The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-07-27

levy duties OF tonnage uot exCe0uinB khN
CENTS PER TON upon boats or vessel, Qf any
,rifhia me limits Of such city or foirn: Pro-
ridsd. That the funds derived from said duties
shall be expended exclusively IN constructing,
charging, deepening, improving and securing
safe and commodious harbors and the entrance
thereto. At such cities and towns, and shall be
applied to no other purpose whatever: INA
prorided further, That no more or higher du-
ties shall be charged than shall be necessary ior
the purposes herein specified; and Congress
hereby consents, also, that the several states
bordering on said lakes, or either OF them, OF
any two or more Of said States, through their
joint action by agreement and compact with
each other, may make or cause to be made such
works and structures rs shall be necessary to
improve and render safe and convenient the nav
igation Of said lakes, or either Of them, and OF
the channels connecting them together, either
by deepening the channels or by artificial COM
munications; and for this purpose they may,
by uniform rule, divert portion OF the tom
mage duties not exceeding four cents per tor,
collected at all the towns and cities within the
State entering into such agreement and COM
pact and In case any canal or artificial commu-
nication shall be made, reasonable tolls may be
collected thereon sufficient TO defray the expense
OF keeping the same In repair, but no more.
Sec.-Be 10 further enacted, That In all cases
| where any uuNlHuDlc TiNcT VI WutcE uuy W st-
uated, wholly or In part. within the limits OF
any State, Congress hereby consents that the
Legislature thereof may provide for the linz
proyement of the navigation Of so much Of said
river or water as shall be wholly within the lin
its of such States, and for this purpose may
levy duties Of tonnage, not exceeding Ten
CENTS PER TON upon all boats and vessels
! navigating tho same: Provided, That the funds
derived from such duties shall be expended sole
d. T.. nd renderinU and secure
such navigation, and shall be applied to no 9th
or purpose whatever; and that no more or
higher duties shall DO collected than may be
necessary for the objects herein specified. -,
Sec.-.fnd be IL further enacted. That In oil
cases where any navigable river or water may
be situated in, or in part form the boundary OF
any two or more States, or any number OF
them, through their joint action, by agreement
and compact with each other, may provide Tor
the improvement Of the navigation OF such riy-
er or water, and for this purpose may lay duties
of tonnage, not exceeding TEN CENTS FEN
TON. upon all boats and vessels navigating the
same ;: Provided, That the funds derived from
said duties shall be expended solely In improy-
ing and rendering safe and secure such naylga-
ton, and shall be applied to no other purpose;
and that no more or higher duties shall he coll
lected than may be necessary for the objects
herein specified"
Mr.. Douglas supported this proposition by
an elaborate speech covering sixteen columns
IN the Congressional Globe, and it was debated
for several days in the Senate-IIannibal Ham
linn, of Maine, and Truman Smith, Of Connecti-
cut, taking the lead against. Mr.. Hamlin, rs
Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, ex-
crted great influence In defeating the PROPOSE
ton; and in q very brief speech pointed out
the Injustice Of assessing the cost of the linz
provement on the Tonnage alone, and not put
ting fair share Of It on the cargo. Mr.. Doug
las was counting the favor Of the Cotton, Rice
and Sugar Planters Of the South, and no was
therefore willing to saddle the whole burden OF
improving the Rivers and Harbors upon the
Ship owners and Sailors Of the North. The
following brief extract will show how energetic
cally Mr.. Hamlin opposed the unfair PROPOSE
ton, and how pointcdly he exposed Its injus-
tcc in taxing the tonnage and letting the car
20 90 free. Mr.. IIamlin said:
"MR. PREsIDESr-I desire to state to the
Senate some of the objections which viii com,
| pei me to vote against the aminedment offered
BY the Senator from Illinois. In doing so,
shall endeayor to confne myself strictly to the
amendment, and to indulge in nothing that
does not pertain to 1t.
The Amendment Is one of general character.
II Is to throw over the whole country o system
| of tonnage duties. am aware that IN some
sixty or seventy specific cases the assent III the
Government has been granted to the states 10
assess tonnage duties, but when we have been
asked to grant that power to the States 1t has
been for specific purpose, AMI at specific
points named, 30 that Congress could Judge
clearly and distinctly OF the propriety OF maxi
ing the grant. The difference between a gener-
Al system and that which Is specific In Its char
acter, Is so obvious that need not alludc to i
here. am opposed now to granting general
system, and have II extended entirely over tno
whole country, which may be unequal In some
sections, while II may be very benehciai III
others. ,
your rivers and your harbors, there Is equity
In assessing the duty upon the tonnage alone
Is not the commodity which Is transported BEN
Gifted more than the tonnagel WHAT'S the OBJ
ject of securing harbor OF commerce, or one
of REFUGEE Is II not equally to protect the
commerce and the commodity itself! ask, II,
in adopting o general system, there Is not
equality, and justice, and equity IN imposing
upon he cargo as tcell as upon the resseis, o
certain per cent, to make the very improve
ments by which both vessels and cargoes are to
be benefttedl The Senator amendment is too
crude, In my Judgment II Is ill-digested, and
there Is not time at this late gay o. ,nG ION
element of equality-which shall extend over
the whole country"
Four years before Mr.. Douglas introduced
this proposition in the formal shape OF Bill
before Congress, the same idea has been brosch-
ed by President Polk, when Tin 1887 he vetoed
the Bill, appropriating million and half
of dollars for the improvement Of Rivers
and Harbors. Mr.. Polk suggested that the
whole subject might be left to the Statcs-Con-
grcss authorizing them to levy taxes upon tho
Tonnage. At the time that this Veto Message
was sent to Congress, Abraham Lincoln was
member Of the House from Illinois, and hc
made very able speech, reviewing Mr.. Folks
position, and strongly combating 1t. On this
particular point. Mr.. Lincoln said {:
Mr.. Speaker, the President seems to think
that enough may be done In the way OF improy-
? mcnts, by means Of tonnage duties, under
State authority, with the consent of the Gcncr.
al Government. Now, suppose this matter OF
tonnage duties |, well enough IN Its own sphere
i suppose II may be efficient, and perhaps sun.
cicnt, to make slight improvements and repairs
In harbors already In use, and not much
out of repair. But II have any correct gen.
eral idea Of Il, II must be wholly inefficient for
any generally benefcient purposes OF improv'
ment. know very little Of the practical mat
ter of lcvying tonnage duties; but suppose
one of its principles must be, to lay duty, for
the improvement Of any particular harbor, up
on The tonnage coming into that hdrbor. 10 90
otherwise-tO collect money In one harbor 10 oo
expended on improvements In anoihsr,- would
be an extremely aggravated foim Of that inc
quality which the President 80 much dcprecatcs.
II be right In this. how could We make any
entirely new improvements by means OF tonnage
duties How make harbor, q canal, or clear
a greatly obstructcd river! The idea that VIC
could, involves the same absurdity Of the Irish
bull about the new boots shall never git
'cm on" says Patrick, till | wear them day
or two, and stretch EN- little" We shall
never make harbor by tonnage duties, until
il shall already have been fhadc awhile, 20 the
tonnage can ret into it,