The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-10
scheme. against the Treasury.

Schemes against the Treasury.
Our Washington correspondent writes
that {" the European and North Ameri-
can Railway Company are petitioning
Congress for a grant of $4,000 per mile
for railway in Maine two hundred
and thirty miles in length" He adds
There are number of such projects
before Congress and if they all succeed
the Treasury will be the loser. There
is astrong disposition manifested to get
through all such schemes before the
southern members return to seats in
Congress
IL does indeed appear, sometimes, as
though there was an intention among
the contrivers of merely selfish legisla-
ton in Congress, to push through as
many of their schemes as possible, IN
der the fear that by and by they will
have no chance. We hope Congress
will put down, by its votes, such dis
graceful spirit But schemes of the
kind under consideration will not be
less numerous, but we suspect rather
more so, when the southern members
take their seats; and the President,
whose opinions on the subject of such
''internal improvements" is well known,
will doubtless interfere, if Congress does
not stop these schemes against the
Treasury.
This European and North American
railway project, which wants nearly two
and half millions of the public money,
is said to be necessary to the welfare OF
| New England. But if this is go, New
| England will build it. The Senate of
Massachusetts, reported faVorably upon
it not long since, on the ground that the
road will tap the coal mines of Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick, and give
cheap fuel to New England, without
which the prosperity of that region
| cannot continue. Now II this IS SO,
New England, we may be sure, will put
its hands in its pockets and furnish
money enough to build the road. ust
as soon as it is discovered that Congress
will not grant any millions from the
national treasury.
The argument that the road is ALSO
lutely necessary to the continued pros
perity of the New England States, and
that therefore Congress ought to build
/ it for them, is as absurd as the great
protectionist argument, that We have in
this country cheaper food, more intelli-
gent Workmen, more abundant and
| richer mineral resources, more available
supplies of coal and other products than
are found in any other country, and
that therefore our manufactures must
inevitably perish unless they are pro-
tected against foreign competition. 1t
is in effect saying we have every adj
vantage therefore we are weak and
helpless; or, as though stout man
should cry out, 1 can walk alone,
therefore ! must be carried.
If railroad is necessary to the de-
velopment of a rich region of country,
or to connect two sections for the ad-
vantage Of both, then the people inter
ested will pretty certainly build it, for
they have not only the inducement Of
general advantage, bat the further GER
tainty that the enterprise will yield
profitable returns To beg Congress
for money, therefore, is unbecoming
and wrong. If the proposed road is
not necessary, then surely the national
money ought not to be squandered
upon it
BY the way, this European and North
American railway is designed to bring
cheap coal from New Brunswick. What
will Mr.. Thomas, of Maryland, and Mr..
Stevens, of Pennsylvania, say to this2
We suppose they will say to New Eng
land: "You have no business with cheap
COAL you must buy our dear coal; and
if you grumble at that, you must bring
your manufactures down here, and set
them up near the mines; thus producer
and consumer will be brought together,
and you will have cheap coal. Aban-
don New England, with your operatives,
and settle near the mines. That is the
true solution of your difficulty" That
may sound preposterous, but it is good
protectionist advice.-N 2. Post