tional difficulty is here: a harbor or inlet
may by nature be deep enough to admit a
schooner. but then YOU have no right TO
deepen il SO as to admit ships of heavier
burden; and there is no power. where a
boat can go in, to do anything which might
let in schooner.
Here after. them the constitution is to be
measured only by lite and lead "a
taught Avesscl with deep keel must
take care lest it run against one of these
constitutional shoals: but one of your flat
bottomed coasters might get into the same
harbor and ride securely under the pro-
lection of The supreme law. the great or
ganic law of the United States II would
bother gentlemen exceedingly. think. to
decide the character and constitutional
privileges of one Of those centre board
vessels to be found on the lakes and in the
bays on the Atlantic coast. in which the
constitu' on could be let up or down
liaughterl at the pleasure of the naviga-
tor. Hereafter all vessels that navigate
along the shores Of the United States
whether of the lake o: the ocean. instead
of chart. should be provided with copy
of this message. and Your man in the
bows. as in the approach to land he comes
TO soundings. but heave the lead as before.
but instead Of the usual sailor cries. ..bv
the deep six''--"by the mark i've
"quarter less tour''-must cry '.con-sti-tu-
hon-dl' '-'un-con-S ti-tn-tion-dl''- he
measures the depth Of water over which
he is sailing into port. General merri-
Al