The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1852-09-02

f1j Inc speech OF lion. Is. L. Eastman u
Congress, in favor of an appropriation for the i'm
gprovement of Ilarbors and Rivers, we have rea,
with great interest. We regret that the cop
frtm which we now cut shor, extract, has bee
mutated, so that we can give no more
But, | repeat, ! have carefully examined tn
whole progress Of the alta ks made upon Mr.
Pierce in relation to this subject, and find moth
ing which has at all shaken my confidence in hi,
las a man who will, when the time comes, do AN
IPle justice to the interests of the West
| l will take occasion here TO saw that, although
am strongly in favor If appropriations for tn
Improvement of our harbors upon the lakes, an.
['he removal of distractions to the navigation o
he Mississippi and Missouri rivers, thu, yet
would not vote for bill which embraced lars,
appropriations for objects not national in lhei
character, but which were Local or put in merel,
Ito be carried 10y those which are national.
Ia examining the matter touching The interest
|of the West in this particular, am strongly i'm
pressed with the great inequality with which ap
preparations have been made TO protect orr com
merce. While millions have been voted will
Freedom unknown to almost any other countr,
|tor the building up Of the cities of the East in IN,
way oil erecting mlnts, custom houses, ware
houses, dry docks, floating docks, buoys bea
ICONS, breakwaters and light houses, il has beer
with The utmost difficulty that few thousand dol
lars have been doled out for the benefit of tn,
West, which, in few more years, will scorn t,
beg and take such an appropriation as IA favor, bu
Twill, IN lis strength, demand i, us her right in
Language which will command Il ready and ia vor
able response, such sums will place her on ar
equality with the more favored portions Of tn,
mon. 1t is truth. as remarkable as it is un
fh..t h,s
with has been obtained. not with the fostering
|care OF the Government, not by encouragement
Extended To IT IN her utmost need and not because
it has been treated favorte child, bu, IN spit.
|of the system that has been pursued tow ards i
10y what may well h. termed It's moher-in-law
a few instances of oppression on The part Of the
|Government toward. these infant settlements il
The Wes', which have Unopened in my own State
wall show some Of the grounds of complaint which
II have adveted TO.
Soon after the discovery Of the lead mines ia
illinois. Iowa and Wisconsin, had become gen.
|era'iy known, hundreds of persons hocked into
that country 10 avail! themselves Of the beneti, Of
that discovery. Sound policy would have dcta.
tied that every encouragement should have beer
|held out 10 his hardy and adventurous class oI
persons, and that the most favorable terms should
have been offered them in their uncertain and
|iihLtiN'uS Hal NfItlit CuunlIs was
then wilderness. almost totally unknown Ia III.
white man, undescrlbed upon The maps. even in
ANY other mahner than by The almost fibulou.
name of g Northwest Territory" Into tins vii.
derness. where hostile tribes of Indians held ihei,
bloody sway, these pioneers in civilization with
out anv OF the conveniences for travelling known
Fat The present day, bun in their canoes and upon
Their pack-horses, they penetrated this unInom n
country to open II up To future commerce a nd
render it habl,able for those who should come af.
ter them. Did the Government encourage them
i'm their enterprise: Did i, good policy or even
strict and even-handed justice dictated, offer /;
bounty upon what they should produce, And
did it project them in their homes, and in the,,
property' Far from it. | have been at some
trouble to collect statistics upon this subject which
il would afford me grea, pleasure to read in de-.
tail, but have not time within the limits of m,
hour, and must content myself with the following
extract: