ww wz&wtf ## wwwa • imimm it is even wise to abstain from law which however wise and good in themselves have the semblance of inequality which find no response in llu heart of the citizen and which will be evaded wi.h little remorse tin vis.lom of legislation is especially seen in grafting laws on conscionoe ' ilr charming by button craige salisbury rowan countv n c mo\n june i u vol mil no 888 neera with the whole purse of uncle sam could permanently remove the obstructions to the navigation and commerce of north carolina god and nature he thought had in their modus operandi ol creating these obstructions determined pretty clrur iv that mortal mini should not have any uiojtis operandi by which effectually lo remove them he had dosired to avoid saying any thing at present on this sub ject because he knew ii to bu a favorite project with his colleague mr speight hut n.s it had been mentioned and lie hud been drawn into remarks relative to it he woulfl say that,ifany one would contemplate with proper attention the elemouts which enter into the formation of these obstuc ttuns they would sue the futility of wasting money on them when on saturday the 7th tbe same subject came up in the house mr hail objected to the appropri ation for ocracock but previous to tiiviuu his reasons for bo doing said he wished lo make some explanations iu relation to lhe amendment he hail previously offered it committee and shoi.1,1 again oiler in the house he then went into such ox speech of mr hall planation as tbe case required rimil ur to .. _, those alreii'lv slutnu ami called uni a llu op noi.th-caroi.iwa calleaguo mr speight to say of l.is fit the house of representatives satur statements wore nol correct sir said lie day may 0 w-i 1 know inv colleagu to be iu possession ai&enilir.cuis of mr vcrplanck aia of such information as will sustain nm in jting appropriations for internal improve what 1 have said in regard to this subject mentsfor certain rivers bays harbours he is a swift witness in this case 4c being under consideration in com here mr speight asked what he mittee of ha whole mr hall of meant by a switt witness ?] north carolina eflert-d an amendment to mr h said he inoant u good witness corse iu after the item fnr removing ob a competent witness — a witness having atrurtions utocrueocke inlet tlieunieiid f u || knowledge of ihc subject — and lie pro tnent is us follows : " for the removal of tested against its bring supposed liiut lie the mud shoal below the town of wash intended any thing in the slightest degree ington north carolina and a bed of unkind to his colleague who b ' no clump which obstruct the pussuga ot ves his colleague but his neighbor . osb luld lie sels in the river aorry to say any thing in the least unkind mr hall in explanation of his amend and disclaimed it — but ho again called on meat said that he did not wish to impose him to say if hia statements wore not cor iipon members of thatllouse ; they knew rect ; to which mr speight nodded aasont generally that he did not feel himself ut mr hall then said l.is object in calling on ubcrty to vote i'or subjects of this churue his colleague was to show to gentleman ter but ho wished to put it into the pow that what ho had said was true and that qr oft hose who did teal themselves at lib the information was clearly such bs to erty to apply the public money to such place the subject on the same footing will purpescs to apply it where it would be ofj other items nor could he see with whal saint use to some of liis constituents ; and , propriety gentlemen could vote li,r tlie parti.t'ly to put it in tho power of gentle 1 other items aud reject tins sir said mr men who seemed so desirous of giving | ii 1 will now state mv reason for oppos aa-uotliing to his constituents to do it i ing this appropriation for the a wash i an wh re it would he attended wilh practical j quite certain that if any one will look at utility tins object was from its nature i this mittte-r in a philosophic point of view an.l location as much entitled to un up — if they will consider the real causes of propriation as any item in the bill tho i the obstruction to tha commerce of north shoal to which lie ulludud was known to carolina they will perceive that the idea to be an impediment o vessels going to or etlectaally ot removing these impediments from washington loaded and they had is idle it is supposed by philosopher generally to lay below this saoul und ligli andiutirinsretliat.be trade winds have iton by bouts some influence in producing the gulf mr ii beliewod the removal of this ob stream be this aa it may very lew ma atructiun nor only practicable bul at a riners who traverse the coast of north comparatively small expense uided by ihe carohim are ignorant tliut the gulf stream machine employed at tho swash as he is one of the principal causes of those ob was compelled t believe uselessly the structious which to think of overcoming object is according to the doctrine of permanently by the ploughing machine gentlemen as much national as any of he commonly called the dredging machine works appropriated for ia this bill lt has is about as specious as to tulk of quench all the uttributo.i of nationality claimed tor ing the sun with a squirt gun they bail works f this character il is uu^obstruc us well get a school of shovclnosod sharks tion to commerce it is within a collection to root away the sand it is known ihat district near a custom house and there tho gull stream sweeps along our coast ut fore according to thc late doctrines that tho rate ef about three and a hull units nn whatever s within a collection district be hour bringing with it from be copes of comes national and therefore constitu florida as it approaches more or less tional is of consequenco entitled to an ap near tbe shore according to its projection propriation the stumps alluded to though or incurvature an immense muss of lout their removal is not altogether as impor ing sand as it approaches the project tant us the removal ofthe shoal ars yel ing points of the coast of north carolina entitled upon thu principles already sta during the prevalence of eaat winds.it is ted to be considered us good national piessed by the ocean more in shorn pro stumps as any in he union he uguiu duciug a counter current or eddy in repeated he would nut deceive gentlemen which the sand is whirled round di thrown even if this amendment was admitted in into the mouths of our inlets and iu heavy to the bill which he thongbt upon their easterly storms brows in immense masses own principles it ought to be he should still within the sound and forms thut irregular be obliged tt vote against thc bill mr h simicircular deposite known by lhe name wished others to preserve their consisten of the swash consisting almost wholly of cy — he mean to preserve ins — but those sand who voted for any similar object be con it is believed that lhc gulf stream pla ci-ived bound to vote for this csd before the outlets of our rivers is the after some remarks from messrs ar principal primary cause ol that deposite her and alexander of virginia mr hall of nnd along our euast which forms a olisrrvcd he presumed from the maimer harrier between ths atlantic andthe in winch tbe gentleman mr archer sound through which the breaks pall iit ls asked bis questions und fron ihe ex lets are made and continually modified pi.'ssiim of lus countenance be did not ra by the battliugs of the winds and these quire an answer to them ull which ia mighty waters and new let me ask ilr l he could not give because they for does any one really believe that we stand fi„-,l..i tiling as long us l.is arm and many any chance to make a permanent removal of then he could not recollect but he of this deposite while the causes which would answer the firat which he did recol placed il there remains and that on leet nnd say t hat there really wus such a with this dredging machine 1 even sup place as be had mentioned he had stu posing it may he cut through and part of inl what was known to all the inhabitants it removed what is to prevent he same oi tin i,,n ii of washington and surround operation from filling it up ? sir if con u|g country and though tbe subject bad gross are really in earnest about rcmov sjsumad some appaargnce of a joke ye ing he obstructions to our commerce le it wus a true joke and he knew it to be i them make an appropriation to remove the wish us it would bo to the interest of the gulf stroamfacross the atlantic :— puss tbeae people to have the obstruction re a law to slop the storms which beset this boved and he himself would as soon const .' and then blow up the banks ! we rots for il as uuy item in the bill or anv skull hen have a good outlet to the ocean thing of lli kind mr alexander by i havo had some knowledge of these storms way of explanation that it waa not ths as fine a specimen of storms as is k.u.wii wash whioh be was understood to allude it bus you know sir been doubted bv j when in conversation lu said it had some ofour people whether thev hud bet ut i ' vo ' sc " **■ her place ter bunder in euglund than we huvo in lh " i i r0 '' nn ' b "'' "» latjou to this country ; but lam quite certain if • awash bo would unl.v say thu he did thev huve better thunder thev have no m-v thai either much good or hum belter storms than we havo about cane he k i t 0 "' p n " a " | l.v nor did j hutterus anil ocracock naw sir to be « kbcvo tlpt tto wboltwrpeofengwurioiis 1 m what wj xxo.it t v r m s . against these elements ' to bear mc out lot n quote from u report of be en gineura upon a kindred work the celebra ted nag's head or roanoke liui-t — ob tractions made l.v the same elements tbe following extract is from the repnrt f apt uartman bache of the tipo gmphical engineer dated february 12 1829 | would t-fcke occasion to snv that be i ad vo ted against recensidetntion b-.---.iiim i believed end understood but tluj object ."- o draw a distinction between some ut tb items with a vipw of striking out u part of them he objected to this course because he viewed all the various portions ofthe bills sc tarns principle was concer ned as standing precisely upon the su ,,,..• footing if our part was constitutional iliey were all so and lie wished that no invidious distinctions should be made he was not one of those who believed a mea sure was cither constitutional orexpedien merely because it wen into tbe stute or district to which he belonged while a measure of exactly the same nature else where was nei.ln-r constitutional or expe dient 1 1 will be recollected that when lho details of tins bill were under consid eration i took some part in the debate but confined my remarks only to oneor two items of appropriation for north car olina i did so because 1 was uetter ac quainted with them than with musi others and also because after opposing those in my own immediate vicinity which i felt it my duly .,, do i could with propriety and with cleaner hands oppose others of similar character elsewhere mr speak er no one can suppose that i can un friendly to the commercial prosperity ol north carolina for from il — thissurel is jot he cuuse of ray opposition to appro prmlons for improvements of ibis charac ter lut i oppose them for ihe reason that 1 nolo ly do not fool myself at liberty becoise 1 think congress has not const i tuiioial authority but because i believe theymust ultimately fail in producing any subsiantial benefit the item of appro priaion for the swash was not rs seumed to hive been supposed ho only one .,, wbicb l|had objections in principle i am equdiy opposed to lhal for clearing away obstruction below wilmingti ,., and unless tbeillbrts ofcongress are attended with be.t.r success than those made hv the stafcautliorities.it is not liki ly thi v will be vtry beneficial or i have understood from respectable authority that so far from the applications made by the state autlorities having been very beneficial it wai believed that they hsd rather done injury certainly no great good as to improvements of a similar character with those of north 9areliiiu and the greater partol'the bill consists of appropriation for similui purposes tho remarks ofthe engineer's report which i read on a for n.cr occasion will apply to them general y and if it meets with the approbation of the house 1 will iiqum read the part nf the report to which f allude flit re mr h read what appears as un extract from a it of capt bncho already given a sl lir to sustain me in lha descrip inn wine i gave nf.be obstructions lo the navigation of north carolina i will read lie foil nving " in be history ol north carolina by john lawson survivor general ofnerth carolina london 1709 we have puge fit u general description of.he coast in tho following words this part of north curolina is faced wilh a chain of sand banks which defend it from he violence and insults of he atlantic ocean ; by which harrier u vast sound is hemmed in which fronts bo mouths of tha navigable and pleasant rivers of this fertile country and into which they tlis iorgo themselves throm-h the suu.o art inlets nf several depths of water some of their chandels admit only of sloops brigantines small barks and ketches ; und '■ sti'.'i an currituck roanoke and up.be sound above h.it.erus ; whilst others can receive ships of burden us ocracock top sails inlet nnd cape i-"eur as appears by bv my chart i believe i is well under stood but since this period both roanoke and currituck inlets have been rendered useless by being filled up » ith sand mr speaker while i iu common with my colleagues and with our constituents gen erally lament the existence of huso us i think irremediable obstructions to our commerce yet i am somewhat consoled but iu this us in almost all other causes there is not to he found unmixed good or evil tin-st very obstructions placed in the way of our commerce though certainly in that point ot view u great injury yet are deci dedly the best und cheapest fortifications against invasion from a foreign power it being oul of the quest on for u vessel of i war ofuuy magnitude to come within our waters ; aud i do not ugreo with those i who talk about lie detruded slate of north carolina from these causes audi who therefore solicit aid as i think use lessly from the general government to remove them and sir i cannot but feel but north carolina is quite as much de graded by begging for thn cruins and drippings from iin government aa from nu.urul cuuses beyond human control ru sir le us re urn to this l l ! which with one exception is certainly the most extraordinary act of legislation peculiar to bit session sir il puts me more in mind i of what i have oftnu seen at log rollings in he country in which i live — it puis me more in mind of u large heap or pile of luge rolled from ull purts of the new ground by tbe muluul aid of the log rol 1-rs than nnv tiling else and for one sir 1 llunk the best thing we could do wilh it would bo to treat it us we do lite lors alter being hp rolled together ttl uj ii and burn it up we do so however wiib the loos not precisely for the same reasons i wnuld this strange adair — we born iheni because the are useless and iu the way : but this flung is worst than useless — it i 1 rei positive evil these appropriations amount to the enormous sum ofabsut u million nud a quarter lor purposes us characterised bj scientific engineers of at leasl doubtful character most of then coming under the descrip tion to which the term hydrographies has l,e n applied tins bill presents in epi tome a fair sample of the whole system f internal improvements of which wc have sin 1824 bud some experience it is a sys.nm of iniquity one in which ri.ni lb very nature ef things justice and equity cannot be done it is another pari of be general system nf transferring tb property of mt set of mm tu others without any equivalent the tariff internal improvements pensions ve dec the presenl bill and the mam ninth pension bill passed through this house a short time sinife an instances of the most extraordinary outrage upon the people of their kind with these hanging upon the treasury how are we to pay ihu debt is it not known lo b a favorite ob j,-,i of the executive mid slill more clo mi ibo pi-oole generally i ok to he ex tine.ion of the public debt ns a political jubilee ! how then can we reconcile i to ur ives io vote for xuch enormities the system of internal improvement and the tariff system compose the notable und ur liuiiej american system they are wor thy i each other pur nobile no sir not par nobil -, but par ignobile nol frutrwn but demonum — not a noble i.uir ol brothers stances ome what similar i consider tk-j principles ofthe wo bills precisely th i ; tney both merit tb same fate nnd i most eaxnestw wish this may meet tho late which liifil the it'icr as to principle i have said they an the sam ; this as to the extent ol mischief is much be worst i recolloo taking eccosiru in my reuinrks on the subject to s.-iv iliai i would as soon have voted lor it as for any measure ora similarcharacterevonln my own district : this i will n pent and sboul ) i ever break through the rule wlnrli tins i i,st 1 1 ut ion bas as i believe prescribed f 6 tne and should over vote for any one ubi jecl of tins character i should feel myself in lienor bound to vote lor every feaaablo one of similar character from pass ran 1 -' quoddy ti florida and from the atlantic frontier to the confines of the lur west if i was to spend an opinion cm tbe prnc tical utility i the several objects of im provement proposed in the bill i un not quite certain that i should not feci bound lo say that probably more good bad been r might bo done by appropriations for the removal of casual obstructions ia tho wes tern waters usually termed planters and sawyers wbicb i understand ure formed of trees tailing into the river by the giv ing way of the banks from being washed by frequent freshes than any others i cm snltr ibem however no more entitled to be called national ban any other ob jocts 1 should like to know when they began to be uatioual if bey are so whilo standing us ihey grew on the bank after lulling in the water or not until thoy be come fixed in the mind and mud at the hot torn ofthe river — whichl suppose con sumes them planters und that up mid down motion caused by the pressure of the current constitutes them sawyers with regard to tho nationality and there fore constitutionality of ibo great cumber land road becuuse it goes to parts of sev eral mutes whv sir upon that principle every road or path in every slate may bc considered national because every path or private road commuiiictes with some other which leuds to any uud all others in fhe union uud therefore they are all and each national if any one bc.v perhaps however the real tiling which gives nationality lu ull things 6f this char ui ter is the naltunat money tajtai,%t lb be taken out of the national treasury but mr speaker enough in relation to ibe delui.'s ofthis uliii.r ; u lew wi.rds up on tlie csnsiitution.il principle und 1 have done 1 am sorry to liuve intruded so long upon ibe lime uud patience of lho house but hope for some low crumbs oi allowance iu consideration of past brbeur nnoe ; for it will be admitted tnul i havo not often trespassed iu tins way 1 havo for years contented myself with being in some degree a nine looker an in venice ; and as a farther consideration t r trespass ing on its lime i will uesure the houso that thi is lhe lust time i will ever open my lips so far us ui present advised upon tho subject uf the internal improvement fur ther than to say — no this privilege i shall still claim so lung us 1 hav he hon or of being a member ofthis body mr spouker when tho subject of inter nal improvement wus broached and first discussed us a system like lho hank ques tion it was sough ibr and claimed to bo found iu some half dozen of bo grauted powers enumerated iu the const it i.t ion j uod like thut for this reason was entitled to tbe character ofa vagi-out power the power however to regulate con merce seems lo be in the later times pi ..:. cipally relied on : this and a branch of tins power — tlie power to place custom bouses and designate by law collection or revenue distncts this latter branch ofthe p.wci carries its own condemua.iou upon its tiico ; becnu.se by placing custom houses and designating districts < ongresa could assume indefinitely the jurisdiction over all subjects of internal improvement from the sea coast to thc very sources of our rivers sonic baring ulrcady extended very far into the interior of tl.e country hut the difficulty does not end here what lins happened may possibly he again — formerly for collecting direct end internal luxes tho slates were luid oil to collection or revenue di-tricl.s and thus upon the principle aaaerted congress could assume jurisdiction r every thing of a local character in tho country th wbs tell v ca r ol inia x is published one ti teeck at two dollars per annum puid within three months ; or two dollar hzxd fifty cenis if raid nt any 0 r time within ihr year v paper trill h discontinued until all arrmragc arc paid hides tit the editor's discretion — jo subscription icill be rc-a ceil for a less one _,/,,'/-.■ '" it is imposihlc to enter upon the dis cussionoftho proposed project involving such important consequences to tne popu lous and productive portions oftho coun try watered b tl.e roanoke river with oul feeling deeply sensible of the difficul ties in effecting so desirable an object and thedegreeof uncertainly attending ibe result of any operations where the causes to be governed areso infinite and power ful this is aparenl even to the most unpractised in the protession ol engineer ing wherever the coin --■ ol nature in her marine operations is to bo governed in iloed there is probably no subject within lb range of science where so much is doduced from hypothesis und where ne cessarily in the results there isso little curtain tv nor can we from the oauses already pu in practice adduce the evi dent of success of a.-iv series of operations having in view such improvments inas much as ever case is ofa new character this would appear tobo the fact when we bear in mind that probably in no one instance where operations have been car ried on for the improvement of harbours inlets a-c havo results mi-t the expecta tions entertained in espies ng these opinions i nm imp lied only by the desire ol impressing upon the conviction ol il.e sanguine the difficulties which belong to hydrograpical improvements without par ticular reference to the subject of this re port lo notify the editor ofa with tto d isronlinti , one month before thc cxpi button ofa year will be considered cut c •*,. w 1 ngagement any person procuring six solrrnt sub fcri/itrs to the carolinian shall have a ten-nth paper gratis advertising at the usual ratos all letters addressed to thc e.i'joi ttiust be post paid or they will nol bc at tended to oct these terms will bo strictly ad hd'od to is ternal imp ii o vement p-bul 1,11 ignoble pair ol devil was not the devil the author ofall evil .' the bree der of discord and suffering to nr first parents cun any filing be more in char actcr ' to what sir do ws owe our pre sent political divisions and discord threatening tho most calamitous conse quences but to thul most unfortunate ami iniquitous system ot legislation which commenced soon after the rinse of the war which has been called or known by the name of a new departure in poli ties sir i was a new — u most unfortu nate departure from all those iixo,l princi ples upon which xx had so happily acted heretofore an.l v bat is the consequence to what a statu of things have we come ! aro w not now standing upon the very brink of political perdition 1 is nol dis memberment nnd disunion talked of ami discussed in this l}i.iise iu every group of member a common subject out of doors and initio newspapers and to what bul this ileinoniaeul system oflegis lation scrambling for money and offices is it attributable ? who is so blind us no ... sen hat unless we speedily return to sound principles ruin must come ? sir it will be seen tha this reasoning is intended to apply not ulone to nag's head to all marine obstructions uud im provements mid is jieculinry applicable to the bwaah now let us hear whut the re port of the secretary of war made thi session tells us the report in relation to ocracnck inlet says : " the dredging i machinery designed to improve the chan nel of this inlet has been applied to that object on the part called the flounder slue during ull favorable weather since be beginning of 1830 and about 10,000 cu bic vnrds havo been excavated timet gineers report thut su far as a conclusion may be drawn f'toni obserration during a short period it is in fuvor of the final suc cess of tho experiment lt is found thai iu consequence of lho exposed situation of the place of operations not more than ubou 150 working days in a year can ho counted on nnd nt the present rate ten years would be requirud to complete the proposed excavation iu order to ulliiril in this case an opportunity of making as fair experiments us practicable it is in tended to apply another dredging iiiuchme ofgreaterlpower in aid of the one now em ployed c with these high authori ties in addition to what i have myself shown shall i nut be borne out in my opinion ofthe utter futility of such enter prises the secretary of war tells us that tbe afluir at ocracock is au experiment this 1 believe will be the third — i am told the fourth appropriation for that ob ject we havo now been mukiag he ap plications for something little less than three years i think and be secretary tells us it w.ll take ten years more ; tins is called an experiment i it is un experi ment witk a vengeance ; a thirteen years experiment ut the rule of twenty or thirty thou.sund dollars a year for what by their own showing and the lest ac quaintance with the mil ure ofthe obstruc tion can produce nothing but waste of money and eventual disappointment i have been informed by many respectable persons living on the bunks and other pla ces not remote thut the whole uffiir wus viewed ns n mere idle waste of money but as regards the mutl shoal belsw wash ingtou i cuuno see whut ia the difference is one is an obstruction a the upper part nfthe same body of water where it is cal led pamlico river uud the other ut lha lower part when it is called i'umlico sound both obstruct navigation and com merce iu explanation ofa romak from mr speight that his information wus drawn from pilots who were interested mr 11 said it was not alone from pilots but from many other respectable people as well as respectable people of ihis class whose information was likely o be per haps lieder than others the final suc cess nfthe swush i doubt ; as the tho ' near washington success would prohab attend that with meattt properly applied | v hcii the bill was about tn have its third reading nn incidental debate arose tor . lew ininulek on a question to recon sider the vote ordering it to be engrossed and read a third lime be motion for re consideration being rejected the question upon the passage of he bill comi.il up — ] mr hull suid ilia debute which had just occurred was to him wholly imlooked for it had been customary at l.is stuge of bills not io discus the details or prin ciples that having usually boon done pre viously it was however his purpose to give his views gun-orally on this subject both as to its details and principle uul bgibis n tutccd inlo-jic subject l-j mr speaker the whole of this bill is bad but some of its parts are if possible worse bun others ; indirectly the powor to erect toll gain is assorted whether intended or not and though the appropri ations havo been said to be to finish works already begun upon inspection this will be men not to be wholly correct and even if true it would no al.er be principles if vou begin in error it will nol become right by keeping iu the same course and us be saving is " throwing good money after bud wo also have thirty thousand dollars for surveys which is the initiulion ofall works of this kind and utter once commenced ynu are lold if yuu do not go on all the money you have applied will be thrown away and this by some is held a sufficient reason for throwing away thou sands and millions is it possible the peo pie who furnish thia money can longer be w illing to be taxed for such purposes ? il so tiod help them i this surveying nr engineering us it has been called i well recollect the com mencement ot this business us u si stem professedly debated on the giound of try ing tba principle of a system of internal improvements some three or four years ago when the present outs were the then ins i recollect frequently to have heard be charge made ot engineering the peo ple buying them up wilh their own mo ney now sir whether this was soor not i is not necessary lor mu to say — bn this i will say that i do not wish but tiny wbg shall have it in his power whether deservedly or not to say of us the parlies here whal was suid of the political par ties in england : what this rogue loses ihat rogue wins they are both birds of n feather the general power to regulate com merce therefore is the power particular ly relied on lt seems to have been tho intention ofour predecessors to settle and establish us a fundamental principle in our political institution that the state govern ments and federal government sh uld l.u considered us dislinut and tuparalp agencies established by tho peopl foi diflcrent purposes the oth und 10th amendment and iho second lurugrnph ofthe cth article nfthe constitution will upon clue consideration snliefy any rea sonable mind that such a principle is es tablished in this view 1 am su-slainad by a doctrine fairly deduced from the cons.i tution by no less authority then he su jpreme court — that all the powers of ihu general government are plenary or full powers over ha subjects committed by i the constitution to its ninnngonient this being the case all will admit that they i matt bc exclosivc poovc 4 ; und it tollowa £>„ lien's damn the outs and damn the ins and damn ihem all together i hope and desire the parties bore may never justly be subjected to anv such w it and sarcasm — would to god sir we could have but one party — one great party — all ke members of whieh instead of scrambling i'or plsce and public money shoald be found vieing w.lh each other in | disinterested efforts to promote the public good viewing the whole ofthis bill is dividuiilly and collectively as improper as lming objectionable upoa the same ground one part with another it would im difficult to give a preference to any | onn item over another i wus i think ; souie years since thai upon ibe maya-tilts ' road bill 1 look tho libert of oddreasing cfln rataarka ijih-j uouaa uadsreiremn