The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1850-12-05


fr~isn pos ages collected for and pa, able to the
British Government.
The expenditures. for the same period were
I've millions two hundred and twelve thousand
niue hundred and 6fiy-three dollars and forty
three cen,s-leaving balance cf rev.nue over
expenditure, Of three hundred and forty thous.
aud and eighteen dollars and five cents y
am happy to find that the fiscal condition of
the Department Is such as to justify the Post
master General in recommending the reduction
of oar inland letter postage to three cent- the sin
gle letter vi hen prepaid, and five cents when not
prepaid He also recommends that the prepaid
rate shall be reduced to two cents whenever the
revenues Of the Department. after the reduction
shall exceedits expenditures by more than Eve
per cent, for two consecutive years that the
rates Of postage on newspapers. pamphlets. peri.
odicsls, and other printed matter shall be modi-
fed. aud some reduction thereon made.
II cannot be doubted that The proposed ,ednc.
tions will, fir the present, diminish tie revenues
ofihe department. II /. believed that the def.
cheney, amer the surplus slre.dy accumulated
shall be exhausted. may be almost wholly met,
either BY sboiishing. tie existing privil eyes of
sending free m''.tet through the mails. or by
paying out me Treasury tothe Post Office De.
Psr eat a cum equivalent to the postage o.
Z. sieh it 10 deprived by such privileges The
last il supposed TO 10 the preferable mode, and
will, If not entirely, so nearly supply that deh.
cheney a. to make any further appropriation that
may be found necessary so inconsidersble a. to
form no obstacle 10 the proposed reductions.
I entertain no doubt ef the authority Of C,n
grsss to make appropriations for lealing objects
in that class Of public works comprising what
are usually called works of internal improvement
This authority suppose to be derived chiefly
from tho poSsr of regulating commerce wit
foreign na,ons, AND among the States, and TIE
power Of laying and collecting impcs's. Where
CONNIE -ce is to be carried on, and imposl' col
Ieeted, there must he ports and harbors, as well
as wharfs and custom houses. If ships, latened
with valuable cargnes. approach the shore' or sai
slong the coast light houses are necessary at
suitable points for the protection oi LIE anu pro-
perty. Other facilities and securities for COM
merce and navigation are hardly less Important;
and those clauses Of the Cons tuition, therefore
10 which have referred. have received from the
origin of the G. ,vernment liberal aud beneficial
.eonstruciior.
Not only have light houses, buoys and beacons
been established, and 0natng lights maintained
hut hsrburs have been cleared aud improved,
pieu constructed, and even breakwateis for The
safety Of shipping AID seawalls TO protect BARRIERS
from being filed up, ard rendered useless by me
action OF the ocein, have been erected al yer,
great expense. And this construction OF th-
Constitution sppeais the more reasonable iiom
the conideretiou, that ii these woiks,"i snch
eyideul i'm porisnce and utility, ale not to he ac.
complshed by Congress. they cannot be accom-
-plisbed al all. B. the adoption Of The Cons'l-
tuition the sew raj Stats v,luniaril, parted win
the power of collecting duties oi imposs IN 'he'r
own ports; aud It is not to be expected that hey
should raise nancy, by internAliaxstion, direct
or indirscr, for the benefit Of that commerce,
the revenues derived fr IN which do uot, either IN
whole or in palt, 20 into their own tressuriss.
Nor do percsive any difference between the
power pf Congress to make appropriations for Oh
jects OF thi. Kind on :he ocean and the power to
make appropriations for similar objects On lakes
and rivers, wherever they are large enough TO
bear on ,heir waters an extensive traihc. lie
magnificent Nj ississirpi and its tributaries, AMI
the vast lakes of the north and northwest seem 10
fall within The exercise uf the power, as justly
and as clearly as the Ocean and the Gulf ot Mex.
leo. Il il mistake to regard exleneltpres jndi-
ciou,ly made for these objects as cxrenltures for
local purposes The position or site OF the wo,k
Is necessarily locali nut its utility isgeoeral
chip canal around the tails 4 St Mary OF less
than mile in length, though heal in is con-
structiun, would yet be national IN it's purpose
and It's benefits as il wauld remove the My OBJ
strustion TO a navigation Of more Than thousand
miles, affecting several States, as we'll as our COM
mercial relations with Canada.
So,too,the Brsakwater at the mouth of the Del.
aware 10 erected not for the esxclu-iveheDet OF the
States Bordering on the bay and river OF that name
,ut for that of the whole ciastwise navigation nj
he Uaite States. and. 10 considerable extent
and Of foreign cpmmsrce. Ifa ship be lost on
the bar at the entrance of q sou'hren port for
the want Of sufficient depth u wafer, II Is very
likely to te N rthern ship. and if a Steamboat
he sunk in, any part Of the Mississippi. on ac,
count Of its channel not having been propperl,
cleared Of obstructions, il may be boat bel,n
ing to either Of eisht or ten Siaes. may add
a. some what remarkable, that among all the lhir.
" one States, there 10 nore that Is not, 10 gre
ear or less sx,snt, boun led on the ocean. or Il
Gulf If Mexico. or one of ii, great lakes, OF
ONE nivigsbls river.
In fulfilling our constitutional duties. fellow.
citizens. on this subject. as in carving into efiec
ell other powers conferred by tie institution
We should consider ourselves as delibeia ing and
acting for one and the same country, and heal
cons sntly in mind. that our egatd and cur dut,
are due. not to particular part only but to the
@hols.
Therefore recommend that appropriation. he
made for completing such work as have been
already begun, and TOR commencing such other,
a. may seemto the wisdom of Congress to be q
public and general Importance.
The difficulties and delays incident TO The set
tlemcnt Of private claims by Congress amount il
many cases to a denial of justice. There is rsa.
con 10 spp,ehsnd h' many unfortunate creditcri
Of the Government have thereby been unavoida
bly, ruined. Congress has so much buine "a o
spub,ic character, that il il impos,ible II shoult
-. rIa