Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-01-21
Aifhmon0 Enquirer.
By RircuII. DuNSAvANr. TYLER WISE.
FRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 81.
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.

THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
The communication signed Caroline" from
the pen OF distinguished correspondent, has
been necessarily withheld from publication
for more than week II concentrates so for
! chilly and plausibly all the leading arguments
in favor of the Congressional exercise Of n
power which we are obliged TO regard as I'M
constitutional, that we were unwilling TO allow
! it to go forth unaccompanicd with our own dis.
senting views.
| The article in the Enquirer" to which our
correspondent refers. was certainly intended to
express warm interest in favor Of the con-
struction Of railroad 10 connect our Pacific
and Atlantic possessions. But We did not in
tend TO lend any favor whatever TO any
scheme for Federal appropriation Of land, or
money, 10 such a purpose. Therefore, it was
that We expressed our decided preference for
the connection between Arkansas Bay, in
Texas, and Mazatlan Bay. in Mcxico-resard-
| ing, as we do, this route As the one which
would enable most ccrtainl, and speedily the
construction of :. railway by private enter
prise.
Before enterin. upon the discussion Of the
constitutional question involved, We propose to
consider an issue Of tact raised by orr CORES
pondcnt Does the Cincinnati platform pledge
the Democratic party to the recognition of the
constitutionai,y of Federal appropriations !"
! the construction ol the Pacific Railroad:
| Let lis see what the Cincinnati Convention
really did on this question. and ho'c it was
done.
The proposed platform OF the Democratic par
ty was reported to the Convention. aud when
laid before the Convention, the report was au-
thcnticated ty the signature of the Chairman of
the Committee on resolutions. The resolutions
thus reported were adopted by the Convention,
/ without alteration or omission.
The authorized repor, Of the proceedings oi
| TIE Convention. also sets forth 4 report OF an
additional resolution. How this was reported,
or by whom does not appear Certainly 1t was
/ not accompanied with the signature oi the
! Chairman ct the Committee on resolutions
Tnis resolution, entitled :, resolution with re-
spcci to overland communication with the Pa
citic. reads aS follows:
! 'iteSoived That the Democratic party recog-
nises the great Importance, in 4 political and
commercial point of view. OF 4 safe and speedy
! communication, by military and postal roads,
! through our own territory, between the ATTAIN
/ tic and Pacific COASTS OF this Union, and that
! tits the duty Of the Federal Government to ex-
ercse promptly all its constitutional power for
! the attainment Of that object
! Now il is eydcn; that this resolution in no
/ manner ASSUMES the constitutional powers OF
| Congress to appropriate lands or money TO
| the construction of military OF postal road to
the Pacific. 1t merely insists tina; the Federal
Government shall crnploy such constitutional
power rs it possesses for the attainment oftiiat
object, What are the constitutional powers in
question. by means OF which any aid, incidental
or otherwise, can b. extended, the resolution
does no; attempt to misunderstanding these
powers to the same e2poSitions which the De
mocra.ic party had always applied. The re."-
luton carefully absta;tiS from recognizing any
constitutional power in Congress. to construct,
or to appropriate lands or money 10 the cen
struction of Pacific railroad. More than Tint,
the rtsolption, by It's orh t.rms. tTclndes tie
concIHsioh MatsWch Po,r.rs c>,h BE- fTtri@d.---
II pIainly aimjts Mat tie romniaR'cGtim he
treem tie .itiahiic 'usd P"c!hc Is {" de Ptar~f
in tie category cfr"ST,L md mifif"ry '"sdS.
! Dnv
will not pretend tha, the power To establish
post roads" involves II power to construct
them, or to appropriate land or money t" their
construction The Democratic doctrine i'll this
respect has been fixed beyond the possibility
of cavil Among roads already constructed,
Congress has the power to select the best for
mail transportation and thus to establish them
as post roads. Any other construction Of the
word establish" would attribute to Congress
an unlimited power to construct internal I'M
provemcnts throughout the Union. Moreover
military and postal roads are classcd together
in the resolution above quoted, and 1t cannot
be pretended to conS;ruc the mention oi one
into iusti fication Of internal improvements by
the Federal Government, without applying tic
same construction 10 the other.
The most, then, that can be said for the re-.
solution is. that while it denies all power to
construct. or to appropriate lands or money tor
construction, it leaves room for the Implication
that Congress may exercise some other powers.
not specified, by which to aid or encourage the
constructor by private enterprise and private
means.
Nevertheless. both Pennsylvania and |ir-
cinio were unwilling to offer opportunity even
for this narrow implication: and on the mo-
ton of delegate from Delaware, (Mr. Salisb'i-
ry1 tie rsxo,4tion ,cav laid OF, hc t"blt BY a
vote Of l5+ 10 l2o.
Afterwards, delegate from California, tMr.
Ingc.) moved for suspension of the rules with
view to reconsider the vote laying this reso-
luton on the table. Pennsylvania and Virginia
again interposed, casting unit votes against Mr.
Inye's motion. which was lost-!veaS l"l. nays
l75
Tius, tie rtsoiutiea ,eas teeice dytdt'd 6sfore
the Co.rentioa. And this occurred previous
to the nomination of Mr.. Buchanan.
.lfer the Presidfntiai aomihation ,'as made,
the same resolution was again brought before
the Convention. Mr.. Thompson, of Mississip-
pi, moved to lay it on the table. The vote OF
Virginia was cassa unit for Mr.. Thomrsons
motion Pennsylvania voted as unit against
it, The motion was lost.
Immediately, member Of the Virginia de-
legation, Mr.. Fisher, "f Northampton, taxed
the Pennsylvania delegation with unfaithtul-
ness to their pledges, s,-rcmindlns them that
Mr. Buchanan never could have obtained