Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-01-28

gress providing for the erection Of lighthouses the plant
ing of buoys the construction Of PIERS the removal o
snags the dredging of channels the inspection Of steam
boat boilers the carrying of feboats in short all en-
actmens for the security Of navigation and the safety Of
Life and property within navgabe waters assert the
existence of this power and the proprey Of its exercise
in form" And upon its Importance he says: "The
great and growing interest Of navigation is too important
to be overlooked dsregarded Mere negative action
will not The irregular and vascillating policy
which has marked legislation this subject is ruin
ous. most cordially in the truth Of every word
OF this but regret most sincerely that his talents and great
influence should be exerted in direction to parayze the
efforts Of the friends Of river and harbor improvements
and to continue the irregular and vascatve policy which
he SO justly deprecates Congress has the power and it
is their duty make this Improvement and not attempt
to throw it back the States where, soy the least
it cannot be SO conveniently exercised.
But the President well learned Senator says
the legislation Of Congress the subject has heretofore
been irregular and vasciating Our Senator says, in
tha. Congress has Ro.
ceeded in getting small appropriation once in four or
Eve years that the amount 50 small that most OF 1T
was used in purchasing machinery to commence the
works. and that failing get one two,
three and some times four years, the machinery sold
auction and that general rule the money was not
wisely and economically applied that the money was
expended under the direction Of professional men, whose
knowledge and science in the line of their profession
only equalled by their profound ignorance OF all
those local and practical questions which ought to deter
mine the site and plan Of the Improvement whereas in
his opinion it should be under the supervision OF nte
gent and experienced steamboat captains pilots With
all Difference submit that this does not constitute any
solid objection to the old system. 1t amounts only to
this that Congress and the President have not heretofore
done their duty and what have we that the
State authorities under the proposed pan will do any
better! So far there is any force in the objection it
applies alike to both systems. No system administered
by men who will not do their duty can be expected to
work we'll But then the is not in the system, but
the agents who administer and the proper correction
would seem be to reform the unathful agents. and
abandon the system Let the system which is good
be preserved and perfected and the ruinous practice
under it which is bad be reformed.
But it is said that the bills which Congress hos passed
on this subject legislative omnbuses, in which all
sorts Of werks were crowded together good and bad
wise and foolish national and local. A bill OF this kind
in my opinion, should be omnibus embracing all the
works throughout the length and breadth Of our widely
extended country which require the fostering of the
Government charged with the protection, preservation
and mprov emsnt Of the navigating interests Of the
and will continue to be embraced is incident to human
nature To err is human.' This is abundantly prov
ed by the history Of legislation all subjects and if 1t
any thing to the point it proves that all attempts
upon any subject should be abandoned With
out attempting deny that in some instances money has
been unwsey appropriated to river and harbor improve
ments affirm that appropriations thereto are not as
numerous or fragrant in character as those which
the appropriations Of money By Congress for other
purposes The great in the legislation Of Congress
on this subject is not that too much money has been
for improvements which ought not to be made
but that too little has been appropriated for improve
ments that ought to be made.
But it is the omnibus principle that is condemned.
This is not the only kind of legislation to which that
principle is applied. It. is applied less by all
Legislative bodies to all kind of legislation 1t applies
to every general appropriation bill passed by Con-
gress and in 1850 there Congressional omnibus OF
another kind which has become the test Of political
thodoxy with both of the great parties, and at whose
shrine the factions which opposed it at the time of its
passage offer up daily their alterations. So trust
it may long be in relation to internal improvement
omnbuses large enough to embrace the great navigating
interest of the country and protect the lives and
perty of our people every where.
But allow the omnibus principle to be unmitgated
evil The objection applies to the proposed system as
well as the present II Is as prevalent IN stare as In
Congressional legislation. In State it was ap
piled to internal Improvement system, which result
ed as we know in debt of eleven millions Of dollars,
and but ftyfve miles of railroad worth in cash about
$4,000! 1t is to be hoped Congress has not made
many worse omnibuses than this. .'
But it is said that the proposed system would with
draw river and harbor improvements from the peris of
the political arena" 1t does not belong to the of
partisan politics. and there is occasion excuse for
subectng it to those pers in Congress- but if members
of Congress- forgetfu and in violation of their duty will
it with party politics, do not the same parties
exist in the States And will they not exist in the
conederacies be formed under the proposed system
and will there be perls of the political there
1t is said that the costs of either system would be
tax on commerce. This is substantially true, but under
the present system it costs nothing next to nothing to
collect that tax 1t is collected by the revenue Of
cers Of the United States who must continued whe
ther the new system is or is not adopted Under the
proposed plan collectors must be appointed at every
port and suppose the States or confederacies would
find it to have treasurers to receive and keep
the money and auditors to audit accounts. Without
attempting guess at the cost Of collecting and keep
ing the money under the proposed pan it is evident that
it must amount to very considerable sum, it would
be collected in small items have understood that in
some the small collection districts Of the United States
the cost of collecting the about equal to the
whole receipts. .s.
Our distinguished Senator says Z" that system which
will the construction of the improvements upon