Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1854-02-08

GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN;
WEDNESDAY, EVENING. FEB. 8. 1854.
River nnd Harbor Improyements.

present session OF Congress, Tor the Improve
ment of rivers and harbors, made, short time
since, the subject of brief editorial in this pa
per. After stating the probability that bill,
embodying appropriations of proper character,
would pass by large majority, we expressed a
belief that President PIERCE would not refuse
his sanction thereto. AS ground for such be-
lief we said
president PIERCE is in favor of internal i'm
provements, and until some better plan is devised
we see no valid grounds for the inference that he
will by an interpostion of the veto power stop
the progress, or prevent further undertaking un-
der the present system of such works as are truly
national in their character"
We made the statement, "President PIERCE
is in favor of internal improvements" in contra
dction of what seems to us an unreasonable
conclusion, though INDUCED in by many, that
the President is actually possessed with an in
fatuated spirit of hostility towards every kind
of action that would tend to promote works of
the kind to which we referred.
The Grand Rirer Eagle, after abiding to our
statement, throws out certain unnecessary
"imputation" as to our want of consistency,
honesty, &C, ana tnen says
IF the editor of the Times can give us even the
faintest evidence from the words acts of Prcsi-
dent PIERCE, that he is in favor of River and Har-
Dor Improvements by the General Government
we pledge Ourself to retract the above imputaton
as publicly as we have made it, and acknowledge
that it fits our case instead of his"
Now, as we did not use the statement upon
which we are challenged to give evidence, and
as we do not care whether the editor Of the
Grand River Eagle retracts his imputation"
or not, we shall not confne ourselves partcu-
larly to his proposition, but shall continue to
insist on just what we stated, that president
PIERCE is in favor of internal improvements"
We are well aware that President PIERCE
does MOI recommend appropriations of money
directly from the national treasury for works
of local character, but we do not, for that rea-
son, put him down as an enemy to internal i'm
provements, or conclude that he will, in the alb
sence of all other provision, veto a bill making
appropriations for such works as are of truly
national character.
The President, in his message, speaks of the
subject of internal improvements as claiming
alike the interest and good will of ALL" and af-
ter having contemplated the policy pursued in
times past, as being unproductive of satisfacto-
ry results, he says
with an anxious desire for the completion of
the works which are regarded by all good citizens
with sincere interest," | have deemed it my duty to
ask at your hands a deliberate reconsideration of
the question, with hope that, animated by de-
sire to promote the permanent and substantial in
terests of the country, your wisdom may prove
equal to the task of devsing and maturing plan
which, applied to this subject, may promise some
thing better than constant strife the suspension of
the powers of local enterprise, the exciting vain
hopes, and the disappointment of cherished ex-
pectations."
If the President is not in favor of internal
improvements, we can not divine why he should
be so anxious to have plan matured that will
promise greater efficiency than we have as yet
witnessed, and, especially, why he should ex-
press his ideas with such decided and unequivo-
cal language as is that which he has used.
AS it strikes us, the statement we made is
one upon which most men would not, after
moments reflection, call for proof. We would
not hit far from the truth if we should as
sert of every man in the land, that he is in ia
vor of internal improvements. Yet it is known
that diversity of opinion prevails on the SUBJ
ject, especially at the present time, when plan
is being agitated which would give a control of
the public works more directly to portions of the
country interested in the accomplishment of
each particular improvement.
Lest silence, on our part, might be construed
by some into an abandonment Of our first po-
siton, we have again alluded to this subject,
and not because we consider it necessary for
any person to defend against attacks similar to
that made by the Eagle, nor because we are in.
clined to engage in controversies other than
such MS can be conducted on the part of all con-
cerned in candid and respectable manner AS
President PIERCE did not in his late message, ac-
cording to our understanding of language, CON-
nit himself against appropriations for works of
a national character, and as he regards the
whole subject of internal improvements with
" interest and good WILL" we think we had some
ground for believing that he would not exercise
the veto power in such case as that of which
we spoke.
sSy" The foreign news, some items Of which
are to be found under the telegraphic head,
possesses much interest. Confidence was, to
some extent, entertained in speedy restoration
of peace, but with how much reason we are un-
able to Judge The price of breadstuffs had