The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-09-21

had sandered, ylifed, eaumniaied-and he went all
through the catalogue OF epthets-ihe officers OF the
army SIR, leave u TO any gentleman on this floor 10
say whether he so understood me. III any gtnftmaa
will say that he 80 understood me, viii withdraw the
mark otherwise | have no response 10 make TO the
statement OF the senator from Connecticut.
In regard 10 the log cabin boys OF whom the senator
from Connecticut has formed sach an affection OF late,
would ask by what authority is he constituted their
special agent and advocate By what right has the
aior from Connecticut acquired the exclusive privilege OF
speaking Tor them Why, when he refers 10 the Saalt
Ste. Marie canal bill he speaks Of .my canal BILL"
though II were work OF his own, belonging to him.
self | could have given a history to show Who owns
The mines on Lake Superor who changed that bill from
land TO money appropriaon-not for the benefit OF
Michigan, and not al the request of her delegation. |
know the reasons for the change Sir the senator has
right 10 represent certain mining compa lies upon Lake
Superior but deny that that gives him the privilege OF
speaking Tor the settlers upon the public lands upon
pralrles and northwestern borders. The rep.
resentaliye of Wall street operators, carry out pc
cunary Interests and private speculaons, TO promote
from representative p the ogcabin boys. deny The
senator's right 10 egreseni the settlers the public lands
have better title than he has live among them.
have lived among them from my boyhood. have been
one OF them. have sympalhzed with them, and they
have sympahized with Those settlers know tina,
he last thing that could ever be imputed 10 would be
nhdellty TO them and to their interests. The senator
from Connecticut may exercise all the power OF party
machnery--may distribute all The handbills and scanda-
ous pamphlets aud libels that sent here from New
York, to be folded and circulated at the public expense.
tie may send out his secret circulars beling and vfy
ing members OF Congress. promising the patronage and
emolumens OF government IN the name of his parry and
lis candidate Tor the next four years He may do all
thus, and still put him at defiance! The western people
have heard OF This organization for retailing sander and
ialsebood They have heard OF the man whose qualities
and habits render hun hi instrument 10 be AT the head
OF snch an Organization! The no,oreiy, if not the iame
OF the senator has extended every corner of the Union
would desire no better man 10 eeconeer for me among
my own constituents than for him 60 there the rep
senative OF the whg party tell you, sir il il could
be understood that he was their representative and expo
nen you would not find wings enough upon our praIes
to make mile.siones along the principal highways. Our
people think that they understand their interests,
and that they know how to select to represent them
in the national councils They not in the habit OF
having man from Connecticut ntepose himself between
them and their representatives prescribe what
are for their benefit. and what not.
The argument that tonnage duties will increase taxa
ton has been held up 10 frighten people from their
proprety. They well understand that whenever canal
is built tolls charged upon and when they
called upon pay canal tolls tonnage duties what
ever you may call them, tax is imposed for the purpose
OF deraylng the expense OF the work You might say
that the New York catra was great injury 10 our west
country because has enabled New York 10 collect
$2,o0oooo year from the consumers of western pro-
duce and eastern goods and you can fully sustain the
argument that The consumers OF these articles pay that
tax This is true, sir but, while it is true every
knows that the construction OF that canal has reduced the
expense OF transportation between those points to
tenth OF what would be wlthou, that canal. Although
we pay tolls TO the amount of 50 100000 year for
the transportation of western produce through those
works, still are released from expense OF $40 0O0,
900, which should have been compelled 10 bear II
that canal had not been built and produce had been
transported in other ways. Besides, must be borne in
mind that while all the tolls, duties. and charges
eastern goods going west are added al each point 10 the
price OF The goods and finally paid by the consumer yet
the Argument holds gool in relation TO western produce
going TO eastern foreign market The charges and
duties added 10 the cost OF the article at each point
and finally paid by the consumer on the Atlantic or in
foreign countries lnasmuch therefore, as the freghis
eastward much greater than those westward, il fol.
lows that by lar the smaller portion oil tins tax would be
lnafih hu tIa uazfar
So il is with The railroad system. You may well Say
that every railroad made between the Atlantic seaboard
and the great interior will charge taxes upon all western
produce passing over H. That true, SIR but The right
10 tax US IS no argument against the propety OF the
work. provided the cost OF transportation with The taxa
ton sess than IL would have been II the work bad not
been constructed All internal improvements, TO the
extent OF their cost, are tax upon the navigating or
transportation Interests but at the same time, they re-
duce the price OF transportation over the lines oi com
merce. aud hence prove advantage rather than bur
den 10 the people. could illustrate this by reference 10
the Illinois river in my own Saie which has been al
luded TO by the senator from Connecticut He has told
yeu that IL my system prevails, duties would have TO be
taxed upon boats that river Well, took up an li
nos newspaper this morning. IN which discovered that
while the ordinary price OF transportation in good water
upon the Illinois river twenty cents upon the one
hundred pounds yet, in consequence oil low wafer al
this tme il has sen 10 dollar per hundred pounds
There difference OF eighty cents upon every hundred
pounds OF merchandise transported that IyeI between
low wafer and high water. Give us the privilege oi
evyng tonnage duty which would not raise the pfice OF
transportation on The river, IN good WateT more than one
cent pound. and You would 10 the people interest
Ell seventy nine cents every hundred pounds trans
ported at low waiet am ready 10 20 into the facts
and the figures, and Arguments OF this question when
get before my own people, a. applicable to their own
rivers and their harboTs We told that we shall
be compelled to pay duties al many ponis-dutes on
duties That may be; but If the Improvement made by
the funds thus asses ed reduces the OF tanspoa-
lion at each point, where is the argument against the
evying OF the duty IL s argument to tell that
produce to be taxed Tor this transportation TO mar
ket We found that in early times, aud have never
been permitted 10 forget il since We are taxed Tor our
transportation we expect always 10 be taxed for IT, But
the question is what system OF Improvement will reduce
that To the lowest point, and remove 10 The greatest
extent the burdens that rest upon US That the point
TO which wish gentlemen 10 address their Arguments.
Again, sir, when reminded that we shall be
taxed BY tonnage duties for these improvements, must
be borne in mind that also taxed TO raise money
under the tariff system TO make the appropriations pro
vlded for this and all other river and harbo bills. ~
the argument be sound that the levyng OF a tonnage
duty added 10 the freight from point TO point TIL
gets into the hands OF The consumer, then the Argument
is good that the arf tax upon Imported goods i assessed
at each point against every through whose hands
il passes until it reaches the consumer; and your log
annexed TO IT, Then what becomes OF the Argument
against this taxation, even in that point OF viewi
The plan proposed by my amendment is preferable to
appropriations by the general government, Tor The
reason that the money will be economically ex.
authorities OF this government. | undertake TO say
that in the judgment Of men on this floor best acquant
ed with the expenditure OF this money for rivers and
har do mi pst one dollaf's work for