New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-07-16


it might unwittingly promote some do
nestle industry. No well.educated
Democrat could tolerate such result.
So, deficient revenues were, from time
to time, aided by loans. Such was the
case in 1s41, 1912, and 1916.
The first act, passed at the first ses-
sion of the Thirty-fifth Congress, au-
thOrized the issue of Treasury notes, and
almost the last act of the same session
authorized loan. In June, 1860, fur
Their loan of twenty one millions was
authorized, and on the 9Th of February,
1861, an appeal was made to the market
for twenty-five millions more.
Through all those years Congress as
sembled annually. The long sessions
were extended over periods of seven,
eight, and nine months. But, long or
short, the sessions produced little in the
way of legislation beyond the tax and
appropriation bills. The talk endured
for months; the work was accomplished
in weeks
The first session of the Thirty-second
Congress was prolonged until the 31st of
August. The acts passed embrace one
hundred and forty-four pages of the
statutes. All but the first thirty-seven
pages are covered by acts approved on
the last t,oo days Of the session. Earlier
administrations had planted the Ma
tiOnal Capital, had framed the leading
features of our land system, had dedi-
Gated liberal portions of our public do
main to the cause of popular education,
and had commenced the Cumberland
road and other works of internal i'm
prOvement. When, after nearly thirty
years of misrule, you drove the Demo-
cratic party from power, the Cumberland
road was still unfinished, and the party
had been educated to believe that the
National Government had no constitu-
tiOnal power to complete such work.
That singular faith did not prevent
The party from entering upon such works,
but, seemingly, only from completing
them. They did not refrain from max
ing appropriations, even for improving
rivers and harbOrS. Sometimes such
appropriations were made regularly and
sometimes irregularly. Apparently they
were scrupulOus only that appropriations
should be made at such times, in such
sums, and for such purposes as would
promote commerce least and party in
terests most. On the approaches to
Wilmington, N. c., appropriations were
made at various times, amounting to
more than 100000. Wilmington has
swelled from a population of seven
thousand in 1850 to thirteen thousand
in 1870. On the Red river in Louisiana
there was expended at different times
more than five hundred thousand dol
lars. That river wasba~ eight counties
in the State of louisa. , Those eight
counties had a population in 1910 of fifty
four thousand in 1870 of one hundred
and six thousand. On the harbor of
Northwest, the home of millions, they
doled out appropriations amounting to
$217, 900. On the harbOr at Milwaukee
they appropriated in 1874 $40, 900. Eight
years later they resumed the work, ap-
parently with the determination of COM
pleting it. Fifteen thousand dollars
were appropriated that year. The year
following they appropriated the munifi-
cent sum of $163 "a, and then rested
from that labor. Congress voted other
appropriations for similar works, which
encountered the Executive veto; and
Democratic Representatives. finding they
must disobey either President or people,
decided to disobey the latter and obey
the former.
THE LOUISVILLE CANAL.
A great natural highway, the Ohio
river, along which is poured a commerce
of incalculable value, was INSTRUCTED by
rapid near Louisville. The interests
of that commerce required canal to be
built around those rapids. Congress did
not assume that duty, nor even let it
alone. The State of Kentucky char
tered a company to construct that canal
and to toll the commerce of the Ohio.
The United States aspired to the dignity
of a stakeholder in that company, and
achieved it. The Government took and
paid for 1902 shares, at one hundred
dollars each. Private parties took 1908
shares. The canal was built, the tolls
were fixed, commerce bled, and the COM
pany's treasury filled. The revenues
were so large it seemed pity the Gov
eminent should share them. But as
stakeholder, the Government was enti-
tied to nearly One-third of the net rev.
enues. The Government was not repre-
scented in the management of the COM
pany. That was governed by five di-
rectors, each of whom was stakeholder.
Those directors concluded they could
make better use of the revenues than
to divide them with the Government.
To that end theyresolved the canal ought
to be made free. In order that it might
become free it was resolved that the net
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