The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-06-04

3 O0 the 1911 uaE. piessueAl iSiSe 7~"' - ],
senate the following message, vetoins the Oh
for the Improvement of the mouth OF the ais
sissippi river:
! WasHlss1os, Nav 10, 1870 the sen
! ate of the United States: l return herewith 7
the senate. in which it originated, the bill emit
| tied IAN act to remove distractions to naEiga
! ton in the mouth of the Mississippi river, a
the Southwest 2 ass and PASCAL Outre. who
/ proposes 10 appropriate a sum OF money, to D
expended under the superlntendence ofthe sec
rotary ofHar for the opening and keepin!
I open ship channels of sufficient capacity to &C
eommodate the wants of commerce through tn
| Southwest Pass and Pass-a-f Outre, leadin(
from the Mississippi river to the gulf of Mexico.
| In communication addressed by me to tn
two houses ofeongress on the 30th of December
1854, my views were exhibited in full on thu
subject of the relation of the general govern
ment to internal Improvements. L set forth Oh
that occasion the constitutional lmpedlment
which, in my mind, are insuperable to the pro
secution of a system of internal improvements
by means of appropriations from the treasury
of the United States; more especially the con
sideration that the constitution does not confer
on the general government any express power
to make such appropriations; that they are no
a necessary and proper incident of any of the
express powers; and that the assumption Of
authority On the part of the federal government
to commence and carry on general system oil
internal improvements, while exceptionable fol-
the want OF constitutional power, in other res
poets preludcial to the several interests and in
consistent with the true relation to one another
of the Union and the individual States
These objections apply to the whole system
of internal improvements, whether such i'm
provements consist of works on land or in nav
igable waters, either on the seacoast or of the
interior lakes Or rivers.
| have not been able, after the most careful
to regard the bill before me in any
other light than as part of general system of
internal Improvements, and therefore feel con-
strained to submit it with these objections to
the reconsideration of congress.
FRANKLIN PIERCE.
On motion of the hon. J. P. Benjamin, the
senate resumed the consideration of the bill
making an appropriation for the removal ofob-
structions to navigation at the mouth of the Mis-
'issippi river, at the South west pass and the
Outre, with the objections of the pres
dent thereto. Mr.. Benjamin briefly addressed
he senate, exposing the extraordinary incon-
stency OF Mr.. Pierce in regard to this subject,
md showing that the president on former oc-
;asion in vetoing a general river and harbor
dill, stated that he would approve such mea
ures when of a national character, provided
hey were presented in separate bills. This
ill has been drawn up and passed in accord
nee with the presidents express recommends
ion; and that the work which it proposed to
accomplish was eminently national in its char
cter; but the president had now entirely
hanged the principles of his action on this sub
ect, and signifed his purpose to withhold his
ssent from all internal improvement bills of ev-
ry description. This conclusion Mr. Benjamin
expressed his confident belief to be contrary 10
he deliberate judgment ofthe American people |
ORIGIN OF FILIBUsTERs.- Towards the end
the 18th and the beginning of the 18th CEN
Try, before the English navy had acquired
decided supremacy over the fleets of the other
larltime powers of Europe, the seas were in
sted by gangs OF pirates, who treated the flags
all nations with contempt. In consequence
the fall Of the naval power of Spain, bands of
1venturers were formed, particularly on the
iores OF the Atlantic, who at first were tolera-
d and even supported by the powers hostile
Spain, afterwards turned their arms against
eir protectors, and plundered indiscriminately
Re vessels OF every country unfortunate enough
come within their reach. They were called
hllbusters," and their principal place of con-
alment was on the bay and inlet Astounding
ast OF San Domingo, where they obtained as t
stance and recruits among the half civilized t
uccaneros. $
The first flibusters were Frenchmen, pos
IS ing nothing but their daring courage, which '
nducted them to fortune or the gallows. One
them, named Legrand, from Dieppe, as +
mbled fifty chosen and determined followers, c
d sought his fortune in bark, the name of t
lich was never known. Not far from Spain P
ey spied gaIleon, which had separated itself Y
I'M the Spanish fleet They approached her y
if they were coming TO sell fish or fruit L.
and and his band boarded her, entered the e
bin of the captain, who was playing cards, S
t a pistol to his head, forced him and his h
wv to surrender, and then returned with his Il
oty to Dieppe. This adventure, says CO. Il
nporary writer, was the first of series of Fl
; most incredible enterprises during the fol- Il
wing forty years. o
French, Dutch and English flbusters, used a
ASSEMBLE in their hiding places in the islands n
San Domingo and St. Kits, and choose N
m their number chief for each expedition
hen they had gathered a great amount of W
oty, they bought small vessel, armed with
mon, with which they captured ships by CT
ndred. 1t was hard to escape them and still m
rder to pursue them. They resembled ra- to
rs bouncing upon theirprey from all quarters a,
j then disappearing in hooks and retreats. hi
possible of access by their pursuers. They .
en- laid waste the coast for 500 miles, and Z
We ventured frequently in the interior dis 1t
zee of 200 miles CT
In this way they overran and plundered the "
h towns of Chagres, Mecaizabo, Vera Cruz, al
mama, Porto Rico, Campeachy, the island of W
Catharine, and the suburbs of Carthagena. M
e of their number, called Olonais, came to Sc
very gates of Havana with twenty men.
hen he and his companions had returned to
If ship, the governor despatched a vessel of J.,
r, with soldiers and a hangman on board, "
pursue them. Olonais took possession of the !,
anish man-of-war, beheaded the soldiers with ~
own hands. and sent the hangman back " :"
h his compliments to the governor. ~
L a.