Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1851-04-25
Remarks Of Mr. Hamlin Of Maine, ID.
oa The River and Farbor Eli.
III n- S- Srn,rr M,n.nI 80

oa The River and Fsrbor Blll. -
Is U. ). SEv,rr, MARcH 1, 1851.
Mn. hAiurS. regret extremely that
deem 1t to be my duty at thi, uupropiuou.
moment to occupy short portion Of the timo
Of the Senate. Still mu., do - and, in
doing ~, ! think shall incur no responsible.
nv, which has bccg alluded to, Tor Ire defca,
u the appropriation bill. bccansc, II either
II those bills h. defeated, the responsibility
will not be with this body. hold it to be
solemn mockcry of legislation. when this BODY
is compelled To act during tho las, two days
oi the session on M lhe material appropriation
bills. We have yet TO act upon the civil and
diplomatic, the army, aud the navy appropri-
alton bills, which appropriate their tens Of
millions ofdollar. Ono u these bills has not
yet been reported by the Committee on r..
nance, and one ha. not ", come TO us from
ihc House. IT, thcn, auy or these bills should
lail, the fault J, hot With this body. L., il
res, where It belongs
As one II the minority of the committee to
which the blil under consideration was refer.
rni, ! beg leave To prrarnt to the Senate some
facts, some figures, and somc reasons which
induced mc to be one or ,ha, minority. IN tho
irs, place, beg leave To satc that | draw no
line Of distinction biwecn improvements on
our grcitr,cr- aud lakes and ~ the Atlantic
coast. II lhc work bc national IA ils chaac-
Ter, and worldly of the fostering care Of tho
Government, ihuk there f., no sound dcs,inc-
ton which can be drawn between such work
upon one of our great rivers or lakes and
similar uor, ul"n ,I.' r1as,. Bl, this bill.
ls it comes 10 us, has features 10 II which to
my mind arc Questionable, and objectionable
90 such a degree that must vote against the
hiIl 90 is Pcscat shape. Il seem, to me that
lhosa who favor the blll should no, only bo
ready and willing, bu, should work ehecifully
Niih those Opposed 10 the bill, 10 strip It Of
.is Objectionable features.
The whole amouu, appropriated by this bill
IS twu millions three hundred and forypno
Thousand three hundred and scycniy-sir dol
Iars, n luln lc,, than iwo-aui .l.hllf millions.
Ofilni sum lhcTr b, seven hundred and nine
thousand dollar, appropriated tot the Atlantic
cn1s' and one million ,iN hundred iaJ thirty.
two thousand three hundred and ,rycniy.sir
id,Iar- irr iIr lko- aud W,s,oul nyrrs--in-
cIadur llc rivers OF Texas. Thus the bill
arrugraios more t.an ,wo dollars uTon the
lakes and rivers ?, one dollar upon ihc ALLAN.
lic cnns, THIS 3, ro serious oh llsctun To my
mind, although ulon principles Of equity aud
fairness, 4 different proportion might have eX-
.,lcj 90 ,hc bill. The true want. of the Gov.
'mmclt, limited, within the rule which I have
llid down, should be our only guide A. to
whether llc amount oi appropriation should
bc lrr1,rr lor one section Of the country than
tor another.
The next fact which CLEAN from the bill
IS, that il contained IN all eighty eight scplr-
atr and dislnc, items OF appropriation, Of
which at least iwcu,y.uinc are forucw works.
Five hundred and fNy.Gve thousand dollars,
or q ,liila more than half million, are appro.
prlicd tur ,h, commencement, Of new works.
one million seven hundred and cighty.sII thou.
-ani three hundred snt .cycn,y-sn dollan are
appropriated ior the prosecution Of old works.
ln lhr bill, as Il now stands, there is appro-
priaicd tor works lying within the State OF
Maine, lhiuy.Gyc thousand dollars, within
the State Of New York, three hundred aud
Gfy.d,e thousand five hundred iolias, With
In the State Of Ohio, ono hundred and twenty
thousand dol5r, within the State Of MIchi-
,an, one hundred and sixty thousand dollars,
within the State Of Illinois, twenty-seycn
thousand one hundred and scyeniy.siK dollars;
within the State of Wisconsin, ninc,y-fye
thousand dollars; within the State OF Iowa,
twenty thousand dollars within the State of
Missouri, fiy thousand dollars within the
State uf Massachusetts,, fhy.fye thousand five
hundred dollars, within the State Of North
Carolina, one hundred and seventeen thousand
five hundred dollars within the State OF Con-
nccticut. rweniy-onc thousand dollars within
the State Of Georgia ffy thousand dollars;
within the State Of Rhodc Island. five thou.
sand dollars; within the State Of Deleware.
ninety thousand dollars; within the Stale Of
New Jersey, fifteen thousand dollars within
the State Of Louisiana, one hundred and five
iho, slnd dollars; within the State Of Alabama,
fiy thousand within thc State Of Virginia,
twenty thousand dollars, within the State Of
Texas, ninety.dye thousand seven hundred
dollars; within the State Of South Carolina,
twenty-five thousand dolars-the sum total
being on, million SIX hundred and twenty-five
thousand three hupdred and seventy-six dol.
lars.
There Is another class Of miscellaneous
ilcms. which affect different States in great
n or less degree. The frs, is for a dredre-
boat on Lake Champlain, nine thousand dol
lars The next is for drrdge-boat on Lake
Eric, twenty thousand dollars. Then twenty
thousand dollars for a dredgcboat on Lake
Michigan; twenty-five thousand dollars for
the survey Of the northwestern lakes, twenty
thousand dollars for repair, OF harbors on tbs