The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1852-10-23
River and Harbor Improyements...Ton.
nuge UuilrN.

mage Duties.
/ As the wing party, and particularly Mr. Nor
/ ton as one Of their orators are laburln. with u
zeal worthy Of better cause. to get abroad the
J impression that the democrltic party are opposed
to river and harbor Improvements, and tha, the
tonnage bill Of Judge Douglass i. a measure en-.
asoGistc to such Improvements. it may he well
to take a short glance at this CUES ton, and set il,
/ in it. true light
Nr. Norton as the wings generally do) quoted
as proof the opposition Of the democratic party
to river and harbor improvements. the following
resolution Of the Baltimore Democratic National
Conventions
THAT the Constitution does not confer upon til.
general government, the power to commence aud
carry on g.Iieral system Of internal improve
ments.'
ii Mr. Norton, and the vhis orator. generally
we're honest they would give the true history and
meaning Of ,h.reiolu,on, which none Of them are
50 ignorant as not to understand Every iurelli.
gen; m-n. Nj, has the ), gh;e.t sni,tering know
ledge Of politics, knows that this resolution means
simply orPositian to Via, i known by the name
ofthe American System" that giant system Of
p-tlic eKiraSagance and peculatioo. matured dur
ing he admiuOtration Of John Quincy Adams. aud
most fortunately and se,sonahiy crushed by the
Naysyile Road Veto u Gen Jackson. To give
a,rue idea Of the monstrosity Of this system, We
have compiled from the record the works actually
surveyed and proposed to be constructed by funds
from :he national treasury, by single bill matu.
red and brought before congress by the udyo
Gates Of this system The works were as follows:
Railroad from C4tskill to Ithaca, New
York 81 500 600
Canal to connect the James aud Ken.
hawa rivers 100000
Canal 10 connect the Tennessee and
Savannah rivers, South Carolina
and Trennc.see 100000
Canal to connect the waters Of Lake
Michigan with those o. the " abash
and White rver. 5000 600
Canal from the Merrimack. near Con.
cord, to the Connecticut by the Su-
nope Lake 400 600
Road from Washington To New Or.
leans, lby middle routo) District of
Columbia, Virginia &c 5,937 SOC
Road from Washington City to Buff,.
10, NY s56sls
Canal from Bus,ards Bay to Bam
stable Bay 6eoS?e
Road from Painted Post To Sackett-
Har6or IN O,wego CO, n York 6606OO
Connecting the Tennessee aud Alta.
maha by canal and railroad iA43,734
There were hundred more improvements pro-
lecied oftbe same sort so that at the time of the
Maysvllle Road Veto, the cost Of works actually
commenced, or for which the general government
had made or were making surveys, foot up the
enormous sum Of SlO1,2l3,sJO!
Most OF these works: it will be seen at glance,
are OF no more national Importance than our plank
road to Mnnsontown. The means to carry on this
mohs,rous sy stem Of expenditure it was proposed
to raise by high protective tariff Now ms ia.
rlti Is OF all others the most expensive mode of
raising arevenue, costing some 90 TO 80 per cent
IN the collection the system would have been
about this; $3.50, 100000 would have been col.
'eesed oil the people annually, Of which 800 900
o would again have been expended among
them, with all the extravaganza corruption, IA.
vorltism, and recklcssness which invariably nc.
company the expenditure of such large sums from
Tue pubic treasury The ctfcc, would have been
70 run the government into consolidation, to Grip
pie private enterprise and to Ill the country with
rnu't''udes Of useless unfinished works, while the
mighty improvements made by private capital IN
oil directions where they are actually needed
would have remained untouched.
But 1t is useless to multiply arguments again.,
asys'em the monstrOsitJ Of which i, so apparen,
II Is enough to say that il il avsin,t INA ,y.,or