Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-05-16
The River and Harhor Rim.

-
Rivers and Lakes.-Des Moines Cou-
rier.
The Republic admitted no such thing.
What we admitted was, that Gen. Case
did not FAVOR the bill which was be-
fore the late Senate, because OF its abom.
inations.-RcpubHc.
The above extracts explain themselves.
1t will be seen that we did not accuse
the Republic wrongfullj when we said
that it admitted that Gen. Cass did OPP
pose the appropriation to our Western
Rivers and Lakes sought to be made re-
Gently by the Senate. The Republic
only betrays lis acknowledged weakness,
in lame aitemptto play upon words
1t says that General Cass cid not favor
The bill (River and Ilarbor) which was
before the late Senate, because of its
denominations"
That Bill provided for the improve
ment of the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio,
Arkansas, Illinois and other Rivers and
for the construction of Harbors on our
great inland seas. And as the Republic
admits that he did oppose this Bill,
(which they are pleased TO term ''bill
OF abominations" in imitation of few
extreme ultra Sou,herners who are ever
aud have been hostile to all Internal In
provements in the great West and North
West by the General Government.) we
are correct when we charge home upon
him his hostility TO Western & Nor,h~es-
tern interests by opposing these much
| needed appropriations. And we are
much mistaken if the whole of our pop
ulaiion, whose lives and prosperity arc
continually put in jeopardy on account
of the failure of these appropriations, do
not join US in condemning the men in
Congress who gave the fatal stab to this
measure, as well as the papers that be-
come their assistants and apologists.
But the Republic is perfectly dumb
about an object that interested General
Cass more than the Lake Harbors and
great Western Rivers, viz: The little
River in Michigan, which he informed
the Hollanders would get an appropria-
lion ont of the National Treasury, as a
matter of course. Oh, yes! 1t was a
National object, that il was! and should
be provided for, and that too by the as
sistance of the CONSCIENTIOUS General y.
What do you think of that little River,
MIR. Republic! Don't be bashful, come
out. But you really think James, that
what we said about the River and Har-
Dor Bill proves US to be either "a fool or
a knave." An, indeed We are not
surprised; we can accoun, for your con-
clusion in this matter upon natural prin.
ciples; for il is an universally admitted
axiom, settled truism, that ..fools and
knaves invariably measure all others by
themselves" Hence you vainly imag-
inc us 10 be in the same lamentable cat
egory with yourself.
But James intimates ,llat we are not
honest in our friendship for Western I'm
provements, and that he and The "unter-
rifed" are its only honest friends. Wei
may Western interests cry out, "save
me from such friends" As an answer
TO such honest friends Of Improvements
we must adopt the language Of the wo-
man who, while her husband was decla-
ring his love Tor her and beating her
most numerically at the same time, la
conically replied, ''Weil, my dear, all
have TO say is, that you have poor way
of showing it,
But James reaches the climax of alb
surdity and falsehood at the same time,
when he unblushingly asserts that our
friends (,he Whigs,) defeated The River
and Habor Bill VIVA. nice fr do
we find this ree Judge in now! First
he called it wing "bill of abomina.
lions;" admits tina, Gen. Cass and his
friends opposed il; and winds up by &C.
cusing the wings of defeating their own
measure! .-...-........-. .. .... s.
Friends of the great West! You who
wish to see our Rivers cleared Of snags,
rapids. &C., and our shipping moored in
safe Harbors, look at the contemplate,
trucking course Of paper located a.
mong you, drawing its support from you,
and which ought to support your in.
teres,s, and say if the inscription oil
the whecl-wrighs ough, not 10 be stuck
up at its head, viz: "All kinds Of turn
ing and twisting done here"
| "WHo's HERE SO BASE THAT woUi D
NOT DE FREEMAN!"-.A Sabine touch