Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1852-09-08
River and KIarbor Bill

order TO render the Dill as ObaoXlOr
bic, and force democrats to vote aga
nre known to be opposed to all app
not national in their character.
then charge the democrats with
river appropriations and with th1
bill. Messrs. Downs, Cass,
Bright, all democrats, weN
amendments. and went
Messrs Ro SIX and A.
We're opposed to the
cause of their opposition
that character. but because the appropriations
for western rivers were entirely inadequate to
their necessities, their being but 100000 ap-
proprated for the Mississippi river.
Mr. Dawson. of Georgia, whig, opposed the
bill without why or wherefore, and Davis
and Bell, also wings, were in favor of a host of
amendments, which they had all ready. and
which were intended, bcyoHd doubt, to kill the
bill. by keeping it passing backwards and
forwards between the Senate and the House,
to the end of the session.
Such is TIE difference between wing profess
sions and wing practices. Although they pro
Tess to be great friends Of river and l.arbor i'm
provements, no wing Congress has ever pas
sed any bill making appropriations for that
purpose, and when democratic Congress is
about to do so they attempt to defeat it by
loading it with amendments, and forcing its
real friends either to vote for unconstitutional
appropriations, or to vote against the bill al
together.
OF all the clamors raised by the wing press
and politicians against the democratic party,
that Of being opposed to appropriations for the
improvement Of rivers and harbors, is perhaps
the most false and unfoundcd For the truth
is, that no appropriations hive ever been made
for that purpose, ereept by democratic admins.
tratiors, and there has been no democratic Presi-
dent, from James Monroe to James X Polk,
that has den ed the power to make such ap-
preparations. But they hsve denied, and the
Democratic party from that 'dsy = thisyv bsvs
denied that Congress possesses any power to
appropriate the public money to purposes Of
local or state benefits. And hence the Wings
have always endeavored to engraft upon
every river and harbor bill as many items as
possible of local character, in order to force
Democrats to vote against them, and to give
color to the charge of their being hostile to the
impro vemcnt of rivers and harbors. The &C.
ton of the Democratic party upon this ques.
ton has been fully set forth and vindcated in
a speech delivered in Congress on the 22d ult.
by the Hon. Thompson Campbell, Of Ill. He
there shows that no less than sirtees bills have
been approved by the Democratic administra.
lions. for improving the navigation Of the Ohio
AMI Mississippi rivers alone; the app'opria-
Et,ons in all amounting to about $90O.O0 and
9at for the improvement of the rivers and
- generally, there was appropriated dur
= arm of Gen. Jackson;s administration
Aly& s3,9s3 .273 70; during his second
!, ssz nm Of st, 500 .6O4 OF; and during the
. N ar Of Mr.. Van Burens term, $2.067 ,O44
The facts are taken. from the record and
| cannot be denied, and furnish triumphant
answer for the Wing clamo7 of Democratic hos
tility to river and harbor improvements.-St
Louis Union.