, 1876-01-24
MEND1NG TIE MIB91H5IpPI LEVEEg,
A rress CiHpetch Aava.

~ t'Ao'9 A!HPHlGA 1Aja@
Ths Nouas Committee on LeTeos met this morning
and discussed As. HonEx's b!u, which provides for
tho appropriation Of g. c00 600 for tho construction
and u.anenance of 1evsos tia attsstssipp In tho
following btases: Louisiana, 1850 900; M1ssiss!p
$cu0on; Arkansas, o0o Missouri, $780, co. tho
money 10 10 disburtel undcr tic direction Of An en-
gfneer officer Of tho army. The Committee has de-
tjdsd to report unanimously bin with shess rrova-
ions and will psobaty tako Aonkx'r hl, aftsr soma
uunlport1nt alterations. II ni!i 1t IL now thought
Eass this uouac "!ieu 10 reported from the Commit
tes but to !ts panssgs In tho seaate nothing can
bo said.
1t will be remembered that the present
House is largely Democratic Confederate !;
more than this, TINT it stylos itself ''reforn
HouEe, that 1t proposes to 80 commend it's
action to the people as to elect Democratic
President next fail moro than this that it is
"strict construction" House which is not
going to "violato the Constitution" but to
protect and dofend It to ita very letter; md
that a large number of It's members wont out
of the Union hugging tho Constitution to
their robellio,ia bosoma and also camo back
hugging 1t. Nov, VIC would like to ask these
striot eonstructionists and Constitution.hug-
gcrs where tho Constitution gives them the
authority to take So, ono, 600 OF taxes out of
the Public Treasury to dyke tic Mississippi
River bottoms and prevent oycrtlows for tho
benefit Of eotton.planters? Whore do
they lind tho right to uss tho public money
for tho improvement Of tho land Of pri~
vnto individuals living along tho AIis-
sissippi2 II thero 10 any such right,
thon it should DO generally known, for there
are numerous other rivers which have
proelivity for oyerdowing their bauks during
spring freaheta and after heavy snins. Tho
Ohio and the Illinois Rivers frequently get on
tho rampage and overflow thousands Of acros.
In New England, New York, Pennsylvania,
and Indiana, rivera frequently, in fact almost
every scasou, burst thelr banks and spread
havoc over the adjoining lands. Evou our
own littlo Chicago River aided by the
Desplainea occasionally does great damage
by overlowing and would DO restrained by
building lavees ard enbank,neats. II it bo
constitutional To dyke in river in one
section and protect tho private property Of
indivIduas from overflow, Of courae it is
equally constitutional to 1oyee oil ovastaowing
rigcra in all SECTIONS OF the country and pro-
sect Northern river farms AZ well Nv Southern
| river plantations. Where do thege ConHtitu-
| don'huggors find theright to levy taxes upon
Massachusetts,, Maryland, Virginia, Texas,
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Town, and
California, for instance, to improve private
property In Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas,
Missouri, subject to tho overflow Of tho Nis.
sissippi3 1t they can and such a provision,
then wo can find numerous places that would
like to avail themselves OF tie provision and
have the sa1ne right.
The Democratic Observation-Disclosures n,
drna that 1t IL Unconstitutional to appropriate
h million and haf of dollars for tic Ceu,on-
nih Exposition, and arc preparing TO vote
against it. No one claims that tho Centennial
is tor the benefit Of any individual or set Of
indiyiduala II II q great national show u,adt
by the whole people, for the benefit OF the
whols people, to Which the whole world has
beon invited that it ,nay wituess our hundred
years growth. No one claims that such ar
appropriation would bs ssricuy constitution
81, and Tor this reason Tuz Ca1oAao T21nux1
has never Adyocatad IL Hlt Il Msdst II nusl