The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-10-13

River aud lAArbo< l~prove0snss. II
The 6rst assault Of spolitical nature made up
On Gen Pierce after his nomination., was based ,
I'd N his votes In Congress against certain Oiiis
making npprop iations for the building OF roads
and canals and the improvement Ut Rivers ana I,
aarbors. .Tnese votes and the fact that he OPT,
posed appropriations for these objec 9, have been
d nd arc beipg extensively used in certain qnsr.
ters With ! view To prejudice the Democrauc
ca uae We have not at hand the bills in quests
oos,ad eauAo, therefore state the particular
provisions Of them which induced him to oppose
Them But it 10 sufficient for our Presen. pufff
pose to saw that they were 80 objectionable thaa
some Of he abIest and most devoted advocaesl
of general system Of Internal lmprovementsl
by the General CIV. rn'nenl, voted against
hem and that Mr. Clay himself, the great
father Of the boasts.d A;nercan system OF whIch
this scheme FORMED part, voted with Gen. |
Pierce in opposition =, very one OF them bus I
the TACT that Gen. Perez voted lsgalns. these
hlhs il now produced to induce the advocates
OF reasonable proper andconststuyonal measures
e this kind, 10 b. ieve Tint h isOpPosfd to all
app;cpristions such ob3pcts and tbsisf elserd
re.ten, he will vo.ea gainst any kali bills Tor
invroyipk rivers and harb IFS. Tbcref1Se whfse
his votes " Congress need no Justification, ana
they were Ri.en In strict acc 'rdance w,'h "oa'
was then and 10 noW svowed 10 De inc Tive
Democratic policy AID The true cunstruction'o'
The Constitution, il Il proper for the Drms,
cratic p.e.s to expose th attempt q the ieoera'
leaders 10. deceive the people iii legais " Vac
true position If our party upon this g'fH que'
,ion.-We take it III. day has not yet a.rised
when pubic man can be put down, before tl>'
people of tins country, for having stood man
fully by aud ably sustained the policy of An
drew Jackson. either when he grappled with the
monster corruptipnsgof the Bank, or when he
put his veto upon the general system Of squan-
iering he public money in ptomntingschenies o.
private interest under the name of patluna! lHS.
proyernents, which was in alarningty succ -
full operation when be came into power. When
that time does com, ifh ever hes, il VIII be
soon enough for Democrats o consider the pro
prie,y Of abandoning their we'll considered Con-
s.itu ional objections 10 the wholesale sguander.
ing Of the people money upon snch schemes az
the federal laIi,udinarianl construchonsss VI Inc
Constitution have ever favored. '9u~Ey $
The principle laid down by Gen. Jackson on
this subject winch has ever since formed a pro-
minent article Of the Democratic creed, IS con.
tanned in the following resolution adopted by
| the Baltimore Convention. . $1,000 gaa
| Resoired. That the Constitution does not
confer upon the General Government the pow
er to commence and carry on gene cal ysten
l.
The difference between the two parties upon
this question Is Just this Is we Lnndr rstand it
The Democra are lin favo, Of appropriations
| for the improvement of rivers aud harbors which
arc Of a general and ma ;ional character--those
connected with and Designed to facilitate the
general commerce Of the country; While they
! oppose, a. unauthorized by thu cpnsitu.pn, all
grants Of the public money for those Of anaere
1 local nature, unconnected with and unnecess sa
AZ. 81.
is the province and duty Of the General Gov
eminent TO regulate and promote. = Abe general
principle is, that the Improvement to meet the
sanction Of the ID, mocratlc party, mast be- ''of a
general not lacal-national, not State charac
ter, The federal party. on the other hand
judging from their acts, are In favor OF appro-
priations for improvements Of local as well as
those Of general characterr--fnr making har:
bors where none exist and where the ecessities
. of general commerce do not require them, and
for improving r:vers for mere 10, al convenience,
and which are not required for natioAal or gen
eratpurposes. ~ 59Is sNRag
To show the character and tendency Of this
system Of internal improvements by theGeneral
Government always tavored by the federal party
il 10 onlynecessaryto refe. the readerto schemes
h,ch were in progress, stthe close Of the
I'D ADMINISTRATION of john Quincy Adans.-Tbe
works which had been surveyed and es'inat" d
by direction Of the Gvernm ent including those
j which had been commenced in lS2)-30, were
estm,icd TO- cost over sne hundred Millions OF
doHars Among them was road from
Washington city To- New Orleans, estimated to
cos, about sir millions of dollars; q canal from
Lake Michigan To the Wabash river flee miiiioas
Of dollars a canal from The tennessee t. the
Savannah river, about four and a hat millions !;
a canal and railroad fr,,n the Tennessee to thu
Altamnha river ab nut four and Aa!f millions !;
a canal from the James to the Kenhawa river,
three millions road from Washington cry to
Buffal", abouttpo n,iiltons ); "a canal from the
Merimack al Concord Senapee Lake, to the
r Eonp-cticni, abeut,i, million and a half The
works hen in progress or in contemplation
' enbrs,ced every variety Of internal impr We
IRents, including yrs and hrrbors as well as
sr,ads, canals, railroads, &c, and, those named
above are but sltnples OF them, which vas then
u aud has ss,noe sbeen fav,red BY the. i deral
party. Aasbrf,,re1 stated the estimated cost. of
works then lrl;nenced and those surveyed,
was over one bundled nj lions of dollars Lut
- as all experit nee shows that the cost Of such
works always greatly exc.'e ds the estimate II is
safe to state that these works would have cost
at least a hundred and ffty millions Of dollars
To have carried on these ex ensive ,wnrks you'd
have involved the mai in debt to an enor,
nous am ,un', and would have en,ailrd upon the
people Of this and succeeding generations taxes
! grievau, to be borne.
Such was the scheme and such the polio,
which It became The noble and imperative duty
Of Gen, Jackson to resist and defeat. And
nobly and successfully did he accomplish it.
Such wasthe nature Of the pulley and the char,
Rcter Of the m 'asu cs whc, Gen. Pierce after
wards opposed and v,sed against lie tood by
Gen. Jackson on this gu stlon as he stood by
him on tie Bank and other great and vital
questions of ,sc d ys-manfnlly, prcsevering.
ly and 10 the end But in 90 DIN! he gave mr.
indication OF hostility 10 river AMI ha.bpr i'm.
proyemehts of a. proper reasonable and rational
z character. Gem Jacksen's construction Of The
constitution is susceptible Of no such sinterpre
tation. Under tina, construction, ailthe snbse
9pentSippEcvementss ct the great Lakes aud
rivers Of the West as we'll as of the Atlantic
coast, have been m,de, and cirimpreve'nents
will continue e. be made as they are neededfor
T Che protect n and promotion 1ofcomnerce -.
That the Democratic d lc.f.ne on this subject
has not proved i,os!ileEtu such improvements
Iappeas from the fact that during Gen. Jackson's
administration the amount appr 'priated for such
improvements was greater than the amount
which had been granted under all previous ad-
ministrationsk The object Of Gen Jackson and
his supporters at the period in question was not
to defeat appropriations for the lmprcvc menl OF
such rivers and hsrbors the facility of COM
| ncTCe tire gFtdt IuttScStS III uIcCpslDtty
demanded but to check that wild spirit of spec
ulaien aud plumber which was e1haustng the
resources Of the Government, dverting its rev
enue from its legitimate objects. squandering
the money OF the people upon usplers works or
schemes OF private and local interest; and
destined, if perse vered in, to create anenormous
national debt and to end IN bankruptcysand gen.
eral aud widespread emba.rassmcnt ard rum
He plainly foresaw the Inevitable result wild
schemes then on foot, and with, that patriotic
| DEVOTION to the country which characterized his
/ whole life, he determined TO oh ok them and to
restore the action Of The General government
TO its appropriate national and Constitutions
sphere. He did 50, and III maintaining that
ground he received the cord al and eminent sup
port Of Gen Pierce. But the sdv5c ties Of these
wholesale scheme Of plundering the natioifaa
,reasu y for the benedict local and private in
.erests were not wiling to give up their darling
projects; they resolved to gain their objects, or
else to defeat appropriations for all improve
ments. When a bib fir works 1T n snatioaal
judicious and Unconstitutional character was pre-
sent ed their plan as to attach to Ia, ipr1y;s ons