The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-08-28

proportion Of interest 10 what has been given 10
the great rivers Of the West, II makes the sum OF
$500, 900 which Is given TO the planting States
Sir, no injustice Of this kind was designed, and
none has happened through any mistake or negi-
genee Of The oomnlttee. 4 am satisfied that thus
committee on examining the details OF the ball,
will that il does ample justice 70 every part OF
the country.
We have also been referred to the important
work recommended for the Delaware river, the
harbor Of shelter on Reedy Island. This, and
some other improvements on that river, stand
upon different ground from any other. The piera
in the Delaware were long ago coded TO the Gov
eminent upon the implied understanding and
agreement thai the Government would keep them
IA repair Among these works were the piers al
Port Penn. They lie on the west aide Of Reedy
| Is'and and greatly need repairs.
The Department, however, believed that a better
work could be made on the east side OF the island,
and that, too, for small increase OF expenditure;
and recommend that object AS one OF great inn
portance to the commerce of the city Of PhlAdel-
| phla
regretted the introduction Of the substitute pro-
| posed by the gentleman from North Carolina,
fMr. SrASLYl which is the old bill Of last sslon.
| warn gentlemen who are friends Of judclons and
proper appropriations of this character against
adopting such a bill as that. Gentlemen who were
in the last Congress know the character Of that
bill. The committee had il before them. They
went into an examination Of its contents, and they
found that large number Of appropriations were
put in that bill without any estimates whatever
from the proper Department, without any surveys;
so that when you commenced the work you never
could know where ii would end, or what would
be It's utility. l will mention item in the bill
which struck the Typographical Bureau as most
extraordinary.-H was an appropriation OF $4,000
to construct breakwater al Nantucket, for which
there had been no survey or estimate; and when
the attention Of the Bureau was called to the sub
ect, they found that you might as well construct
a breakwater on the broad expanse of the Atlantic
to put IL there and its ultimate expense, instead
of being computed by thousands, would absorb
millions of dollars. There other appropria-
tons in that bill Of similar kind; and SO numer-
GUS are they, and so il-dgested, and of such
doubtful utility, that should deeply regret TO see
il adopted. There are mrny votes in this House
which wi be given for the bill under consideration
that, under no circumstances consistently with
good policy and with the principles which we have
adopted for our guidance on this subject can be
given for The bill introduced by the gentleman
from North Carolina
Sir reference has been made to my own State.
That State has vast commercial interests large
extent of lake and sea-coast and OF river naviga-
ton. State having more than one-fourth of the
tonnage of the whole country, and collecting at
its ports more than half of all the duties paid into
the Treasury. Now, instead Of the approprin-
tons for that State being increased, as western and
southern appropriations have been, this bill con-
sent to us by the Department for the State of New
York regret that the gentleman from Virginia
should have taken the course he has, IN holding up
TO this committee a comparative view OF the reve-
MUGS of certain post Offices in New York with ccr-
tain others in Virginia, instead of comparing the
commercial returns of the TIVE States. Anything
connected with the commerce of my State, or the
importance Of the Hudson river, | shall at all
times be ready to meet, whenever gentlemen shall
invite the discussion.
| stated, in my remarks at the opening OF this
debate, the principle upon which this bill was
framed. 1 instaDced the very case of Oak Or
chard creek on Lake Ontario, to which the gentle
man has alluded, as an illustration OF that princi-
| pie. We have made an appropriation for that
place-not with reference to it's local commerce
we expressly repudiated that a criterion for APP
propriaton--but with reference to the general
commerce Of the lake upon which il is situated,
and for the purpose Of providing for tina, general
/ commerce hArbor of refuge. A better appropr-
alton is not contained in this bill. The fact was
! brought 10 the notice Of the Committee on Com
meroe, that harbor Of refuge especially
/ needed at that point during the storms which pre-
vail upon the lake. We have not sought to make
these appropriations for The purpose of building
| up towns at any particular points, but TO make
| them where the general commerce Of the country
demanded. This same is true with regard to
| Dunkirk and Port Jefferson hsrbors in New York
The latter, on the northern shore of Long Island,
is intended a harbor Of refuge, and is the only
| harbor of that kind upon coast of one hundred
and forty miles in extent, covered by large COM
merce.
As 10 the Hudson, the gentleman from Virginia,
/ tMr. MEADE, and the gentleman from Illinois,
| Mr.. BIssELL, yesterday seemed TO consider II a
small river, OF very little ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
a trifing affair compared with the western
! Have these gentlemen reflected that this Is the
only outlet for a trade as large that Of which
they so continually boast, upon the Mississippi
Ii -. . - a.
Mississippi, outlet for tkat great chain Of Med
ierranean sens which stretches from Lake 0nta-
no TO Lake Superior, the natural avenue for tho
| whole trade of those lakes except the Compare
| lively small amount which passes through the St.
| Lawrence. This trade comes down TO the tide
waters OF the Hudson by the Erie canal and the
several lines of railroad, and then finds It's way to
| the great emporium OF commerce. The off
cial returns of last year show that produce TO the
| amount Of f54 900 900 came by the canals alone
1 10 the tide-watcrs Of the Hudson Of which three
/ fourths at least came from the Western States,
and great portion from Illinois itself The as
cending trade will make nearly much more and
when you add the other trade upon the river, com
ing by railroads and other ways, you will swell il
| up TO the amount which gentlemen claiming
| for the MissIssipp Itsef Nor is this merely a
! New York appropriaton,--lt will open a way for
\ vastly more produce from Ohio, Indiana, Michi-
gan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, than from New
| York. But IT has been denounced as extrava-
gsnuy large. IL ~ s5O,OD0, and II 10 only the
1 fourth appropriation the Government has made
| for the Improvement of the Hudson since the
commencement Of the work in 1884. This IL the
smallest appropriation that ever passed this House
for that work-smaller by onc-half than those
passed during the administration of General Jack
con. II Is case OF the most urgent necessity 20
strong that the Legislature of the State at it's last
session appropriated $4,000 to be employed in
afIording temporary relief TO the navigation, until
the National Government should resume this inn
por,snt and truly national work.
With regard TO the particular upon which
the gentleman from Virginia offered his amend
ment for the James river, In which the city Of
Richmond is principally interested, have already
explained TO the House the situation in which
the committee were placed. We would have rec
commended an appropriation to a national WORK
IN Virginia as chcerfoIly in any other pe.,oI
| the Unop. But we had memorial es.. =. - =.
for this work. We heard nothing in " aa.. -
until the bill came up IN this HouHenoanos 49,.
4 attn skcn Srueu ort.