Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-03-31
River and HarbOr Bill.

River and Harb0r Bill.
We are indebted to Cen. Cass for copy
of his speech on the River and Harbor Bill,
delivered in the U. S. Senate on the lst and
Sd inst, Just at the close of the last session
of Congress. The defeat Of that bill has
furnished the pretext for genera onslaught
upon that distinguished Statesman by the
whig papers "from the center all round to
the sea ;" and they aveagain commenced
their work of calumny and abuse against
him. They seem to indulge the belief that
the people of this country are SO perfectly
infatuated with the very name of "River
and Harbor Improvements that they will
sanction and approve any measure that
may be got up by clog rolling in Congress
which may bear that name, however iui-
quitous it may be. We have that conf
dence in the honesty and intelligence Of the
people to believe that when the character Of
this bill is fully understood, the efforts Of
the wings to make political capital out of
its defeat will prove an utter failure, and
so far from their abuse injuring Gen. Cass,
the honest thinking men Of their own party
will applaud his course in this respect; and
with view that the people may understand
the nature Of this scheme we shall publish
the speech of Gen. Cass as soon as our COL
umns are disincumbered with some other
matters. c4..
The wings find it much easier to de-
nounce those who opposed this scheme for
plundering the Treasury than to defend the
bill, for it it is entirely indefensiblr. Even
Clay and Ewing were forced to admit that
it was Objectionable, nsr was there single
member Of the Senate who ventured to de-
ny that fact, and yet they demanded that
it should be passed without giving opportu-
nifty to investigate its provisions or its char
acter, or, that those who sougbtits amend.
ment should be hsld responsible for its de.
feat.
1t seems 10 have been one Of the main
objects Of the whig leaders since their &C.
cession to power, to empty the public treas
ury in order that an overshadowing public
debt, which they seem to regard as pub.
lie blessing may be fastened upon the Gov
ernment; and even the Galphin plumbers
were not SO potent in working out that re.
suit as this artfully devised scheme, which
was in utter violation Of the principles up
on which the Government has acted during
all its past history. Congress has hereto
fore based the appropriations made for these
objects upon estimates made by the War
Department, founded upon previous ex-
animation by an experienced officer, Of
the work to which the appropriation is to
be applied, and the Department 70 be held
responsible for the estimate and the appli-
cation of the money. But this scheme was
based upon no such estimate or recommend
alton, and the object sought seemed to be
to commence and prosecute general sys-
tenn Of internal improvements, and to en-
tirely relieve the Administration and every
department of it from the responsibility.
The estimates Of the Department for River
and Harbor improvements were submitted
to Congress in December, l849, but not be-
ing acted upon at that session, the recom-
mendation was renewed in the report of the
Department of December, 1850. The a.
mount Of appropriation asked for was ST.
OBS 900, while that embraced in the bill
was $2,336, 900; or 81 ,3o2 900 more than
the Department with tho best information
possible to be obtained, had deemed nec-
essary. The number of objects for which
the Department had asked appropriations
was AZ the number which were embraced
in this bill was 95. And yet, with all
this, and with the additional fact that the
bill was forced upon the Senate at the very
heel Of the session and sought to be forced
through without investigation or amend
ment, even while no one dared deny that
it was highly Objectionable, the wings are
striving to turn the defeat Of the treasury
plundering scheme to party advantage.
But with proper understanding of this
question among the people, their calumny
will fall with double weight upon their
own heads. s-.-.
The charge that Gen. Cass is opposed
to River and Harbor Improvements is ut
terly false. He was infayor Of, and would
have voted for bill embracing the full
amount and all the objects recommended
in the report of the department, but not for
this scheme to bleed and bankrupt the treas
ury.