The Minnesotian. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1851-1852, 1852-04-10

acre OF land to save the lives or properly
oil your fellow-citizens of the great West,
who bear their share Of the burdens Of
your Government. And this is not all.
When, despairing of aid from the legisla-
tive branch of the Government, TO improve
the Manageable streams, the enterprising
people Of that valley undertake, on their
private account. to cross those streams in
the construction Of artificial outlets for
the products Of their industry, as in the
case of the Wheeling bridge, another
branch OF your government decides that
the stream being declared Manageable, the
bridge is an obstruction, and must be torn
down. Yes, sir; when we ask you to
take out the distractions from the river,
you come down upon lis with your vetoes,
and decide that the stream is not nation
al thoroughiare. When bridge is erec-
ted, you declare it is national thorough
fare, md we must remove it!
There are upwards of ten millions Of
people in the valley of the Mississippi
The star Of empire is not going there-it
is there already! These resolutions which
hold in my hand from the Democratic
Legislature Of Ohio, is but premonilion
to those gentlemen who higgIe about the
donations of public lands, of what is to
come it these great interests are longer
neglected. The people between the AL
leghany and the Rocky Mountains begin
to feel their power, as well as your injns-
tice, and the day is not far distant when
they will exercise it. They know that of
The $50, 900 which are annually spent
IN the administration Of your General
Government they pay about one-half.-
They know. too. that great portion Of it
is expended on the sea-board, in aid of
your external commerce.
=
Suppose we look briefly into some of
the appropriations which this coast inter-
est expec;s. have here an abstract of
The Coast Survey report. was induced
TO look into it in consequence of the cas-
,lal debate between my colleague TMr.
CARrrER] and myself few days since,
on the proposition to print it, in which l
then admitted that had never attentively
read it. There are very many improve
ments suggested for the benefit of exter-
nal commerce. Here, for instance, al
what is called "Sow and Pigs Ledge at
Buzzard's Bay" a lighthouse is recon-
mended;' at "Great Bip," a buoy-boat
at ''Shovel-ful Shoals" we are expected
to shovel out of our Treasury the peoples
dollars for Il light-boat; at Holmes Hole"
ard Martha's Vineyard they recon-
mend bug-lights. Why is it that Holmes
Hole must be lighted up? Because, sir.
some Yankee Spectator has been out bob
bling for Goldfish, and the suspicion that he
might catch one late in The evening, es-
tablishes national commerce in that fish
which would authorize the appropriation
You are prepared 10 vote for thousand
such improvements in that region bu,
when we point You to commerce of
$oOO,COO 600 year, upon the Mississippi
pi and tributaries, and the immense ton
mage o. the inland lakes, You can sec no;h-
ing bnt Holmes Hole !" "Mar,ha's
Vineyard!' and Hogs Back!" &C.
Show me the clause in the Constitution
which gives you power TO pul light
house at Buzz ,rd's Bay" and | will
then point you to the power TO improve
our inland rivers and Lakes. as well as to
vote either lands or money 10 Missouri
and other inland States in aid of their great
railroads. To show that New England
and New York do not beat the Mississip-
pi in classical names, can refer 10 some
O. equal beauty, which You will find by
racing that great river on the map
There is the cluster of Islands called .sHen
and Chickens" where Sings, or s.Polk
stalks" as western boumen term them.
are abundant. There, too, is what is CALL
ed ''Polk's Grave Yard" might name
thousand points, well known from the
disasters which have happened to the
commerce of that great water.
Mr.. Chairman, this House can make no
appropriation Of money or lands TO works
OIL internal improvement which will be
expended in the district represent. But,
sir, the products of the industry of nv
constituents enters into, and forms part
OF The great inland commerce. Every OBJ
struction in the Ohio is IA tax upon their
Lbor; every snag in the Mississippi is
t"nling dollhouse which exacts part of
their hard earnings in The shape of insu-
RANGES And wish every laboring man
IN your inland States to know and feel
that, whilst he bears his proportion of the
expenditures for the benefit of tie COM
merce of :he coast, his ind,str, is taxed
by the impedimenls to the inland naviea-
lIOII. | make no threats but t,Lo -,
stand and wish it to he distinctly under
stood that. until the rights of the inland
commercial interest are recognized in some
substantial act by Congress. will never
cast my vote for an appropriation of money
enough 10 buy single pint of oil or a lu-
cl;er match to make light on the coas,
from the northeast coast Of Maine to the
Balize. Until the mighty rivers Of the
west, and the great lakes of the North,
and the lives and property of our enter
Prls'ng peop'e shall be regarded as wor-
.lnf1. att