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


ter one for the purpose than th Of srtihcially ob
ting them by hosts Of collectors of tunnage duties i'm
DC ed hy local legislation, could not be framed"
But in additiCn 10 all this the measure would be 1T
terry pnco Institutional in violating the fundamental pro
vion Cf the great Ordinance Of lIr7 the sbl u
which arsrmed by the Constitution and which de-
osred the Hssssippi, the ST. Lawrence and al their
uibu;sries 10 be common hi hwsys and FosgyEa
FREE, pfthopt any faI oztos,, duty therefor Nor
would II stop here. IL would direct
fict with the fundamental conditions contained in the
FIVE severs scts admitting into the Union the Ststr d
Louifians Arkansas, Missouri. Iowa and Wisconsin
each o. which into the Union under the express
condition that the Mississippi and its tributaries should
be levied BY said States
1t true that the proposed amendment of NJ Dovo-
LAS was not sdopted. The Presidential election was
too near st handbuf he has given notice that he VII
IT AZ the next session Of Congres II any tninh
imposble that fuoh q measure can be adopted lee
him remember that although lis mkchie.s nld absurdi
lies pointed out in the strongest manner by Dir.
THrnAN SMITH one Of the Wing Senators from Con
neccutwhose manly and vigorous speech on that oc-
ossion deserves the thanks Of every man engaged IN IN
land coInerce-it nevertheless received the votes OF
seventeen Senators, among whom stands conspicuos
Mr. WILLIAM r. krcC Of Alabama, now nominated oy
Our Cpponents for VicePresident Of the United States
End resented 10 the people on the same mcHe, Wsa
General PIERCE Can any one doubt me poitlca cnar-
acter of their administration should they be elccteds
or the rssus which will follow to navigsble waters
have thu, endeavored to bring down the history OF
this question 10 the present point In order TO ascertain
what 10 tie present attitude of the two con;endns par
tee Our opponents, with characteristic sdro,tness
hsve lehored blind the eyes Of the country % the true
issue The reaolron adopted by the Whg' the Pres
idtnnl ConvC Etion, which nominated SCOTT and Ora
HAM il epen and explicit IL ia this:
lo5oys ord truors coeles JJoa nor.sEk sal
pedeni st Coaess shall e1eg,i us power uheaevf aeh
proieon and fa,ire. Of corn:c- among
uch improvements beng every -'sS nafo""t and
Now, how do cur opponents meet this ret ,lution'
do not ask how they it 10y sctsfor those see
lt1f hoy do ffpv rrepf words
pa sed by the Presidential Convention which nominated
PIEHCE and KING i in these words:
and Earn "a oenerai syr,est II iarai i,spore sasi@
Tie crafty and evasive character Of the resolution Is
obvious It, true obi act il to caioe the North w,ile
fatishes the South On the one hand, II induces the
North TO believe that the party do not object 10 WORKS
sricy national but only 10 roads, canals ana other
similar works strictly local and 20 General System q
Internal improvement" emily because u includes such
local workf-whic, the other hand IL sa'istes the
south that the phrase internal improvements includes
ell works Of improvement whether local or national
But the practical effect on river and harbor improve
ments is precisely the as il The power - make
these works openly and distinctly denied by OPP
pcncnts This ,klfuy wordcd resolution was first ie-
PRODUCED in the Presidential Convention OF 1870 which
Nominated Mr. VAN BURES and his followers have care
fully stereotyed and repeated IT, At every Presidential
Convention from that time TO the present Under It's
equivOcn phrascOogy, Mr. Polk found himself suiiclent
IL justified in b ve.oes and should General PIERCE be
elected he will undoubtedly find it equaly accommo-
dating
the doctrine that Congress has power 10 carry on
general system of internal Improvement Wnai they
do contend for is precisely this That Congress has
power TO open aud repair hdT61TS dad Fc0ce oosdces
from V0riRable rt0rs.
In respect systen We claim, that Congress may,
or may not pursue systematic policy respect to MYERS
and harbors as they may in respect TO any oher suecs
Of legislation Surely works which are national AMI
constitutional in Themselves do not cease 10 go merely
because they may be constructed in Systematic man
ner or on svstemetic nlan, Tho Chre-o memorial
meets this whole matter in these few sentences
sad tha the Constitution dOe not confer on Con-
power regulate By commencing and afhs
general of internal proyen'n AL the obecn was
not 10 Particular work but 10 seI-.Ia y.,en-
i.othy :" peIesv -, % n ~ bc eonreS eyses-y
which demands IT, Is not the rover OF t5ns.eSs 70 n"aiie con
vdsmen possesses the requisites TO bring within the
sn G % .s NAV :. susnn,ed by +. cona
With other kindred Thus the commercial csgo which
s,y the Clair tie harbor Blasio and
oyer.sush Of the Hudson The vot, needed 10 remove
those three separate dnen;s each highly e Will
still useu when all competed. and ~lcn constructed
Niu naturally and ne'e,sa!S so.P ~ b
particular WORK bouid not be con,rued On ihe cOn'-y DE-.
greatly strengthen the Involvement for building them all Hnf that
harmonious Plan go that each pofon MAJ add 10 the value
II Is now more than twenty years since any one
thought Of n general system of terHdt improvement 10
he prosecuted by the National Government Onthe con
treTy the separate States corporations acting untr
their authority have executed all works OF internal I'M
proveneut purely local The States oversprcad with
network Of railroads more than ten thousand mlc' IN
ions not mention the local canals, winch have cost
nearly one hundred millions more All the states ask
H. that the National Government may take care OF the
National gaters-ihat while the States are doing so
much FIR the Union tle Union may do little for h'eL
The total expenditure up 10 the present moment ex'
tending over period Of forty years Is only seventeen
millions of dolars; and vet attempts are made 10 alarm
the country with the idea that ruinous suns VIII be
required The amount expended on the hissssliT me
Ohio and the Missouri is less than three uiIhois Iae
Cumberland road cot about six nilons,-leaving only
vif u,i he sum pNDeuded
ment since its organization upon other internal improve
nents of every description. OF tins eight millions,
sl7000OO were expended upon harbors ana brcshWa'
tiers on the Atlantic and the Lakes and 81 3OOO() In I'M
proving navgablc rivers such as the HUDSON me Cape
Fear and the Savannah VIII any pretend that the
American Union cannot afford 10 eNpeh sums hhe
thee upon objects like these' -.
Why gentlemen private company mere handful
OF individuals, In city, have expended twenty-five
millions in building the Erie Railroad, and our State
another twenty-five in building and in part eaargng the
Erie Canal-while in Illinois, State hardly thirty
years obi, another company is cxpenting twenty NH
lions in a railroad to connect Lake Michigan with me
momh OF the Ohio II is possible that i'll looking over
the Union We NAV and two isolated cases OF canalS-to
Wit the Falls of the Ohio and the other at the
SAUL ~ Marie IN which the general interest anu he
common security may require the nation TO execute AMI
control the work. But With these two exceptions
know q no canal road, or local Work, oil any
description east Of the Mississippi which any wing
supposcs should be constructed By the General Govern
nlent What, them do our opponents mean by 'he
phrtse general system of Internal improvements
except 10 deceive the people,
Stripped Of all party di guise, the naked quc1aons be-
fore tie country are these and only these:
Shall TnE NATION improve TIE NATIONAL NVlGAsLs
WATERS. CT leave them uninlproved'
win THE UNION preserve unimpared me UNITY AND
Fn,r DON Of it, nayigabe waters secured by the Con
stituion or will il surrender back those waters to the
separate states to subjected local authority AMI To-
cal npositionsi
Ills indeed matter Of serious concern that questions
like these 20 vitality interviewer with our highest nation
al interests affecting so deeply; not only our present
prospeTty bat tue welfare OF the bOundess Future wAch
Providence has spread before hou depend upon the
varying nsues ~ part yeonhict But nahsppiY
j. tie fact: and we cannot wisely safely, close our
eyes upon the momeutous responsibilities which II iu
posc>. -.