The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-12-02


Postmaster General in recommending q
reduction of our inland postage to three
cents the single letter, when prepaid, and
five cents when not prepaid. He also
recommends that the prepaid rates should
be reduced whenever the revenue Of the
! department, after a previous reduction
shall exceed its expenditures by more
than 5 per cent. for two consecutive
years that the postage upon the Califor.
MIA, and those letters sent by our ocean
steamers, should be much reduced, and
that the rates O.! postage on newspapers,
pamphlets and periodicals, and other
printed matter, should be modified, and
some reduction thereon made. 1t canno;
be doubted that the proposed reduction
will for the present diminish the revenues
Of the department. 1t is believed that the
deficiency, after TIE already accumulated
surplus shall be exhausted, may be almos,
fully met by abolisling the privilege OF
sending free matter through the mails, OF
,,hv paying out of the tr;Icsssnry 10 The post
Office department a sum equivalent to the
postage Of which it is deprived by 1n-oe:
privileges. The last is supposed to be
the preterab bic mode, and will il not ell
.tircly, so nearly y supply that deficiency, as
ito make any further appropriation unne-
'cessary. If any should be required, its
amount would be found so inconsiderahle
as to form no obstacle to the reduction.
| entertain no doubt Of TIC authority of
Congress to make appropriations for lead
ing objects in the class Of public works
called by the general name Of Internal
improvements. The authority suppose
to be derived chiefly from the power of
regulating rom,ncrcc with forcig on nations
and among the states, and the power of
laying and collecting impo>ts. When
commerce is to be carried on, and imposts
collected, there must be ports and Earhors
rs well as wharvcs and custom honscs.
If slips laden with valuable c:.r~ocs APP
proach the shore or sail along the coast,
light-:!ouscs are necessary at suitable
points, fox the protection oi life and prop
rrty. Other facilities and securities for
commerce and navi cation, are not less i'm
roria't, and the Sc clauses Of the consli;u-
ZION therefore, to which have referred,
have received Of the government libc-
raj and beneficial construction. Not only
have lighthouses. buoys and bcacons been
established, and floating lights been main
'anvd, (Which have received nppropri.
a'ions from Tie ori gin of the Govern
mcnt,) but harbors have been cleared and
improved piers constructed, and even
break waters for the safety Of shipping,
and sea walls to protect harhors from be-
ing filed up and rendered useless by the
action Of the ocean, have been erected at
very great expense. This construction
nt the constitution appears the more war
rantaLle from the consideration that if
those works of such evident Importance
and vitality are not 10 I've accomplished
by Congress. they canno, be accomplish
ed at all, BY the adoption Of the cons'i-
;u'ion, the scvera states volv n,arl!y y part
ed with the power Of collecting duties on
imports within their own ports, aud it was
not to bc expected that they should raise
money by internal taxation, direct Or in
direct, for the benefit Of that commerce,
the revenues Of which do not either
III whole or i" part, go into their own ,rea-
>ury; nor DO | perceive any dilference be-
tween the power of Congress TO make ap-
preparations for objects Of this kind on the
ocean, and the power to make appropria-
tions for similar ohj Gets on lakes and riv-
crs, whenever they are large enough to
hear on their waters an extensive traffic.
The magnificent Mississippi and its trib.
u,arics and the vast lakes Of the North
and North West, appear to me to fall
within the exercise OF the power as just.
" and clearly as the Ocean and the Gulf
Of Mexico.
I. is a mistake to regard expenditures udici.
"usy made for these objects, as expenditures for
local purposes. The position or state Of the
work is necessarily local. but It's utility is general
A ship canal arollldahc Falls of St. Mary of less
than amile in length, though local in its constrc-
ton, yet is national i'll its purposes and It's bene-
fits, as it would remove the only 3batEcls 10 nav
igaliou of more than thousand miles and afford
advantages affecting several States, as well as
our commercial relations with Cauadp. So with
the break water at the mont. Of the Delaware;
II Was created not for the exclusive benefit Of
name, but for the whole coastwise navigation of
the United States, and to considerable extent
also, of forei gn commerce. If ship be lost on
Il bar at the entrance of Southern port for want
o. sufficient depth Of water it is very likely to
be Northern ship; and If steamboat be SINK
in any part of the Mississippi, on account of its
channel not having been properly cleaned Of OBJ
strnctions, it may be a beat belonging to either
Of s or 10 States J may add, as souewhat
remarkable, that of all the 81 States there is not
one which TO IA greater or less extcntis not bound
ed on the ocean, On the Gulf of Mexico, one
OF the great Lakes, or some navigable stream.
In fulfilling our Constitutional duties, fellow
citizens, on this subject i'll carrying into effect
all powers conferred by the Constitution, we
should consider ourselves as delberating and
acting for one and the same couatry, and bear
constantly in mind that our regard and our duty
are due not to a particular part only, bu. to the
whole.
therefore recommend that appropriation be
made for completing such works as have been
already begun, and for commencing such others
as may seem to the wisdom of Congress to be
Of public and general Importance. The difficult
tics and delays incident to the settlement of pri-
vltp hv sonr