New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-06-10
Surveys Of Water Routes.

Surveys Of Water Routes. 80 &"
The unfinished business OF the Senate,
June A. being the resolution directing the
Committee on Appropriation to report an
appropriation providing for new surveys
ter, the four lines of internal improvements
recommended by the select committee on
transportation, was taken up.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen said that less than one
hundred years age this great Western val
ley was . wilderness but now in ten States
and Territories there were $1,000, 900 of
people, and $4,000 miles of railroad, which
cost about 81 500, ,000, 600. The productions of
sible to get them to market. The State of
New York alone had expended $39 ,0O0, 900
upon inter nal improvements, and this great
government should not in this instance
hesitate to expend few hundred thousands.
There were now g. 900 miles of railroad in
the country, which had cost %, loo, ,00O, 900,
and yet they did not afford cheap transpor
tation.
The reason for this was two.fold. First,
the productions outnumbered the facilities
of the roads, and, second, in these later
times railroads had been built with bonds
and stocks which did not represent capital.
He expressed the opinion that it would be
great error to undertake 9, stem of
canals. The experience of Pennsylvania
in this line was instructive. He c0incided
with the view expressed by Mr.. Oglesby
yesterday, that the want now felt OF cheap
and abundant facilities for transportation
could be best met by the construction Of
more railroads by private parties, under
charters from Congress. Nature had pro-
vided the only two water ways which could
be used, the Gulf of Mexico in the South
and the great lakes in the North, the two
connected by the Mississippi. river. He
advocated the construction of canal at
the mouth of the Mississippi aud another
across Florida, which would bring New
Orleans 600 miles nearer New York.
Mr.. Bayard, in regard to the inexpe-
diency of constructing artificial water ways,
cited the experience Of Pennsylvania in the
building of canals, and the abandonment
of works by that State after involving it.
self in great expense and loss. He would
not at this time discuss the prOpriety of in
| trusting, under our system Of government,
such great works as are now contemplated.
| to government officials. He would now ad-
dress himself to the question of the absence
| of power in Congress to enter into States
! and assume absolute control of works of in
| ternal improvement. He doubted whether
| the States would surrender their right of
| eminent domain. As yet there had been no
precedent for the exercise of any such pow er
| by Congress. and all the decisions of the
| Supreme Court are perfectly plain in the
contrary direction. The powers OF the ted
| eral and State governments were entirely
distinct. The proposition involved in this
resolution contained elements of centraliza.
ton far in exc ss Of anything yet proposed;
! it is another blow at local self-government
| which is the best nurse and the best in
structor that the citizens OF the republic
| can have. Thefe was no necessity for the
| government embarking in this business
| Highway connections existed everywhere
| and no State had ever presented any Obsta
| Gle to transisthrOugh it.
Mr.. Harvey read long argument in
favor OF an enlarged system of internal i'm
| provements.
Mr.. Gordon submitted amendments II
| the preamble to insert the words ''or com
petition encouraged by government aid" 81
as to read: Cheap transportation can only
be obtained through competition undel
government control, or competition encOur
aged by government aid;' and second, tt
government aid to private corporations,
so as to read: THE following are the mos
feasible and advantageous channels of com
merce to be created or improved by the ma
tional government, or by the extension o
government aid to private corporations.
The amendments were rejected.
Mr.. Bogy proclaimed himself stric
constructiOnist and States rights man. Th
question of the power Of Congress to cor
struct the works could be discussed afte
the surveys had been made. He nov
favored the resolution. and hoped the sui
yevs would be made. He moved to strik
out the provisions that the improvement
should be under government control.
Mr.. Morrill,, of Vermont, would vote t
order the surveys, but with the distinct un
derstanding that it should not commit hin
in any way to the gigantic system OF in
provements advocated by the committee.
Mr.. Hager said the national governmen
had granted large subsidies to variOu
railroads, but in the bills there had neve
been a clause inserted giving the govern
ment the power to prevent the enOrmOu
charges by the company, and this was wh.
the people demanded a change. He fa
| vored the motion of Mr.. Bogy.
Mr.. Davis said he would be in favor Q
the resolution with slight modification
He did not understand that it would b
The amendment Of Mr.. Bogy was re
jected-yeas 3D. nays 80.
Mr.. Upton moved to strike out the entir
preamble, which was rejected-yeas 1t
nays 25
Mr.. Scott wished it to be understood tina
in voting for the surveys he did not commi
himself to any Of the improvements. Tha
he would determine upon hereafter if tn
survey should demonstrate them to be prat
ticable, and the expense should not b
greater than the treasury could bear. H
wished to cay further that it seemed to b
taken for granted that the West was tn
only section which desired cheap transport
alton. The fact was, that the people OF tn
great West now had cheaper transportatio
furnished them than the people of Pennsy
vania The people of Pennsylvania wer
accustomed to see the products Of the Wes
carried to the seaboard at rate not reli
lively, but absolutely cheaper than the
paid, and were accustomed to seeing retur
ireights carried to the West cheaper tha
return freigh.s were carried to them.