The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-08-29
CONGRESSIONAL.
DEFERRED DEBATE.
FRIDAY. AUGUST 20. 1852.
lIS coNTRuATIoE.l
SENATE,
SENATE.
RIVER AND HAIR BoR BILL.

RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.
The Senate having under consideration the bill ma
king appropriations for the Improvement OF certain ri7-
and barbors and the pending question beng the
motion OF Mr. SHIELDS TO strike out the appropriation
for the Rappahannock ver and TO insert in lieu thereof
the following: tssf 1+s
Fo the survey and examination of rivers and habors
$4,000 the survey and examination be made by the
geographical bureau, under the superptendence OF the
ecrsary ot Wars and IL is hereby directed that the abet
an most experienced topogaphicai engineers IA the ser
Of the Upiied States shall be employed this duty
rivers or The county in ires classes Based upon their
commercial Importance 10 the nation. and the extent
which they aavisabs and also TO arrange the harbors
in three classes based upon their commercial Importance
capacity harbors, and the general necessity for
their Improvement; and that they make probable esti-
Of The amoun necessary to render each improvement
efiecna and permanent; and that the cre,ary Of War
port the same. as soon us practicable, 10 Congress"
Mr. DOWNS said: | do not like the provisions
OF the amendments that with regard To the
Rappahannock rivet, nor that OF the senator from
Illinois, Mr. SHIELDsl | disapprove of the sur
yeys in both ways. One amendment contemplatts
that shall go to place we know nothing OF
and institute an examination OF il; and the other tha,
shall call upon the executive officers OF the govern
10 make these surveys wherever they choose Now,
have one radical objection to these two pans and that
IS, that IN my opinion all these works OF Improvement
that are necessary that Important that are national,
Will be known TO the representatives IN Congress, and be
known To the government and there will be necessity
TO institute search 10 find them out. Now il seems to
me To be anomaly in the history OF the government oi
tbs country, that the Congress and the Executvehat
ibe branches oil this government cannot legsate and
cessay inormaon until they send out men nvesli.
gate The matter and report back TO them whether they
ought 10 do this thing or that thing II this principle
to be adopted should like 10 know why members OF
Congress selected from their supposed knowledge oil
the country and the interests OF their consttuents Do
ordinarily send out 10 acquire that information
for that we ought 10 have ourselves when we come
on bere D@ts ...s-E E.sr.
Now, we are carrying on large works, about which
there is dispute to their necessity and Importance
We building, Tor instance, custom house IN New
Orleans that will cost several hundred thousand dollars.
We have built one in New York that probably half
million OF dollars, we built one IN Boston, and we
built one in Charleston, South Carolina Now, wonld
ask senators II they thought OF sending out corps
OF engineers 10 find out whether we should build Gus.
tom. house at New York, Boston, or New Orleans,
Charleston want 10 know whether II was matter OF
much doubt that we were obliged TO have this
corps OF engineers TO report to US what we ought 10
do in these cases Now, l take il for granted that
there with be no work of national Importance, no work
that ought to be acted upon by Congress but what
will make itself known, but what will be known
10 the representatives coming from that particular
quarter OF the country, that there will be
siiy for making these investigations 10 ascertain
whether be necessary or not There are provisions
in this bill relating TO subjects that require further
examination 10 establish their Importance One OF The
first provisions in this bill is for the Improvement OF the
mouth OF the Mississippi. Now, would ask the Sen.
ate who would think oil sending engineer there
10 ascertain whether that natona,wo not
whether il desirable to have il done not That
fact is established by It's being submitted To you that
went bsfore the Finance Committee that at iiIne
last spring there fifteen twenty vessels from all
paris OF the UnioH, and from foreign nations, de-
ained in their voyage and subject great expense and
inconvenience there that il is not local mpnov ovemeut,
but Improvement that all the States OF this Unun
interested in There was necessity for sending out
corps OF engineers 10 inquire into that mailer, TO
lain whether II was national work or not. And so
with other great works OF improvement upon western
waters. There is provision IN this bill ior a canal
around the falls OF the Ohio. Now. does anybody
engineer corps TO 90 there enable them TO Ind out
whether that is national work or not whether II is
desirable Tor the business OF the whole country or not
hrarE nt.A ...in knOt
that that important point in reference 10 the
OF the Ohio and although there is canal there,
IT'S small and Imperfect one, and the navigation Is
injured and retarded there by that obstruction and that
the navigating interests OF the whole Union is interested
in that work. No doubts that that improvement is
Of national character And so with the repairs OF the
Cumberland dam upon the Ooio which IL mentioned
here. Does ans body doubt that that is national OBJ
Iectl Everybody who has passed that route knows
perfectly well that this Is an object which requires the
action OF the government, especially this obstruction
has been placed there by the government itself Now
co not like this Of sending out officers 10 search for
works oil internal Improvement
The platform OF the democratic party has been ire
quenuy referred 10 in this debste aud wish 10 refer TO
uior lew moments. Some mystery has been attempt
Cd 10 be thrown around the expression OF the democratic
platform, that we not to 90 into general system OF
internal Improvements That expression is referred 10
As II there was some mischief, difficulty, and ambiguity
eboutit. Now, do not see any difficulty whatever in
The matter Now take il that according TO the mean
ing ol that expression, the democratic party will not
20 into sysem OF Improvements unless for great
uonal objects, such be done by single Stae
and which no, only be done by the government but
from their magnitude and importance ought not 10 be
done by single State, because other portions OF the
country are just az much interested in them as the
people ol any particular Stale Take the instance
Of the Improvement Of the mouth of the Mississippi
Now in regard 10 the Improvement OF rivers the nice
dlsiincton has been sometimes made 10 require that
the river should run between through two three
States. Now, think that that distinction is perfectly
immateral, because river run through one State
sone and be OF much Importance TO the country
ss II II through twenty States This Mississippi
Iivef for $50 miles above lis mouth on its east
bank and $50 miles ON is wes bank through the State
Of louisiana Yet will anybody say that the improve.
Of the mouth OF the mississippi work in which
Louisiana alone Is Interested and that is not matter
IN which the whole Union IL concerned Now, ot the
twenty thirty ships that aground there last spring,
how many belonged 10 the State OF louisiana Not
one believe Now, in a OF that kind there can
be no difficulty IL seems 10 me, IN any gentleman deter
mining whether the work is OF general national I'M
Poranee, such ought TO be made by Congress, or not
But may be said, many there viii be doubt,
there will be difficulty, in determining the lne between
important and unimporant works. But even 10 admit
that, there IL one rule which IL TO me ought TO
remove all doubt and apprehension upon this subject.
Legislation is something postve-somehlng TO be
aone s action, and IL is better to let things alone
unless we do something for the beiter and there.
iofe, N regard TO this and other subjects OF essa
u9b, we must not only balance probabilities as 70
woelhet the proposed things should be done at all,
put we also ought satisfy ourselves fnlly before
we take any action, that that action Is right Now
apply lhs principle yorr internal improvements and
now does Il work. You present for Improvement ihe
mouth OF the Mississippi Does any man here say that
hal not important No, sir; there is no doubt IN re-