Demoine courier., 1854-08-24
The veto Of the River and liar
bOr Rill.

III a ueoate IN the House on tie veto oil
the River and Harbor Bill, on the 9Th
inst, Mr.. Richardson of Illinois a Ne.
braska Locofoco, made the following
remarks.
~ am only DESTROYS Of say ing, in
relation to this matter ,ha, | differ with
the President of the United States in the
vie VS. which he expresses on this ques.
lion. And a, the appropriate time
want to place before this House and the
country why | differ with him. II is
due to myself-ii is due to him-and i,
is due 10 us all-that | should state now
that there can be no reason why, il
Congress make appropriations tor i'm
provements on the shore of the Atlantic
and Pacific. il should not also make ap.
preparations for Improvements in the i'm
terror. If you must have appropriations
at all. let US share alike, all seclions; if
you are ready to qui. ali, | am with you
The policy that he pursues of ve,olng
appropriations for interior Improvements,
Is wrong. if j. is RICH. TO provide for
those Improvements any where. II we
are to have appropriations for Improve
ments upon the Atlantic and the Pacific,
there is no reason why we should no.
have them in the interior. The govern.
menl becomes onerous 70 Us, and unjust
to us. II is wrong; l differ with him
upon that point"
During the same discussion. 10 reply
TO Mr.. Barksdale, of Mississippi, he fur.
,her remarked as follows:
81 have but a single remark to make
10 reply to tie gentleman of Mis-, (Mr.
Barksdale lie congra,ulates me tina,
| find myself in company with strange
bed. fellows. have laid down the posi-
ton upon which | stand. and | stand
there, J care not who stands with me, OF
who agains, me. form my own opin.
ion upon every subject, and | act upon
that without regard to the opinion OF
any body else. repeat. here, to the
House, that ! do rot care what the Presi
dent MY think upon this, or thai. or any
othe. subject. The policy of the govern
ment which allows appropriations to the
sea board, and claims them to be consti
t%utional, and yet denies il TO the interior,
is wrong and unjust, and | condemn it
| do not care who goes with me. AS
for the positions which | take, | assume
them for myself. | assume i. here and
elsewhere. and every where. have
voted on these principles. Nor are they
the opinions Of day. When Congress
determines to strike down appropriations
for everything in the shape of public
improvements, and to leave them entire.
ly to the several States. when i, discon
,inues lis appropriations fol New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans,
and every other place, for lighthouses,
and buoys, and custom houses and coas
surveys, | will then stand by the gentle
men, who support this veto. and will go
with them. But when gentlemen come
and say, we are for these things, but we
are against those things which are for
the benef, of internal commerce, | de
nounce that policy as %unjus, and wrong.
When you claim ,he right constitulionally
10 make appropriations for the seaboard,
and deny the same to the interior, | do
not care who stands with me or who
stands against Inc. but | oppose that
policy. | walk the track in opposition
TO il, and | care not whether have TO
trudge it alone. The position | assume
is just, it is RICH, and | will stand by it,
| do not care who is agains, i. or who is
for it.
Mr.. B~arksdale. Will the gentleman
from Illinois yield me the floor for a
question?
Mr.. Richardson. Certainly.
Mr.. Barksdale. | desire to ask the
gentleman from ~l!linois what works he
regards as national, wha, as local. and
wha. works he approves! Nothing more
than that.
Nj. Richardson. will answer the
gentleman. My opinion about this thing
is that | follow a safe precedent. think
that General Jackson was about as good
a man to strike hands y in on .tis sub
jec, as could be found in the country.
Mr.. Florence. He is very good
authority with our people.
Mr.. Richardson. As he is pretty
good authority with mine. When | 90
home and tell my constituents that
stand where General Jackson stood. i, il
no disgrace to me to say that the gentle
man from Ohio (Mr. CampbelD follows
in The wake Of the lights laid down by
him, and tina, he says i, is righ, 70 follow
him.
Now, | have one thing further to say.
have said that if appropriations wal 10
be made at all. | was in favor of appro.
7ria,ions for the Improvements Of the
western waters. And | may ashland
ask triumphan,ly-if the great Missis
sirpi river is no, a national stream-run
mining through and touching. as it does,
some ten States Of the Union! VIVA
ia the Atlantic more2