Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-01-28

May not this become very annoying to navigators?
am gentlemen, very respectfully, your friend and
obedient servant, ARCHIBALD WILLIAMS.
Hons JAS KNOX, E. B. wAsHBuRSE, JSssn o. NOR
TON, and RICHARD YATES. ,'..,.a.. ..-. r..
RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS
Letter Of Senator Douglas to the Gocernorof Illinois.
-". WASHINGTON, JANUARY ., 1854.
SIR: learn from the public press that you have un-
der consideration the proposition to convene the Legisa-
ture in special session In the event such step shall be
demanded by the public voice and necessities desire to
invite your attention to subject Of great interest to our
people, which may require legislative action. refer to
the establishment CT efficient and permanent system
for river and harbor improvements Those portions
of the Union most deeply interested in internal ma
vgation naturally feel that their interests have been
neglected if not parayzed by uncertain, vasciating
and partial policy Those who reside upon the banks of
the Mississippi or on the shores Of the great Northern
lakes and whose lives and property frequently
posed the mercy of the elements for want Of harbors Of
refuge and of safety have never been able to COM
prehend the force Of that distinction between fresh and
salt water which arms the power and duty Of Congress-
under the Constitution to provide security to navigation
the tide ebbs and flows and denies the existence
of the right beyond the tidal mark Our lawyers may
have read in English books that by the common law, all
deemed navgable far the tide extended
and further but they should also have learned from
the authority that the law was founded upon reason
and where the failed the rule ceased to exist In
England, where they have neither lake river, nor
other water which is in fact navgbe except where the
tide rolls its briny wave, it natural that the law
should conform to the fact and establish that rule
which the experience Of oil proved to be founded in
truth and But it may well be questioned whether
if the common lew originated the shores Of Lake
Mchgana vast inland sea- with average depth of six
hundred feet-it would have been deemed "not navi-
gable" merely because the tide did not flow. and the
water was fresh and well adapted the and necess
ties of man. We therefore feel authorized to repudate,
as unreasonable and unjust all injurious determinations
predcaed upon salt and tidal arguments and to
insist that if the power of Congress to protect navigation
any existence in the Constitution it reaches every
portion Of this Union where the water is fact navgbe
and only ceases where the fact fails exist This
been affirmed in form and exercised toa greater
or less extent by each successive Congress and
mnstraton since the adoption of the Federal Constitu-
ton All of Congress providing for the erection of
lighthouses the planting of buoys, the construction Of
pers the removal of snags the dredging of channels the
inspection of steamboat boilers the carrying Of life boats
in short all enacments for the security of navigation and
the safety ofe and property within navgable waters,
the existence of this power and the proprey Of its
exercise in some form. ...e.
The great and growing interest of navigation is too i'm
portant be overlooked disregarded Mere negative
action will not answer The irregular and vascillatng
policy which has marked legislation upon this SUBJ
ect is runous Whenever appropriations have been pro-
posed for river and harbor improvements and especially
on the Northern lakes and the Western rivers there
usually been death struggle and doubtful issue. We
have generally succeeded with appropriation in
four or years in other words have, upon
age been about four times Of five in House
OK Congress the other both by the Presidential
veo When did succeed large portion of the appro
pration expended in providing dredging machines
snag boats and other machinery and mpe
ments and by the time the work fairly begun the a
preparation exhausted and further operations sus
pended. Failing to procure an additional appropriations
at the session. and perhaps for three four
successive sessions the Administration has construed the
refusal Of Congress provide the funds for the
ton Of the works into abandonment Of the system and
has accordingly deemed it duty to sell, at public
ton the dredging machines and snag boats implements
and materials hand for whatever they would bring
Soon the country was again startled by the fghtfu
Of wrecks and explosions fires and snags upon
the rivers the lakes and the sea-coast The RESPONSE
bity Of these appalling sacrifices of life and property
charged upon those who defeated the
for the prosecution of the works sympathy excited
and concerted plan of agitation and organization formed
by the interested sections and parties to bring their
bned influence to bear upon Congress in Of the
establishment Of the system enlarged scale suf
centy comprehensive to embrace the local and
influences in majority of the Congressional districts of
the Union legislative omnibus was formed, in which
all sorts Of works crowded together good and bad
wise and foolish national and local. all crammed into
BILL aud forced through Congress by the power Of
organized majority after the fearful and exhaussng srug
gle of night session. The bill would receive the votes
Of majority in each House, not because any Sena-
tor or Representative approved all the items contained
it, but for the that humanity well the
demands of injured and suffering constituency,
qured that they should make every needful sacrifice Of
money to diminish the terrible loss Of human life by the
pers Of navigation The result simple re-enact-
ment of the former Machinery, implements and
materials purchased the works the money
exhausted, subsequent appropriations withheld and the
operations suspended, without completing the improve
ments or contributing materially to the safety of nsvga
ton Indeed, il may be well questioned whether, as
general rule the has been wisely and economically
applied and in many whether the expenditure has
been productive of any useful results beyond the
distribution Of so much money among contractors labor
ers and superntendents in the favored localities and in
others whether II has not been Of positive detrment to
| the navigating interest