Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-03-29
RIVERS AND HARBORs.

The defeat of the River and Harbor Bill IN the
Senate, led Mr.. DUER, of New York to move IN
the House of Representatives that the State OF New
York be allowed to empower the city OF Oswego
To levy and collect tonnage duties, to be applied TO
the maintenance of the harbor there. The consti-
tutional expounders who deny the Federal Govern
men. the power to appropriate money for rivers
and harbors, involve in their creed the mpossbilty
of having any rivers and harbors inasmuch as art.
1, sec. 10, OF the Constitution declares: II.
..No State SHALL without the consent Of Congress- lay
any mposts duties on exports or imports except what may
be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws
Hence, if Congress chooses to refuse State the
mower to remove a sand bar that was filling up
New York or Charleston harbor, as the Federal
Government can do nothing, the harbor must be
fIledup To relieve themselves from this absurdity,
the expounders, while denying any power to the
Federal Government, which one would think clear
Iy enough involved in this negative to the States,
declare it is the duty of Congress to give consent
and then the duty of the States to levy the mposts
or duties to improve the rivers or harbors So,
then, il would seem, the Federal Government was
created by the States, not to let States improve
their own harbors, unless the Federal Government
first consents "A State Rights Party starts
thus with the absurdity, that unless the Federal
Government " consents" there is no power any
where to improve harbor, or clear out the snags
and distractions in river Out upon such nom
sense! agM a
Mr.. DuER, shooting folly as it flew, asked " con-
sent for Oswego i'll his own State, and obtained
a very considerable vote. Then followed propo-
si,ion to make the consent general that is, to let
every body, every where, improve rivers and har-
bors, any how, and levy duties or imposts upon
exports and imports as every body pleases. AS
this is to be the platform of the new Anti-lnterna
Improvement party, we propose to examine Its
planks before we mount upon it at least.
In the first place, we may remark that no prin-
cple could well be more dangerous to the harmony
and union Of these States than that of suffering
thirty -one diferen. States to levy duties and inn
posts as they please. II would no longer be one
country, if Connecticut or New Jersey vessel had
to pay tonnage duties in New York, or if New
York, as the commercial emporium, could take adj
vantage Of her position to levy duties and imposts
upon other States as she pleased, after obtain
ing this constitutional consent According to this
new creed, Oswego could exclude by high tonnage
duties the exports of Chicago, or Michigan might
so block up the straits at Mackinaw that Wisconsin
and Illinois could not get out. Mississippi could
support herself out of the corn grain. and tobacco
of the upper valleys Of the Ohio and Mississippi,
and New Orleans thrive upon the exports and i'm
ports of all. How long such Government would
last, if it was not too ridiculous to have been
begun, it is not worth while to calculate, for the
whole thing is as utterly impossible as any dream
that ever entered maniac's head.
is very true that by article l, section 10, of the
Federal Constitution, all these State revenue laws
would be subject to the revision and control Of
Congress but the revision and control of Con-
gress over thing already done is not very easy
matter We have been taught by the tactics, prac-
tised in Congress pending the Compromise Bills,
that one-6fh of the members of the House can call
the ayes and noes endlcssly; and as New York
alone furnishes nearly that number, when once the
State Of New York had in her great port SO levied
tonnage duties as to support her great State, it
nigh. be impossible in Congress to revise and con-
troll State legislation, SO profitable to the State it.
self. But in country of great valleys and lakes
like ours, which stretch hundreds and hundreds Of
miles through several different and distinct States,
and where there is no outlet to the sea but through
several Of the other States, the whole scheme is
ludicrous one. Missouri will tax Iowa Ohio will
tax Pennsylvania; Kentucky will tax both; Tonnes
see, Arkansas, and Mississippi will tax all above
them; Louisiana will tax all from the heat of the
tropics to the land Of the grizzly bear.
Disunion, disorder, dscord Turk in all these ex-
trayagan anti-republican, and belligerent schemes
Of taxation, and they therefore should at once be
Ao"hCo uo"us "A iaiSC HdJOiNy Vi hiC hlCuluCIS
Of Congress are in favor Of improving our rivers
and. harbors, and will SO enact by law whenever
they can get chance; and, therefore, there is no
need Of resor.ing TO them The recent performances
in the United States Senate, by prominent Demo-
cratic Senators, will not to their profit in the
end, and they will rapidly wheel about face another
session Of Congress. Meanwhile, let US reflect that
if once universal /" consent" is given to thirty
States to tax each others exports and imports as
they please, consent is given to an abandonment of
the Federal Constitution, and all the commercial
purposes that created it; and such consent would
practically restore the old Confederation, which
Washington, Madison, and Hamilton worked so
hard to change into the present Constitution.
| Ne,0 York Express.
Pubkc-reception-popularity is not the most valu-
able in the world, as the crowd loves hoyday,
| and would gather to look with as much intel
| ligent curiosity upon a"Royal Bengal tiger" as
upon distinguished United States Senator, even
| though he were President in expectancy. Popu-
lar yiyas and hnrrahc ., fhorUh mt ac, al