The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-12-09

year '"' P'7'e''"S
The gross revenues of the Departmen for the fis-
cal year ending June Both, 1850, amounted to five
nlhIons hve hundred and ffty-two thousand nine
Hunufed and seventy-one dollars and forty-eight
cents, including the annual approximation of two
I'eu thousand dollars for the franked matter of
the dePaf tments, and excluding the Foreign post
ages colected Tor and payable to the British Gov
| ernmei.t
| The expenditures for the same period ,,ysra f,,s
| millions two hundred and twelve thousan nd pira
hundred and fifty three dollars and fortvthree cent,
leaving balance of revenue over expenditures of
three hundred and forty thousand and eighteen
| dollars and five cents.
am happy to find that the fiscal condition of the
| Department is such to justify the Postmaster
| General in recommending the reduction Of our
inland letter postage to three cents the single letter
| when prepaid, and five cents when not prepaid
He also recommends that the prepaid rate shall be
reduced 10 two cents whenever the revenues Of the
Department after the reduction shall exceed its
expenditures by more than 6ve per cent for two
consecutive years that the postage upon Califorra
and other letters sent by our ocean steamers shall
| be much reduced and that the rates of postage on
| newspapers, pamphlets, periodicals, and other
| printed matter, shall be modified and some rednc-
| ton thereon made
1t cannot be doubted that the proposed reductions
will, for the present. diminish the revenues Of the
| department 1t is believed that the deficiency.
after the surplus already accumulated shall be eS
| hausied, may be almost wholly met, either by
|
| matter through the mails, or bv paving ont of the
treasury to the Postoffice Department a sum equiv
alent to the postage Of which it is deprived by such
| privileges The last is supposed TO be the prefsra-
BILE mode, and will if not entirely, so nearly supply
that deficiency as to make any further appropriation
| that may be found necessary, so inconsderable a7
| to form no obstacle to the proposed reductions
| entertain no doubt of the auIhority of Congress
to make appropriations for leading objects in that
class of public works comprising what are usus lv
| called works of internal Improvement. This au-
| thorty l suppose to be derived chiefly from the
power of regulating commerce with foreign ma
tons, and among the States, and the power Of Law
| ing and collecting imposts. Where commerce is TO
be carried on and imposts collected, there must be
ports and harbors, well as wharves and C, stom.
| houses. If ships laden with valuable cargoes ap-
| pTOach the shore, sail along the coast light.
houses are necessary at suitable points for the pro.
lection of life and proF 2rty Other facilities and
securities for commerce and navigation are hardly
less important; and those clauses of the Constjtu-
ceIved from the origin Of The Governments liberal
and beneficial construction. Not only have light
houses, buoys, and beacons been established. and
| tiOating-lIghts maintained but harbors have been
cleared and improved, piers constructed, and even
break-waters for the safety of shipping, and sea-
walls to protect harbors from being filed up and
| rendered useless by the action of the ocean, have
been erected at very great expense. And this con-
sTucilOn of the Constitution ape the more rea-
sonabe from the consideration, that if these works.
of such evident Importance and utility, are not 10
| be accomplished by Congress, they cannot be ac.
| complished at ALL BY the adoption of the COnstitu-
ton the several States voluntarily parted with the
| power OF collecting duties of impOst in their own
ports and is not to be expected that they should
raise money by internal taxation, direct indirect
for the benefit of that commerce, the revenues de.
rived from which do not either in whole or in part
go into their treasures. Nor do Perceive any
difference between the power of Congress to make
appropriations for objects of this kind the ocean
=. and the power TO make appropriations for similar
objects on lakes and rivers wherever they are large
enough TO bear their waters an extensive traffic
The magnificent Mississippi and It's tributaries,
It and the lakes of the North and the Northwest
:, appear to to fall within the exercise of the
power, as justly and clearly the ocean and the
Gulf of Mexico. 1t is mistake to regard expend,
itures judciOusy made for these objects expend
itures for local purposes The position, or site OF
the work. is necessarily local but its utility is gen
: eral. ship canal around the falls of St MARY of
less than mile in length, though local in its con
sructon, would yet be national in its purposes and
/ its benefits, as it would the only Obsuuc,
ton to a navigation of more than a thousand
miles, affecting several States, we'll as our COM
| mercial relations with Canada.
So, too, the breakwater at the mouth OF the De-
aware is erected not for the exclusive benefit Of
the States bordering on the bay and river of that
name, but for that of the whole coastwise navga-
tiOn of the Uni I'd States, and 10 considerable eg-
tent, also, of foreign commerce.
If ship be lost on the bar at the entrance of
Southern port Tor want of sufficient depth of water
. il is very likely TO be Northern ship and if a
| steamboat be sunk in any part of the Mississippi
on account of its channel not having been prop arly
cleared Of Instructions it may be boat belonging
, | TO either OF eight or ten States. | may add, as
: | somewhat remarkable, that among all the thirty
one States, there is that is not, 10 greater or
. less extent, bounded on the ocean, or the Cult OF
- Mexico, or one OF the great lakes, some naviga-
BILE river
In fulfilling our constitutional duties, felowciti-
zens, on this subject as in carrying into effect all
, other powers conferred by the Constitution, we
should consider ourselves as delIberatlng and act
II ing for one and the same country, and bear con-
stantly In mnd' tnat our regard ana our du'y are
uue' not " potioi P'' pi,J, out W :4le
tLieLeiore IL Ina tnGs ap' G7
.iaG1 i oi 49,, p r. soon - 10 10 S 80 .
~ aa ~ The wisdom Of C,nns q, b f nh
.. IL" IIas I'D anneraI imnortancs ~ ~ - pun
Tbs Jitficnltes and DELAYS ipcidsnt IN tho settls
q ,,ent Of pr;yats claims bv Cono,sss ar1oI,nt !;
h monv cases N denial of inst;ca Tbars is rsason
n t a1orebend thar manv unfort,sta red;tnr f H.
Government have thereby been nna avo;dabI, To;raJ
a CONGRESS has So mucb business of nublic cbarac
ter that il is imnossible IL sbould rive ,pncb aTtsn
,r tion to mere prvate claims and their accumnlaor
e is now so great that many claimants rnnst desnai
Y of ever being able to obtain hearing.
v II NAV well he douhtsd whether Congress- from
e the nature of its oroanization is nroper constit
ted to decide unon such cases Ills imnossibIa ths
" each member sbouId EXAMINE the merits Of ever
n claim on which he is comneIIed N vote and il i
r nrenosterous 10 ask a udya IN 1scJs case vbicl
+ | ha has pever heard Srcb 5ecsionS NAV and fre