New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-10-23

n, ,h,ll therefore seek conSAe myself strictly 10
The attitude they respectively occupy In relation to this
great question Above all shsl1 endeevcr TO AVOID
personalities and shall cheerfuy follow the example
recently set by General CAss Of the mot enent
Of our opponents and admit at once that both The ca0dS
dates men Of patriotism and honor
The fundamental position taken By the WINGS VINO
claim that the Notion should make the necessary RIVER
and Harbor improvements, 10 that the naviseoie "S'e
Of the United States for all purposes Oh con1noi'0
known to the Constitution national waters on 'ho
other hand, our opponents contend that tnoee ""-
ere let national but local. and that their improvement
should be exclusively committed 70 the IesPeou's
States They further propose that Tor the psrPoFeO
such local improvements, Congress should no" eon'eh
that each State may lay tunnsge duties on lna' P'
Of our nsvigable waters falling within Us HIM
this Latter proposition, comparatively ofreeent orsn
.rt;,b e Se. narticulnry destructive and alarming
and we OPPOSE it not only mpracncabe and ineIpe
deDt but az unjust, unconstitutional and oenauon~F
izing.
For xhs, i the Nation of which we are part' What
ro i,s n,virable waters What If its commerce. Wha
is is Constitutioni And what rights does that Consi
tim confer and what obligations does impose IN 70
spect 70 the national ocrnmerce'
The Nation occupies an important portion o. He
earth sndstsnds smong the great continental po"erso
the civilized world Embracing twenty degrees Of sa
,d IN tho temperate zone Of the North American Con-
tinen and stretching through nearly sixty degrees oi
longitude from the Atlantic TO the Pacific 1t covers the
whole continental expsnse within those vast limit In
,.;,cysI sree il Is now nearly large Europe; but
running down 10 the verge 81 the ropics ms Inucn
greater variety climate and culture, and Tar exceeds
tie Whole of Europe IN every element oi co''nen1
strength ,
IL his more ready than Europeto the two oceans
tho great highways Of the gobe-snd yingten degrees
nearer the eauhcr IT, geographical position m any great
t,nn or commercial struggle, viii be much rsofecon-
vericnt and commanding.
Eut in one nllInporsnt respect it very far exceeds
Furere for IL has what Europe has nOt0nc vast I'M
broken chain Of nag tle waters overspretding ts IN
terror and nearly covering its whole territorial area
binding I'll s portions in commercial and political unity,
and us concentrating to a degree the world sees no
where else, the national power OF a continent -
In the providence Of God, this great portion oil the
esrta has been committed toOur care Let U.s. therefore
look ~ little mnueiy and sec what II contains
VIC find il 10 be about three thournnd miles wide, OF
which two thOussnd spread out in one vast PLAIN "
inc nepIly midway between the two oceans. Ius PLAIN
fertrpied by the Allegheny Mountains on the East IRON
the Atlantic nd ty the Rocky Nc unains on tue W est
from the Pacific The remaining portions OF the Cont
nent which comparatively mere fragment CONSIST
Of n narrow tet lcss than two hundred miles WIDE, pc
tween the heehnnies and the Atlantic, and broader
het sbout eight hundred miles wide between the Rocky
| Mountains ind tbs PGCihc. 49,
Thii plain il drained by great river and it i' 20
nearly level with the surface of the earth, that me rVe
and all rs trintnries ore susceptible of unbroken navi
rpop The great valley which they drain II not only OF
uueGuslCd agricultural fertility, but in ITS anryaed ca
paCiy for inland commerce. tPossesestae vital element
which must make dominant as the central seat OF EN-
| The great problem therefore for u.s. the American
rcolle to work out connect this valley by sde-
ct ale netns Of commercial intercourse first with the
| Atlantic sud in due time with the Pacific -
The first step in the process has been accomplished
EmlAyiDg parts OF the system the great chain oil
abes which lie the North eastern border OF the val
lev we have constructed artificial channels which cen
meet the Mis sppi in an unbroken line OF navigation
with the Atlantic that streams Of inland trade cecre
from foreign aggression, and ne yet from local nerer
snce flowing throughout all our territory lying cast
Of the Rocky Mountains. 81,
| Tie history of this nation, which now covers little
more then w hundred years discloses two important
facts First that Providence has undoubtedly designed
build up this Western Hemisphere one great homo
geneOus power; and next that the nayigabe waters oil
the United statef and the Constitution OF the United
Slater the great insrumenteles by which that
deen is to be effected Our history iorns only part
in tst greet progress but has carried va TO point
from which clearly survey the past aud, to some
extent, discern the future.
Without attempting any minute historical deali, we
may fey generally that America civilized by sew
eral European naions, OF different tongue and race
Spain seized the south France the morrill, England the
middle which was itself subdyided into thirteen scpa
rate colonies; and Holland and Sweden each attempted
10 snatch part, but were soon displaced. For more
than hundred years France not only kept s portion,
but added to il the whole of the Mississippi valley Men
yet living who have seen the territory, now occupied
Ly this nson divided among these three European
powers IN 1863 France surrcndeTedis portion to Eng
nd end twenty wears siterward In 1873 England
ndce ed liz thirteen colouics then become States all
between the Atlantic and the Mississippi BY subsequent
negotiations, within the lss fifty years they have &C
quired the residue between the Mississippi AMI the Ia
| Cifc.
BY these successive operations the molly groups Of
Eur, CCOnists, that cimc ont two hundred years
$40 10 divide THE continent, have been fuse into
C mmon mass and the Continent OF America stands
| united btfcTe the world
T1emo.t tuiia us feature in hi. progress is the slow
rttc az which We fnt advanced. To u OF the preseE
hour, somewhat Hccu toned ~ the giant pace with
which the nation makes i,s way, the fact j. hardly cred
Il lc ht ,itsr sixty years Of struggle the Pilgrims OF
found their Western Frontier the Con
ne,tcu River while al the energies OF the New ether
lands could push the Duchmen further west than the
/ Mohawk, 10 mile from Albany
In fact, down TO the breaking out OF the American
RCyCluCn and up to its close very little was known of
America west ol the Ale 2hanies The thirteen colonies,
ihinly sprnkled along the narrow belt between the
mcuit i, nd the Atlantic looked almost exclusively
e. the fer the means of commercial intercourse.
II ey dealt mainly with he parent state very little with
en-, ether, and not all with the great inferior beyond
tie Aeglaucs. Not carriage II al Of any dc cripion
led into IL and lay AZ the peace of l7s, vii
der nefs all hut unbroken through which the Mississippi
and IL Tributaries flowing M solitude undisturbed
by civilized man.
Put The moment tie peace Of 1873 extended the
Foundry Il the States TO that river, the of the
day hcgtn 70 their a,ten 10 thi great acquisition
They lad gone through the Revolution under certain
Articles of Confederation, intended mainly for military
ruiIoseg, md which lad worked badly enough even in
that ro pet 1hrr sfHirs managed by Federal
| C,pcIcfs in which crch State nd vote. An oriin-
ancc ntr o,uccd into that body by Mr. JFFrEEs ~
IN l7sl fer the of portion o. the territory
lsy nd the untanf, hot il wholly silent the
! tuheci Il commerce " navigation
Ard row the Mhsi-ip is fret n, dinly forcshai
owing it U,uTc power \ greef element of American
nty. SINE If our stttemcn caught slinpscs only
al IT, geographical extent, and the wiepread develop
Of rs valley, hui eho q, IL vital political import
nee, & EFT seat OF empire aud perpetual bond Of
! Nyi,rGl riNn But stream p sscssiug such power
aii etiriu-. new fat IN the ki-tory OF human
7 civilization In A,ia the eagle eye OF ALEXANDER the
GICGtluGy have something little hSe il IN the Ia
/ Gus, lIt NC,t,n Europe afforded example. IT,
sctny and rrced penin Ill projecting into TIE At'snfc
irtm The Eastein Continent could hold no such balm
Tie two smsl british l.cnds dismembcred ron that
Cnlh an. iuInisLei US ansnage aud aws but no Alea