Mr. HOWARD. I was under a misapprehension, then, as to that. In proof of this I beg to call the attention of Senators to the fact that during the last summer there was a commercial convention held at the city were I resides, Detroit, who among other subjects, took into consideration the necessity of constructing a ship canal around the falls of Niagara. I know that a vast majority of that convention voted in favor of this great enterprise. I willnot undertake to say that the convention were unan imous upon the question, but the majority was so great as to approach very nearly to unanimity. And I an ertake to say further, what the honorable Senfrom NewYork will not deny, that that convention was composed of the most intelligent, the most enterprising men throughout the U.S., as well as various gentlemen who did them the honor to come from the British Provinces and participate in their deliberations. In the minds of that convention there was no doubt or hesitation about the necessity of this great work as an additional avenue for the outlet of western and northwestern productions to the eastern markets. That fact is, of itself, in my mind, quite sufficient to justify the interest which I feel, and which other western men feel, in the construction of this work. And I up rehend, sir, it will turn out in" the end that, owcver great and striking may be the success of the Niagara ship canal, that success will not rest with the weight of a pepper corn upon the revenues of the State of NewYork arising from the Erie canal. The canal and the railroads of that State, and all other facilities she can afford for the outlet of western products, will be filled to their utmost capacity in relieving the West of its surplus productions. Sir, I would say not one word by way of disaragin the great and generous State of NewYork. this to the policy of that glorious State, inau urated under the immortallClinton, that the orthwest is today indebted for a vast share of the prosperity, wealth, and power she enjoys. The Erie canal had the magic ed‘ect to create a commercial empire in the West, and it has grown with most marvelous ra idity from the day that canal reached to Bu alo until the present. Its growth has never been checked, at has been constantly in progress, and it is destined to go on from year to year and from century to century with this contin ued, almost miraculous growth, until we, or rather our posterity, will see the ripe fruits of De Witt Clinton’s great conception of a canal connecting the waters of the Atlantic with those of the Lakes. I will not occupy the time of the Senate longer except to say, in reply to some observations that fell from the Senfrom Ohio, thatI most earnestly object to the establishment of this work as a Government work. I do not believe the Government is well fitted either to construct or to carry on such a work, and it is my firm conviction that we shall pay out double, treble, perhaps even quadru le, the amount of money in the construction i we undertake to doit simply as a Government work, than will be required if the same work shall be done by a private corporation. By erecting a private corporation for the purpose we appeal to private interest; we invoke the vigilance of private interest to keep guard over this work, and to prevent unnecessary waste and unnecessary expenditure. As to another observation which fell from the honorable Senfrom NewYork, that it is not competent for Congress to erect a private corporation in the State of NewYork or this purpose, I can only say that I entertain an entire y different opinion. Nor do I understand that there has been any decision or any an nouncement of principles by the great and wise men to whom he referred which goes to establilsh the doctrine that the U.S. can create no corporation for commercial purposes within the limits of a State. It will e found that our legislation itself contains many contradictions of that asserted principle of constitutional law. I have no doubt of the power of Congress to erect a corporation for just such a par ose; nor do I dou t that if the question sha 1 ever be brought fairly before the SCOTUS, that tribunal will hold that we are invested with full power under the Constitution to establish it. Indeed, sir, if the 28th section shall be retained in the bill, so deep is my conviction of the unconstitutionality of it that I shall, I fear, be constrained to vote against it, for being satisfied that Congress is vested with adequate power to create this corporation in the State of NewYork, I feel reluctant to consent that our legislation shall depend upon the will of the State of NewYork, or upon the consent of any other bed on the face of the earth. MT. President, I hope the bill, without that section, will be passe, and not be postponed. I ask Senators, especially from the est, to pay a proper regar to what they must see are the interests of their own constituents, and to the opinions which have been so often expressed by our wisest and best commercial men. I ask them to have a proper regard to the interests of western agriculture, commerce, and trade, and, if possible, to relieve us, so far as practicable, from the heavy burdens our proactions are subjected to in their transit to eastern markets.