Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-16

ng the will os All impatient aud indignant
people, viii command ei,odienoe. (Coutir
led applause
II il lime that tie Representatives. OF me
people of this Valley in Congress establish
"a rational policy A policy winch looks
% the heart and body o. the nation, ana
not alone to Its borders. Improvements on
.ho sea-board are oil proper ana light
They facilitate the arrival and departure OF
,ur foreign commerce. But is not the in>
ternnl commerce OF the nation as worthy Of
beine protected and facilitated Is il jus,
hat everything should be done for the seas
,osst and nothing for the INTERIOR Ia not
ife as precious, and property Is sacred in
hc one - upon the otLers Are not the
axes with which those lighthouses aod
are built drawn from the Valley
IS well Is from the borders Not q dollar
should be voted by the Representatives Of
his Valley fer any public works either on
he borders Of this Republic, or anywhere
Use, while these great rivers remain neelec
ted. Applause
There is no obligation more imperative.no
higher duty can devolve upon the ssa'es>
man and law giver than 10 strengthen the
Londs Of our Federal Union. Ia 10 way
can this be done 50 enectually IS BY aiding
aud encouraging commerce between the
States, and by facilitating the intercourse
Of their citizens The moderation and jus>
tice OF the laws which govern country ex-
ert an influence less powerful to preserve its
unity than that which is exerted by its nat
ural Ind siticial channels Of social and
commercial intercourse.
The want Of such channels may prevent
the neutralizing and harmonizing Of those
social and material effects Of climnte without
which homogeneous character ii the ma
ton cannot be created aud without sch
character union cannot be sustained except
by force. The absence OF such f4ci''es
may make the very equality Of Ia law =
tyranny in ono section Of the country while
in the other il would impose no burden.
Formerly constitutional objections were
urged against the improvement Of these
rivers by those who had no scruplss in
voting for sea,Loasd works. But such obs
iections arc now rare, and their saisch:cvous
quiboies nre generally rejected by loyal
people. The wise and patriotic trainers Of
the Constitution intended its blessings and
burdens t. be enjoyed and shared alike by
all in equal add Just proportion. They
never designed that it should shed ray
more genial upon the oceans margin than
that which penetrates the heart Of the com
Must We he told at this time,
IN answe, to our just demands, that there
is a doubt existing MS TO the power Of the
General Government under the Constitution
10 improve these riy, rs,when in tic last five
years it has built railroads, dug canals,
damned the Red river, and pulled out OBJ
structions from streams and harbors, ex-
pending ten millions Of the public treasure,
Does any statesman gainsay its right to do
il then! Does any patriot question its pow.
CT TO do II when the Union was in peril -
When the necessity occurred there was Z
power in the Government somew here 10 pro
vide for il. This power did not exist in the
necessity. II must have existed in the Con-
stituiion. for its use cannot be justified, wen
by the immortal Lincoln, unless il is in the
letter or spirit Of tn at instrument. Exist>
ing there, and being used 20 save the Union,
surely the same power may be invoked TO
protect and perpetuatc it; TO promote ito
harmony and increase its blessings. II a
doubs exists a. to tins power, i'll Gods name
give the benefit of the doubt in favor Of that
Union to save which we have lavished the
wealth of the nation and given the precious
lives of he people. Applause
II those Improvements can be justified
because the Republic was in peril, certainly
wise AMI precautionary policy will justify
all reasonable expenditure requisite TO pros
vide for its future safety by the removal Of
obs.ructiont that have cost the Government
in the last five years, by losses, DELAYS and
cxhorbitant treightage. much more than
would exterminate them forever. The im>
roriance Of safe and rapid water tianspor-
tatlon through the Valley of tho Mississ,p.
pi. in every direction, commends itself to
the favor of the prudent and sagacous
statesman IS great measure of public
safety, not only because Of tho immense
facilities which il affords for the rapid COM
centration OF troops towards any threaten
cd point, but also because Of the ease with
which the wants Of our Armies can be sup
piled from this grand central grAnsry Of the
country. Here, too, on these rivers, in the
very heart OF the nation, secure from all
possible approach Of her foes, she can con
s,ruct and send forth to the ocean her un>
conqucrable navies 10 protect her commerce,
to defend her coasts, and 20 shed the same
retulgent glory over the future PAGES oi her
history, that CLOVIS so lrlghty en- the past
records Of the American People Gap
plause.)
Nho IN his wisdom or presciance can say
where it may neNt lie nece sary for tins
people TO hurl the might of their military
aal naval power; or wheu .he evil day Will
come again Must wc remain supnely
awaiting its co.-ing with all the lessons of
experience wasted upon us, the Government
and the coinmunit, annually losing more
than the total COS, Of improvements de-
handed 10, less by humanity lhaa ny CONS
mon sense. required no less by Political
prudence than by commercial neces sl,v. all
ye, comp lacently arregate to ourselves the
title Of being the most enlightened poor'"
on the face of the ear.hf As thcugh man
or state could win and wear unchallsaged,
the zeal OF greatness without achievements
commensurate with tue title.
England is to-day and has been for wears
past expanding millions IN the construction
Of 800 miles Of canals Gls-ong the jungles Of
India to improve the navigation oi the Gan
gcs. Austria. whom we are wont TO con>
slider one 81 the least enlightened nations OF
Europe, has expended more in the improve
meat OF the Danube alone, since the intro
ducticn Of steam. than We have upon this
great stream and all its tributaries to-
gether.
Our law makers cannot be ignorant Of the
fact that every additional facility created for
The safe and rapid transportation Of the ar
mics Of the Republic brings with il corrc-
spending increase in the effective power Of
its forces, and . decrease in losses and
freiahtagc. thua darbly compen-
sating the Government for its
care and foresight The benefit Of this wiss
policy does not, however, end here, for il
enables the Government to she'd the bless
ing Of safety over those who are upon such
highways, and to create reduction in the
cost Of transportation to the people that is
felt throughout the length and breadth Of
the whole country. Thus the purposes OF
war and Of peace are both accom- lishe
a, the same time, and with the same ex
penditure.
For the v ry laudable purpose Of con-
siruc'iug railways from the Mississippi to
the Pacific slope, large subsidies have been
granted. For the one from Superior 10
Page,s Sound We have donated Al, 900, 900
acres OF the public domain. This land, a,
81 p per acre am ,unts 10 nearly 500,
900; enough to improve the visation OF
thirty thousand miles Of these rivers twice
over II is within the bounds Of reason to
assert that these thirty thousand miles OF
u, H.. . L., :. :, :.