The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-11-25
MEM
To the Senate, and Representative
Of the United states.
fCONTINUED,0

And yet this is but single point IN the
Valey. We presume that Pittsburgh, Lou
isvilIe, and st. Louis, would show an equal,
if not greater Increase-and the consequence
is, instead of paying duties as we formerly
did at ports on the Atlantic, New York or
New Orleans, our own commercial towns,
our ports of entry end delivery, the Gu
ties are paid here-and the result is now, a
direct importation Of foreign merchandise to
all the principal towns on the Ohio and Mis-
sippi rivers. These imDortaiions keep pace
with our increase of population, and but a
few years will elapse before the Customs
here will compare iavorably with many cities
on the seaboard.
In former years the foreign goods imported
had their duties paid at the cites on the sea-
board where they were landed they were
then carried across the mountains, or up the
Mississippi and Ohio, TO their several destina-
lions IN the West. But the whole aspect OF
commerce in the West is now in great de-
gree changed b. the change OF locomOtion (;
and it has been very justly and truly stated,
"the merchants of Memphis, ST. Louis, Louis
vile, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, will be as
much the merchants Of America, as the mer-
chants of New York, Philadelphia: or Balt-
more" The growth Of our cities, and the
immense distribution of foreign goods here
nOr, prove this fact conclusivcly: while every
year the importation Of foreign goods TO the
West directly is increasing, the table above
shows what II has been to single city, and
this is but one among the great number t.t
are to spring up in our Valley. The inc'
land the statistical table will prove II To-
last ten years. that Tie commerce 81 10.
West has grown faster than lis populIto.i.
great as that Is.
Among the avenues which lead this popu-
lation and this trade TO the West and South
West, the principal ones are the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers. Extending with theIrtrIb-
utaries (many OF which are as navigable most
seasons Of the year as the streains into which
they empty distance OF twenty thousand
miles. running through region unsurpassed
in the world for It's agricultural products and
mineral resources-running from north to
south through eighteen degrees of latitude,
and having OIL their margin and along their
borders, thirteen States OF The Coniejeracy,
embracing population five times as large as
the good "old lhirieenn at the first orEun
SD zion Of our Government.
What has Congress done for their i'm
provement Notling-absolutely nothing.
And these great arierles-these great 81 n-
nualIy, millions of human beings, and convey
on TIER waters an inland commerce lar ex-
ceeding that carried across the Ocean by the
whole domestic and foreign marine, are notc,
so far as navigation is concerned-so far AZ
improvement is concerned, but little, II any,
better than when the first broad hori''
iloated down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
fifty years ago, and deposited her cargo OF
a.. I,,,l,i. alt n fun
age, in the Spanish port Of New Orleans.
The action OF Congress towards the West
has been heretofore OF the most anomalous
character, occasionally holding out the prom
Use of some great benefit, of some act TO be
done, which should promote in some degree
Western interest. They have SO coniriyed
it that only some iaifiafory step should be Ia
ken, aud then The matter has s!umbered-or -
worded the act comforting the benefit that il
has IN effect been rendered entirely nugatory.
More than one example of this kind oil ma
tional Legislation might be given. Some seven
years since anapprOpriation wasmade byCon-
gress TO locate an ermory on the Western wa
tiers. What has been done since in the Dremls-
es 2 Immediately after the apprcprlat on was
made during President Tyler's administra-
ton, a corps OF Engineers was detailed, and
the Surgeon General OF the United States
Army attached to it, with Il view. probably,
OF determining the exact quantity OF Malaria
there Was at any one given point oil the ONO
river. They made the COMMUNICATIVE
some four months engaged nit,Presenied their
account and report the hrs; was paid and
| the last now lies in the Pigeon holes Of the
War Department, where IL prObabl Will lay
until some Cerberus of the Treasury calls Tor
the report and account, with view OF show
ING the immense ertraragdnce oil the Gov
erument In their expenditures Tor Western
improvements For the Arnory itself not the
first dollar has been expended, nor the first
stone laid. Again. Congress at It's last session,
not we believe very willingly sanctioned by
their act the truly national policy, OF procu-
ring the hemp necessary ioi the Navy. from
the American producer; thus far, something
was gained; but here the act stops.
1t is well known that one OF the grea;
staples OF the West, is hemp. The two
States of Kentucky and Missouri probably
raise more hemp than all The other States OF
The Union. To render the policy valuable to
The producer, and effective to the Govern
meni. the hemp should not only be purchased
but inspected and manufactured near the
place OF production. by so dong. (and
there is 10 good reason why il shold not be
done.) the hazard and cost OF transportation
would be saved to the grower, while the
Government itself would save the cost oil
transported ion between the manufactured ar
ticle and tie bulky raw material"
Instead ofshippng the raw material around
to the Navy yards OF Boston, New York
Philadelphia, and Norfolk. why tot
NaraI Rope WOrks, at points convcnio.
the hemp region, say at Louisville ~
Louis where the article could at all tia b.
easily produced, and the manufactured aria
Gle could be safely shipped. No, the raw
material, one oil the most bulky in commerce
is shipped down the Mississippi, Carried along
our whole extensive seaboard, to the port o
Boston; and the manufactured cordage, re.