New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-01-30


valries, suspicious aud ennites could con- to wiser
conclusiops sct with more prom ptness and ehcehcy'
d.rs, economy and more sense in reg-r>' TO 4!
tlsn Congress. Now submit thu, ths purely ors nal
and perpcacious view OF legislation upon the quest
of internal Improvements in which there are no less
than thirty-one or leaving on. south Carolina which
is pretty nearly independent republic we Will say
diny States interested, entities Mr. Douglas TO
patent for bis discovery The absuvdty of the propo
sal is so transparent that quote portion of the
Senator's letter to verify our statements, lest our
resjers should be utterly ineredulous OF them:
Pennsylvania Delaware and New jersey. could enter
into contract for the Improvement Of tho Delaware
River by which each would appoint Commissioner.
aid tie three Commissioners constitute Board. which
would levy the duties prescribe the mode of their
collection devise the plan Of the improvement and SUI
Ierineud the expenditure of the money The six States
bordering On the Ohio River in ike manner could each
appoint Commissioner ami The six constitute Board for
tie Improvement of the navigation OF that river from
applied the Mississippi by which the nine states Dor
dering upon that could -ch appoint Commits
sioner and the nine form BOsri for tho removal OF
snag and other Instructions in the channel from the Fails
If ST Anthony 10 the Gulf of Mexico"
The idea of putting identical through
nine legislatures or six or 1--WE. or three for every
legislature would inevitably exercise a rati!nG
veto power over the actions of its Commissioner is
ore which would suggest itself only to the toxdodging
ingenuity and infinite mental lexbiity Of pettifoging
aprant aiming 70 secure political support from diverse
elements and col ficting interests. II Mr.. Douglass
psn for referring ore great national subject to the
state Legislatures, because II is so vast and SO comp
Gated that it canIot be managed at Washington, is
sound and good for that it is sound ana good for ALL
and the sooner we dissolve the Federal Constitution
~. Il . nj haet
upon exclusive State legislation the better To Illus
trate the facility with which this kind of joint action
might he set in motion have only to refer TO Erie
at Ills moment. Here is a fair specimen Of the de-
lehtu harmony that would reign if works of improve
ment were left TO the concurrent action of different
States The topic is amply suggestive and we might
multiply words upon it almost without end and expose
its absurdty under thousand lights and by thousand
Illustrations but leave al that 70 the reflection of
our readers and pass on 10 The consideration Of the
assigned by Mr. Douglas rhy it is so difficult
TO get Congress 10 treat the subject Of Internal I'm
proyemens intelligently aud efficiently:
One reason and perhaps The prime, al cause OF he
slow progress Of all government improvements
in the fact that the appropriation for any one obe'
usually too small to b. Of mater al ssIyice. IL may be
sufficient for the commencement Of the work. but before
it can he completed far advanced withstand
the effects Of stOrms ard floods and the elements, the
AUTHORIZATION is exhausted aud large portion OF the work
swept away be(o funds be obtained to finish
to protect that which he's been done The cOnse
querces of tese small appropriations well understood
and seriously deprecated but they arise from the necessity
Of the and constitute of the evils nseparabic
the policy All exp proves that the numberess
items Of a river hRrbor or internal Improvement
bill cannot po' each by ITSELF and upon its own merits
and that The friends OF particular works VIII not allow
appropriations to be made for the completion of others
which POSED TO be of paramount importance unless
theirs embraced in the same bill Each member seems
think the work in his district to be of the stensst
necessity ard highest Importance and hence teel' con
strained To give his the preference, or t. deioat any
bill which does include it. The result is legislative
omnibus. in which all manner of objects are crow led
together unfortunately and as there never and never
be money enough in the Treasury to make adequate
appropriations for the whole ard ~ the bill cannot pass
Ules each has something Of coure the amount for each
item nust he reduced low rs to make 1t OF little or NJ
service and thus render the whole bill almost total loss
In this large portion OF our people have been
ktrt in a state of sus case an anxiety for than
half century with tn hopes always excited and their
expectations Leyer realized
We beg attention to this innocent exposition OF Mr.
Douglas. We desire that this poor mans lament over
one of the measureess obstacles 10 getting ap1ropria
tions for rive and harbor improvements out of Con
gress, shall be carefully observed. We could almost
he pa rhetic over his heartfelt embarrassments But
let us he serious We march boldly up to Mr. Doug
las and ak him rhy 1t IS that comprehensive and
statesuanlike in regard to river and harbor
improvements can be passed by Congress Why IS
that the delays, and vexstions and limited expen1i-
lures and failure of all expenditure, upon which he
so feelingly dwell occur UAyis that liberal, and
regular, and udicous appropriations for rivers and
harhors are not made Mr. Douglas says it is owing
to tie inherent difficulty of the We say no.
phatically No. to Mr.. Douglass assumption that in
trnsc obstacles, growing out ofhe nature of tae case
forbid II is not So and he and everybody else that
knows anything about the case knows it is 40.
But on the contrary IS known that the reason why
proper and sufficient appropriations fail and why they
have failed habually through the last fye-and-twenty
years is because Of the constant determined and sys.
nate opposition to all sUoh appropriations by roes in
Congress and Presidential retOes Of The members Of the
party to uhich Mr. Douglas JcLorgs.
So garIg so notorious, aud so unquestioned is this
fact that requires degree Of impudence in treating
this subject to ignore the fact and smoothly ascrbe
the result TO other causes that We shall be excused
considering who is the author, for terming it gigantic
We freely admit the giant in this ease. There has
been no opposition TO internal improvements, from any
source but the party to which Mr. Douglas belongs.
The Wtgs have always supported the system through
thick and thin North and South East and West they
have with entire unsnimty recognized the propriety
aud tenelcence ofsuch legislation. They have given
it their voices and their votes all occasions The
hudrances, and .ubteruges and distractions 10 the
passage Of appropriation bills for internal improve
ments. Lave always como from Mr. Douglass political
friends. And where they taye not dared to avow
opn opposition, they have ever manifested secret hos.