Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-08-23
Deuglns on BARBER and River improve
ments-His Tonnage Tax BIT


mentS-His Tonnase Tax BIIL
Our important Lake Harbos have been go
ing to ruin for years past, and appropriations
to repair them have been defeated by Dem
ocratic Congress or the vetOes of Democratic
Presidents, Mr.. Buchanan having capped the
climax Of Democratic hostility to the North
west by vetoing an appropriation to complete
the urgent St. Clair Flats improvement.
Senator Douglas has aided and abetted in
these outrages OF the commerce Of the Lakes
and among his many political and legislative
sins and short comings, there is perhaps none
which is calculated to exert more depressing
and destructive influence npon the CONNER
oial interests Of the West and Northwest than
his efforts to procure the passage Of a law for
taxing Lake and River tonnage for the pnr-
pose Of constructing Lake hagbors and re-
moving dangerous obstruCtions from Rivers.
II any Democrat has forgotten, or is incredu-
lous on the subject Ofths suicidal proposition
Of Mr.. Douglas, let him read thefollOwing bill
introduced by Stephen A. Douglas In the SEN
ate of the United States on the I'd day of
August 1852. IEAHI4 3
And be il enacted, That in AL cases where any
navigable river or water may be situated, wholly
or In part within the limits Of any State, Congress
hereby consents that the legislature thereof may
provide for the Improvement of the navigation Of
So much Of said river or water Rs shall be wholly
within the limits Of such State, aud for this pur-
pOsemayileFy duties Of tonnage not exceeding ten
cents per ton, upon all boats and vessels naviga-
ting tie same. Provided, That the funds derived
from such duties shall be expended solely in Inn
proving and rendering safe and secure such nayi-
CATION, and shall be applied to no other purpose
whatever; and thatn0 more or higher duties shall
be collected than may be necessary for the objects
herein specified ...II- 30
Be It further enacted, That in all cases where
any nagigable river or water may be situated in,
or In part form the boundary of, any two or more
States, Congress hereby consents that such States
or any number Of them, through their joint ac-
may provide f5F the Improvement % Of tie nSyiSa
ton Of such river Or water, and for this purpose
may lay duties Of tonnage, not EXCEEDING ten
cents per ton, upon ~ boats and vessels naYiga-
ting the same. Provided, That the funds deriv
ed from said duties shall be expended solely in
improving and rendering safe and secure such
navigation, and shall be applied to no other pur
pose; and that no more or higher duties shall be
collected than may be necessary for the objects
herein specified
The Wings of the Senate fought this op-
pressiFe measure successfully and defeated it,
notwithstanding Mr. Douglas e1erted all his
sloquence. and influence to secure its passage.
The Hon, Truman Smith, Senator from
Connecticut, who bad made himself familiar
with the wants and claims of Lake and
River navigation, conclusively demonstrated
in an able speech that the favorite scheme of
Mr. Douglas would prove destructive to the
shipping interest on both. He showed that
a steamer, leaving Pittsburgh, for example,
and paying her tonnage dues at ten cents per
ton, for the improvement of the Ohio, would
be subjected to similar burden on the Cum
berland, the Tennessee, the Mississippi, the
Missouri, the Red, and any other river where
improvements were going forward, and this
boat was trading, The same rule would ap-
ply to Lake steamers and shipping. The de-
bate on this outrageous matchmaking bill of
Mr. Douglas extended through many days Of
the session, and at last the vote was taken
and the bill defeated by a vote Of 25 to II,
as follows: -1..i .1a... .,.s s5,...
Those who voted IA the Affirmative were MessrS,
Atchinson, Borland, Brodhead, Brooke, Butler,
Charlton, Dawson, De saussure, Dodge, of Iowa.
DOUGLAs, Hale, Hunter, Jones, Of Iowa, King, NAL
lory Mason, and Soule; and those who voted in the
negative were Messrs Bsyar6 Bell Bradbury Bright,
HALLS. Houston. merriWeather, Morton, Pesree,,
Pratt, Rusk, seward, smith, spruancei Sumner, Un'
derwood, uphsm, and Wade.
It will be seen that Mr.. Hamlin, our Oandi-
date for Vice President voted against this
Algerins measure while Douglas not only
spoke in favor of it, wrote letter of forty
pages to Gov. Matteson, Of Illinois, urging
1Is Tuuuence Wrr1ErIit M oiS Leg
islature in its behalf, but voted for it every
time. This is a bill so preposterous, 50 de-
structive to the interests of oar Lake and
River commerce, that no man should vote to
put this toll gathering candidate in position
where he could use his influence against
those interests so effectively as to destroy
them, which doubtless be would do.
Do the people of the West and Northwest
desire to see the Veto power over our Lake
and River appropriations perpetuated in
the hands of Douglas? He would exer-
else it, beyond question, if given to him.
Read and ponder the following extracts
from the speech Of the Hon. Truman Smith
on the plunder tonnage scheme of the Presi-
Dental candidate who is stumping the coun-
try for votes, but who nowhere disclaims his
pet measure of 1852. Mr.. S. said:
I can tell the honorable Senator TMr.
Douglasl that this taxation is to fall on the |
necks of the farmers of the West and North
west. 1 care not which way the freight is
up or down. If going down |
TO the ultimate market-such as flour, wheat,
corn, pork, beef butter, cheese, lard, hemp, /
wool, tobacco, and other agricultural pro-
ducts-I can demonstrate that every shilling
Of these duties is to come out of the pockets
Of the farmers Of the West and Northwest
And can demonstrate, also that every shil-
ling levied upon freights the other way
such as tea, coffee, sugar, salt iron, WoolIen
and cotton goods and ten thousand other ar
tcles Of consumption-wiH also come out of
The pockets of these same farmers. Yes, sirl
the pre-emptioners and the log cabin boys
are thus to be visited by the hand Of oppres-
lion and taxation The honorable Senator
mas proposed to go into every log cabin in
.he Northwest with his system of tonnage
iuties, and to levy them on the hard-isted
and hard-working boys of that region Of
country.
And now let me reeur again for moment
3 freight from the point Of production to the
ultimate markets., for example, wheat
raised in northern or middle Illinois, to be
and sold in New York; who will |,
pay the proposed tonnage duties Who will
nave to meet the contemplated exactions at
Chicago, st. Clair Flats, Buffalo and Albany
say, unhesitatingly, the producer will have
o pay it; or rather, it will, with other
charges, be taken out of the value or price of
lis wheat ct the ultimate market, whether
hat be found at New York, Boston, or else
where. The reason is, that the Northwestern
producer will, when he arrives at the ulti-