The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-04-04

acia making small appropriations for the
removal of those distractions. The OBJ
s,aoIes iinterPosed by President Monroe,
after conceding the power to appropriate,
were soon swept away. Cong ress virtu-
ally assumed jurisdiction Of the soil and
waters of the States, without their consent
for the purpose Of internal improvements;
and the eyes Of eager millions were turn
ed from the State Governments TO Con-
gress, rs the fountain whose golden
streams were to deepen their harbors and
rivers, level their mountains, and fill their
valleys with canals To what consequence
this assumption of power was rapidly
leading, is shown, by the veto messages
Of President Jackson; and to what end it
il again tending, is witnessed by the pro-
visions of this bill, and bills of similar
character.
"ln the proceedings and debates of the
General Convention, which formed the
Constitution, and of the State Conventions
which adopted it, nothing is found TO
countenance the idea that the one intended
TO propose, or the others to concede, such
a grant of power to the General Govern
ment, as the building up and maintaining
the States necessarily implies. Whatever
the General Government may constitu-
tionally create, it may lawfully protect. If
it may make road upon the soil Of the
States, it may protect it from destruction
or injury by penal laws. So of canals,
rivers, and harbors. If it may put dam
in river, it may protect that dam from
removal or injury, in direct opposition to
the laws, authorities, and people of the
State in which it is situated. If il may
deepen harbor, it may, by It's own laws,
protect its agents and contractors from be-
ing driven from their work, even by the
laws and authorities of the State. The
power to make road or canal, or 10 dig
up the bottom Of harbor or river, i'm
plies right in the soil of the State, and
jurisdiction over it, for which il would be
impossible to find any warrant"
But with all the prescience OF the la
mented Polk, or of the profound and ex-
perienced statesmen by whom he was
surrounded, they hardly anticipated that
appropriate the public moneys to vast
and almost limitess railroad, extending
over thousands of miles, through a wild
and inhabited country, and requiring vast
sums TO defend it, even if its construction
is practicable, against hordes of hostile
Indians. The railroad now being discuss
ed from Southampton, England, to India,
is hardly less doubtful and hazardous
project; and Europe startles at an enter
prize which bids fair. if ever carried out,
TO realize the widest dreams of felton,
The alacrity with which the Wing lead.
ers embark in the contemplated railroad
from the Mississippi to the Pacific, is in
accordance with their character, and
proves, moreover, how fully they compre-
hend the consequences that must flow
from the consent of the general govern
ment to undertake it. A massive public
debt-a system of oppressive taxation
high prohibitory tariffs-and general
generalization of legislation-will be a
few of the results of the adoption of this
wild and stupendous scheme on the part
of the federal government.
From all this, we do not wish to be
construed as being hostile to the construc-
tion of railroad from the Mississippi to
the Pacific, or from the Gulf Coast to the
Pacific. We desire only to admonish
those who are now fascinated by the idea
of such a work, against taking any step
looking to any appeal to the Treasury of
the General Government for the capital TO
begin and carry out the project. That
some such work will ultimately be made,
we have never doubted at all. That it
will ever be constructed, over the noun
famous route, made impossible by snow
for more than half the year, advocated by
Col. Benton, we have never for single
moment believed. AS at present advised,
land in this view we are sustained by some
most distinguished authorities,) we incline
to prefer the Gila route above all others.
Who knows, if the summer, or Texas
route, is selected, that Texas herself may
no, carry out her portion of the road TO
her boundary line! And where is that
man who doubts that California will be
eager and ready to extend over her do
mains, and TO build with her own means,
hundreds of miles of the same mighty i'm
provement! There can be no objection,
we conceive, TO giving alternate sections
of the public land to the builders of such
a road, where there is no State govern
men, to take hold of it-for, by such an
arrangement, population would follow the
path of the enterprise. and protection
would be afforded against danger and de-
vastation. But we protest against any at
tempt, at this early stage of the question:,
to commit the general government to the
endorsement of work, which would be
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