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


by lighthouses and other facilities requis,S
Gsr is safety and convenienceand supe7added 20 tai
policy have seem the purchaae VI the port Il New
0rsIns snd the territory Of Louisiana.
Nor did Mr.. JEFFERSON withhold similar fscihties On
The land. for in 1906 lie commenced the Cumberland
Read to stretch from the Potomac thros gh the teorv
Of six OF the States 20 the Mississippi work which We
Esy add continued under every succeeding admin
itrsfic until 1889 WIZ after expenditure Of nearly
six millions to is end under the GOyernme.f Il
rr Van EUHrS
in .ddon 10 these fsci ties within the jur,sdcronaj
units of tic United States NJ JEFFERSON commenced
The survey of the Coast which " even yet IN prosrsss:
snd that too the express purpose s- avowed By the
set Of lsG7, {. making discoveries winch might BE
speeisly suhs. ryiet 10 the oosmsraa niTests al the
Jned Ststcs That act requires the survey 70 inciade
uct only "sl the Islands ard shoals wuhin twenty
Leagues OF the shoTes OF the uated states but seo The
soundngs sLd currents out 10 the 0ui StreAni-the,
great OcefI kNer, distant more 'nai h'e n"eu "nes
rem the Coast
lie, no one therefore do Mr. JEFFERSON me injustice 10
heieys that he Tor moment hesfai'd 70 exercise
the power regulate commerce, by snorIlis al need
fu physical fSCiies ltseems however tha, discovery
has been made By Of his pretended toowers-who
claim rar e-ce,see be his most faithful dseipes-
that III after life be expressed opinions al variance with
these pubic ocul acts. To prove THE, they produce
iron Lis writings purpoing 70 contain certain
phnse%, which they now proclaim aloud a. the funda
mental dogma Of Jefiersonisn Democracy. They are -
follows
.sr !, NJ, he hfc,ty srd rrorery, ard tA,re nss
Now whether Mr. JfFtkksoN ever tret tnrre WOr1e
M their unrciTicted senfc, or whether nc explained
modifsd Ill m ly ether expressions, we know not but
n Re did fo use them, only claim 70 gather hs
eriniofs from lis acts end net his language
Tho tine would lot suffice TO point Out nthe Of the
,,,,lies suSh doctrine would inict upon all the
valuable instiluicrs Of human socty-s public schools
its puhic eha-tc great institutions Of learning
lis public work. OF every description In Tact everything
dear 10 oi,izGttn End humanity
We have however, seen but too plainly here m the
NORTH tie ccct Of this doctrine in the hands Of Office
seeking de msgo2ves who parade as The teT OF parry
faith In New-iiHinpshne IN particular, srreseed OF
eresty retarded for seyera years the progress Of all
prh,c Observation-Disclosures even the incorporation
of conpslies with adequate powers. In our own New.
Yo,k rCh,icnl leaders found In II the key TO political
power which enabled them with ruthless hand not only
10 arrest tie enlarge ment Of our great ARTIFICIAL channel
Of commerc.,he piide ind glory OF the state-but TO
bi,d down tho people by Constitution winch letun
altered Will pos tpone the work for whole generation
Nav nore-, has enabled those leaders, aided by KIN
ire spitl n the States around the lakes To propagate
snilur constitutions through all that REGION virtually
disabling their STATE authorities from expcnding dollar
on publc works And then, after doing all tins and afef
deriving The power of the Nation 10 build harbor for the
protection Of commerce, they call, IN cruel mocEery,
upon Tie very States they have thus manaced, 70 con
struct the works. ~
itted ty the Government 10 take exclusive possession
OF the oule Of Lake Superior, and improve the saah
ST. Gsre, hut weighed down by these CHAINS nnao'en
Emf if such a dogma has been mischeyous In the
seusrate Sstes how much more disastrous would DC ~
efects If applied TO the Unioni II, indeed u DC true
that Government, after protecting every man IN ns ne
liberty and property must there stop, why snowd we
REGULATE commerce az Gl-still less by physical means
But lesyDg THU the broadcast of all pohtc" aostracuon
we come down 10 class, which merely denies 10 the
National Government eli practical power over the reeu
latCn of commerce.
And here we encounter one general abstraction
which 10 cover all of this particular Glars It's
that the Government OF the United steteo not Unon
x..f,. In "A a. ~ A
Nation but merely League of States absolutely cove
reign thai the Nation acs only on grander scale, a.
common attorney for those sovereign States-each OF
which msy judge Of the extent of the powers granted
that the powers thus temporarily delegated to this Con
fedeacy" strictly limited and must be strictly con
strred; that the tribunals expressly provided by the
Constitution have authority to decide upon the Extent
Of such limitation, but that the President especially
elected by politicians holding these doctrines, has full
power to narrow the exercke of the powers of Con
grets, to suit his own peculiar tenents
And such lus been the actual result The American
people BY some magic hav <bcen induced to elect
ceefon OF Presidents welded to this particular poiti
eel ah aud our great nsyigabe waters have severely
felt the resute
seud tie nature Of this particular class of abstracons
We shall lind them somewhat difficult to define or com
prehend they have every possible variety OF form,
color nnd extent We may however succeed in stating
OF them and especially those which have donemost
harm TO the country. They seem 10 be these;
1. That the power to regulate commerce Is merely
tie GbtTSct power regulate thS duties 10 be- imposed
upon t-and to prohibit the States from imposing such
duiiee
That If the power exists oil 10 afford any physi
cal frclitiee, il il limited to heh.tide water mark.
8 That rivers cannot be improved above the "ports
OF entry" established by Congress.
4. 1hrtG river cannot be improved, if lying wholly
within q State
s. That ii is not enough for river to separate two
stltes Tut join pass through three least
That harbors constructed by the Government, must
b. bRrbOTr for shelter and not for commerce.
z. That If II b. lawful at all to deepen navigabe
waters, II u Lot lawful to place IN them piers any
similar fti ucures that would encroach the terrific
rial juIi fiction OF State and trespass lie "sover
eigniy.'
T. Ihftit Is not lawful TO remove obetructions in our
IGyieA able waters but that u lawful 10 erect bescoas
tlosc ObsiIuotions.
The last this b,illiant let came into the political
world d,ing the administration OF President POLK Con
gress hsd ordered beacon to be placed rock, In
tie baTbor OF NewIayen. The engineer reported that
the cot oil renewing the rock would be less than the
cost Of erecting tie beacon. But the President
INN. a great party doctrine was involved, and the
rock reneine 10 uphold the beacon-s naked pole with
empty berrel at t head-a suitable type OF the whole
slass Of oonftnutonal distractions.
II If important also TO understand the historical pro
gress al these abtTsetionf In embedding the auhornyd
the nation They did not make their appearance any
extreme exeri, until the cloec OF the sdmnkus
ton of General JACKSON. On the contrary, during the
eight years In which that eminent controlled the
hrers OF the Government, IT. nationality not mate
rally impaired.
The sums expended during that time upon rivers and
snd haTbcrf, including the Cumberland road and some
cther TosGs Of minor extent, were between ten and
eleven millC ns Of dOlaTs
During his time, however, an opinion beqsn to gain
ground, thHt though might be constitutional IL not
expecient for the National Government construct
turnpike roads within the limits Of the stoes but that
works OF that description, might better be- left TO the
state 10 individuals incorporated by their authority
Gen. JACKSON therefore vetoed a bin for building
turnpike from Nsysvlle into the interior o. Kentucky
He went step tuIthes, and vetoed bill for the i'm
IroyomcIt OF the Wabash River which being shove
any port of eitry7 it wss in his judgment a local
work
Mr. VAN FUITN, who succeeded him in 1897, followed
Liz footsteps iar only to encourage The theories OF
tie abstraction isis and the yagsres ia which they in
dulgod 10 the legitimate power 0. the Government
rcon gained stronger footheld
Tie improvements of rivers and harbors which had
leen conmencod by Gen JACKSON, Hr VAN buren,
.no,ued 10 lannilieh