New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-05-14
,,rrRNAL IMPROVEMENTS
speech Of Gov. Seward.
~ nv TIE GENERAL GOVERNMENT.

-: ..,tain lands 10 aid IN puuo'ng tue Ncn"
-n.-.d Mr.. SEWARD rose and said;
H." ~ trouble myself Mr. President about
Ds,'.,r,;onsI power of the Government OF the
VIC States 10 make works oil national improve
20 construct roads OF any kind which shal
.s,ye Tor great national Objects can conceive OF
N.tI;c improvements more obviously adapted
no P pat The welfare and prosperity OF the ooun-
pPUhcb are more indispensable to the security
w. limited States than a railroad from Lake
s'h;ssn 10 the junction OF the Ohio and Mississippi
o:.srs That being So think that the Govern
-, NJ the United States has discretion as to
- manner in which it will accomplish, or aid in
s'".ompHshng, such an object, and as TO the funds
.h;cb shall be devoted to that purpose, Then the
suestion before u.s. so Tar as the principle Is con
ds,red resolves itself into this Whether, this be-
nc work Of such a national character, productive
a national benefits, it is which is entitled 10
.neeia consideration on the part Of Government
NV think it is entitled TO very special consd-
eration which will appear from examining the par.
frulsr condition of the new States, as contrasted
With the old ones. The old States Of Massachu'
sets, Connecticut, New-York, Pennsylvania, Vrr-
sinis, the Carolinas and Georgia, were all the own
en- OF the public domain within their limits Wnen
twas desirable for them to construct puolc WOKE,
they were always able TO appropriate puohc iands
M funds arising from the sold lands, or at least the
taxes derived from the lands within their limits.
The consequence has been that all the Old States,
having the mselves very considerable resources,
have constructed directly or indirectly very i'm
nortau public thoroughfares, useful and beneficial
% commerce, and particularly to travel and TO the
wealth. prosperity and advancement of the whole
oountry But they have never been made by mere
Individual unassisted enterprise, unless they have
been attended by very great delay and embarrass-
nent A great and extensive country like this
has need OF roads and canals earlier than there is
m accumulation of private capital within the State
10 construct them; and so an examination OF the
history of the old States would show that the Gov
eminent of the States has lent or given its aid, d.
recy or indirectly, TO assist individuals or corpora
tons in the construction Of these great public works
which are now so productive, either 10 the State or
to the individuals by whom, in associated compa-
MES, they are owned.
There are many curious facts connected with the
history the Internal Improvement system in the
oder States. Whoever will look into the statute
book OF the Colony of New York. will be struck
with the beginning OF the great system Of canals
and roads, which is now partially constructed, and
when completed will connect the port of New-YorlI
with the Pacific Ocean. He will find that in the
time Of Queen Anne the Assembly Of the Colony
Of New. York appropriated $500 to John Smith, or
some other person. for the purpose of enabling him
10 construct public road, leading from New York
10 the West, and the appropriation was coupled
with the condition that within two years from the
time Of the passage of the act, the benefciares
should have constructed a road wide enough for two
carriages to pass from Nyack, on the Hudson River,
TO Sterling Iron Works n distance of about twenty
miles, and should have cut away the limbs of the
trees 30 high up as to allow a carriage, with a ca
lash top, to pass. That ~gs the commencement Of
the Internal Improveme-z system in the State of
New York. which, after the lapse of more than 100
years, has proceeded no further yet than to COM
pete the Erie Canal, and to open two railroads
one OF which is completed and the other nearly So
from Kew-York to the mouth Of Lake Erie re.
gard this work which is now under consideration
here as an extension of that system, and the whole
a. constituting great national enterprse-a great
national thoroughfare. With me, then, the ques.
ton u.s. whether it is wise and expedent to devote
the public lands for the accomplishment of this pur.
pose and, if so, whether it is necessary for the
public interest that this road should be made ear
ier than it would otherwise be by private capital
Now, il it be true, as have said, that all the old
States owning lands within their borders, and hav-
ing unlimited power to tax, have still found it diff
cult and embarrassing 10 prosecute these improve
ments then it seems to me the case of new States
is essentially harder and more difficult, aud more
entitled to the consideration Of the Government
hr it happens that these new States are founded
upon territory belonging TO the United States the
United States owns the lands, and the Government
Of the States cannot appropriate them. The Gov
they cannot be taxed except so far as they are sold
and these new members OF the Coniederacy are
tributaries to the Federal Government, deprived Of
the resources which the older States have enjoyed
for the purpose of completing their public works. /
think, therefore, that the Government owes it 10 it.
self and to the States to make liberal and at the
same time udicious appropriations, TO extend its
network Of railroads and canals over these new re-
gons where the people and the Government are
unable to construct the work themselves. And if
there were any apparent falacy in this argument
think should nevertheless be convinced of its
soundness by the fact that all the new States which
have undertaken TO construct these necessary tho
ughfares-necessary not only for themselves, but
br the whole COMPLIMENTARY for the welfare
and prosperity and even the existence of the Union
have all found themselves embarrassed and
crippled, and many OF them rendered bankrupt by
the attempt to accomplish bojects which they were
unable to accomplish, and which the Federal Gov
eminent had ample power to carry into effect. Ii
thus that the character of the States has been al
iected. II 10 thus that the morality OF the Govern
ments OF the States has been impeached and it
has been done in the manner Ihave indicated, from
NE circumstance that II was devolved upon the
Governments OF the States to make works of Inter-
nal Improvement while the resources which were
applicable to that object belonged altogether to the
Federal Government
Now do not know, but trust that the day is
road for the purpose of military defense; but we
van all see that the time may come, and we know
not how soon it may be, when this and all our
public roads may be required for military purposes
And u 1t be right in time Of peace to prepare for
var then It is right to make these appropriations,
which are, after al, most effective securities for
peace by preventing war, and are most indispensa.
Die works Of defense in case of actual war
hear 1t said that the Government of the United
states IS trustee. do not find that the United
states are even called by that title described as
trustee in regard to this property. 1t is indeed
rue, that In one sense, general sense, the Gov.
'rnment is a trustee over these public lands but
no other than that they are trustees of the
exercise Of their responsibilities OF governing Ii
eems to be supposed that they are iiduciary trus-
ees, that they have pecunsry trusts, and that
heir trusts consist in holding these lands until they
AN sell them at certain price, and then selling at
ms price, and then by some process 70 make, as
leariy as possible, an equal distribution of the
walls among all the people of the United States.