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

-" are not 10 wait" said Mr.. WcL-
! s'er' In one OF his noblest speeches. .iu
great public mischiefs come; till The oor
eminent is overthrown; or liberty iisslf
put III extreme jeopardy" These strikinr
axloms, spoken years ago, upon rre,,
national question: may well be applied 10
the frequent attempts to overthrow the
authority OF the Federal Constitution
the fundamental law of the Republic. Wo
see, in one section of the Country, fan
aticai party assailing that Constitution
with the utmost violence. We see a orc
posal made, in another quarter, TO amend
the Constitution, for the purpose of carry
ing into effect an absurd theory. And. in
our very midst, there are not wanting
those who boldly assert, that a law passed
IN moment of indiscretion, directly in
violation of the Constitution, cannot and
dare not be repealed. Truly is it the duty
OF those who believe that that sacred in
sirument is the bond that unites these
States together, and the vital spirit tba,
keeps Liberty itself alive, TO rally in lis
support.
! One Of the most fearful elements that
have yet been displayed in hostility to the
federal Constitution, is that of calling upon
the general Government to expend nil
lions of dollars in works of internal i'm.
provements emong the several States. It
is wholly without Constitutional authority,
and must lead at last to mighty public
evils, If not to widespread and over
whelming national bankruptcy. The first
serious breach, upon the barriers which
the universal opinion of the trainers of the
Constitution had for more than thirty
years thrown in the way of the assump-
ton of this power by Congress, was du.
ring the administration Of John Quincy
Adams. 1t is true some trifiing appropri-
ations were made during the term of Mr.
Monroe, though he entertained and ex-
pressed the opinion, that Congress had no
power, under the Constitution, to "adops
and execute a system of internal improve
ments." Within ten years from the first
grant of public money to such purposes,
more than t,co hundred millions of dol
lars were asked for from the National
Treasury, for the purpose of internal i'm
provements. In 1880, the heroic Jackson
threw himself into the breach, to arrest
the tide of decentralization which threaten
ed to sweep away the strongest safe guarCs
OF the Constitution, and to whelm the ma
ton in one sea of deot. He was sustained
by the amplest and most irrefragable au-
thorities. President Jefferson denied that
Congress possessed such power as is
claimed for ii by the advocates of internal
Improvements by the general government
In 1906, In message TO Congress, he
proclaimed the opinion, which he re-af-
firmed in 1925, that in order to apply the
funds of the general Cover rnment TO the
purpose alluded to. would require an
amendment of the Constitution by the
consent of the States, "because the objects
now recommended are not among those
enumerated in the Constitution, and to
which it permits the public money TO be
applied" President Madison, in his
message of March 9. 1917, declared that
''the power TO regulate commerce among
the several States cannot include power
TO construct roads and canals, and to i'm.
prove the navigation of water courses, in
order 10 facilitate, promote, and secule
such commerce, without latitude of con-
struction departing from the ordinary i'm
port of the terms, strengthened by the
known Inconvenience which doubtless led
to the grant OF this remedial power TO
Congress. President Monroe, in his
message, 4th of May, 1922, declares, that
in all the measures preliminary 10 the
adoption of the Federal Constitution, the
subject of internal Improvements by the
General Government, was not "mentioned
or even glanced at" "It is manifest"
he says, 'sthat the regulation of trade with
the several States was altogether secon-
Il IL. At al
to this system of improvement is included.
under either branch of this grant, should
suppose it was the first rather than the
second. The pretension to it, however,
under that branch, has never been set up
In support of the second, no reason has
been assigned, which appears to have the
least weight"
Every sound Democrat will remember
with Fpleasure, the noble veto OF James
K. Polk, of the river and harbor bill, sent
to Congress on the 18th of December
1s47. He was denounced for it yehe-
mently by the entire opposition, and BY
certain Democrats, who had made up theu
minds to obtain bounties from the public
treasury for their particular interests. We
command the following powerful passages
from that able State paper, to all those
who are now invited TO participate in the
movement got up to bleed the public trea'
sury out of untold millions, for the con-
struction of railroad almost without end
and over a route which is not generally
regarded as practicable: