New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-06-29
RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS
WHERE IL THE BILLY

NODSIcco udNO Sii"Ou " ~ PN-
idleness or fruitless party harangues one
month only remains. In that month, all
the Appropriation bills must be considered
by items, matured and passed through both
Houses so must several other bills OF In
dispensable necessity. What is the pros
pect, them for the River and Harbor Bill !
The Federal Government enjoys the ex-
elusive right of levying Duties on Imports
and is now receiving Forty to Fifty Mil
lions per annum from that source. In fact
all other sources of income have been either
abandoned or nearly destroyed byit. Duties
on Imports furnish more than nine tenths
of its entire Revenue.
But while this bountiful shower of gold
is poured into its lap by Commerce, it is
manifestly reasonable and proper that the
great natural channels of commercial inter-
course should be improved, and the Har-
bors so essential to its existence rendered
accessible by the recipient of all this trea-
sure. If not, who shall do it! The
States do you answer But rhdt State !
The Hudson is not large river; every
mile of its course is within single State,
vet not less than ten States are Direct y in
terested in its navigation and damaged by
any obstruction of its tide water The IL
linois waters but one State; yet, as the
great natural highway from Lake Michi-
gan to the Mississippi, its navigation is OF
National Importance. So of the Sacra-
mento and other rivers, which flow thronah
simple State. as well rs Of the Mississippi,
Ohio, &C., which no State could rea-
sonably be expected to improve. So with
the St. Clair Flats obstructing the COM
munication between the Upper and Lower
Lakes of the great American Chain. No
one State could fairly be asked to do what
the interest of many States demands.
The case is not so palpable with regard
to Harbors, yet it is is not less clear on
examination. Chicago, for example, is in
Illinois but Illinois is by no means the
only State interested in its harbor. Louis
lana is hardly more interested in the port
of New Orleans than are Mississippi and
Arkansas. St. Louis is not the port Of
Missouri only, but of the whole Upper Mis-
sissippi and Missouri country. To require
our State, for example, to make HarbOr
at Oowego, where the General Government
collects a very considerable sum annually
forbidding the State TO levy the first dime
on the imports there received, would be
rank Injustice. This State has, by her ca
nails, added many Millions TO the ederal
Revenue, yet received nothing therefor ;
and now to ask her to dixie the Hudson at
the Overslaugh, blow out the rocks at He'll
gate, and build the needed Harbors along
her lake shores,-all to pour their treasures
into the lap of the Federal Government
would be the grossest wrong.
But New Y ork is not interested in New
York Harbors On'y. She wants Harbors
at Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago,
&C., as we'll as here. Every dollar spent
on River and Harbor Improvements in
any part of the Great West is felt by our
State, by means of its great artery and its
Commercial Emporium, throughout It's
whole extert. The interest in River and
Harbor Improvements is essentially COM
mon or mutual interest-each item con-
tributing TO the general good. If One
Million Dollars would make the Missouri
or Platte as navigable by steamboats, as the
Ohio is, New FORK City might better pay
it than leave it unaccomplished; but there
is no shadow of reason why she should
bear the whole expense and let St. Louis,
New-Orleans, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and
Baltimore go free.
But here it is the last Of June-Con'
Cress adourns in a month, yet nothing has
been done for Rivers and Harbors in the
seven past months of the session beyond
simply maturing and reporting a bill
Shall the ensuing month see that bill
passed.
Both Houses, it must be considered, are
strongly Democratic as the cant is-and
the Democratic party is preponderantly
hostile to River and HarbOr Improvements.
All the bills providing for such Improve
ments have been passed by the votes Of
nearly all the Wings with minority OF
the Democrats in their favor, while the