Mr. ALLISON. Mr. Speaker, before entering upon the discussion of the merits of the particular bill now before the House for its consideration, I wish to say a word in relation to the general purpose sought to be effected by this class of  improvements, namely, the openingu of new and the enlargement, of the natural channels of communication wherehydhc agricultural products of this country may have aclicap and easy traiisit from their points of production to the markets of the world. It i manifest that by whatever sum we lessenathie cost of transportation, by that sum we enrich either the producer or consumet of these products. Iiindertakc to say that in the aggregate there is no class of our people that receive so little reWard for their labor as those who till the soil, and no class will be more benefited by the class of legislation here proposed than the agriculturist, inasmuch as we have for many years produced a surplus of breadstuffs which must be exported in some form. The foreign market for this surplus affects the price of the product conSume at home. Hence it is that the markets in Liver pool control, to ngreat extent, the price of the wheat, the earn, the beef, and pork at Chicago or n on the farms of the West. Our farmers aret us brought in competition with the wheat growing countries “of Russia, Egypt, and fur key, and whatever will cheapen the cost of transportation of the products of the farm will aid the farmer until the demand at home or abroad exceeds the supply when the consumer will be benefited. the States most directly interested in this subject are the great prairie States of the West, as they produce nearly if not all the surplus cereals now produce in this count, as will be readily seen by a ref erence to the statistics upon this subject. In 1864 there was produced in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, one 4th of all the livestock produced in this country amounting in value to $240,000,000, in round numbers; of wheat, more than 1/3rd, or 60,000,000 bush els; of corn, nearly one half, or 230,000.000 bushels: of ca le, 2,000,000, or 1/3rd of the whole prod t; and of hogs, 4,000, 005)i, sh or with a population of about 3 10ths of the whole population of this country. The surplus of this enormous product. must find a market in NewEngland and other eastern States or it must go abroad. I but state the truth when I say that our farmers are now being ground to powder between the upperand nether mill stone of monopoly that requires for transportation to NewYork one bushel of wheat for every bushel transported from the Mississippi to NewYork, and 2 for every bushel of corn thus transported; and for this reason they are looking With intense interest upon our delib erations here to give them some relief whereby theirtoil may be properly rewarded. The measurenow before the House I have no doubt will be of material service in the right direction. But it is not enough, and this Congress willfail in the discharge of one of its most important obligations to the country if it adjourns without passing an act tt remove all obstructions now in the way of the safe and continuous navigation of the great river that threads itself mid way between the oceans that mark our eastern and western boundary. running from the British possessions to the Gulf of Mexico. That is the natural highway for the commerce of the Mississippi val ey, both to the eastern portions of our own country and to foreign markets and the West. will not be content until the obstructions in the way of successful navigation of this river are removed, the most material of which lie upon the borders of Iowa and Illinois. We are told that we must find a home market by building up in our midst manufactures, and thus bring the consumers of bread to the doors of those who produce it. I will say or do nothing that would discourage the growth of manufactures in the West or elsewhere in our country, but by properand prudent legislation encourage their growth and to that end would welcome eastern ca )ital seeking investment in that direction. ct no one who has beheld and traveled over our boundless and fertile prairies can fail to see that this region is destined to become, if it is not now, the granary of the world, and with all the looms and spindles of NewEngland and the forges and rolling millsofPennsylvania transplanted there we would still have asnrplus o agricultural products that would be transported a long distance before a market could e secured. It is safe to assume that the increase of population, including immigration, will keep pace with production of cereals and breadstuffs, and the agriculturist will always seek the cheapest and most productive sfls. It has been reasonably estimated that of wheat alone there will be produced at the beginnin of the next eentu anniially 500 mifiion bushels, and O corn at ledst 3 times that number of bushels, one halftrt: which will be produced in the prairie States weht of Chicago, and chiefly consumed at. points east of Buffalo, and must. in some form be transported thither. This cannot be done exceptt irolugh the improved natu ral channels which naturedias worked out by way of NewOrleans and the great lakes and here I wish to correct on erro; in which the Gentfrom NewYork [Mr. fliimunn] in common with many others has fallcn, namely, that because of the nature of the GulIetream and the warm climate wheat and corn cannot be transported hy way of NewOrleans. T difficulty does not now exist, as by means of “. elevators at convenient points on the river the wheatand corn can reach NewOrleans in a perfect condition, from which, it can be easily and safely transported to any of the markets of the world; and the fact is that the U.S. exports wheat and flour to Po ugal, Brazil, and Australia, and England irnlqkts largly from Turkey and Egypt; all this minerce being across the tropics subject to theM imatic influences which prevail in the Gulf. I mention these enernl facts in relation“ to this subject that tie House may understand that the West will imperatively demand, and now, that this great river shall have removed from it the obstructions which binder and imede its safe and easy navigation. This House has partially recognized.his great want in the passage of the river and harbor bill, on yesterday, but the sums there appropriated will scarcely more than commence the great improvements demanded to secure the uninter rupted navigation of the Mississippi river from StPaul to the Gulf. In demanding these improvements we do not ask for the establishment of any new policy, but only a full recognition of the long established policy of the Government. often disputed, lint as often asserted in“ the legislation of the country. Thesame grant of power to regulate commerce with foreign nations authorizes Congress to regulate commerce among the several States. This power has been asserted from the foundation of our Government, in making appropriations for lighthouses. bes cons, buoys, and public iers erected orplaced within the bays, inlets, iarbors, and ports of the U.S. to render navigation safe and easy and for the last ten years we have appropriuted not less than 31.000000 annual y for this purpose, without objection, in order to protect the foreign commerce of the U.S. when in fact ur transoceanic commerce does not omens tomore than one 10th of our domestic commerce, and when the former “1 could not have existed for the last few years but for the productions of the food producing States of this country. Sir, the tonnage of the Eric canal alone amounted tomore than the total tonnage transported to and from the U.S. for the years 1802 and 1863. The 5 States of Illinois, Wise onsiu, Missouri, lowa, and Minnesota, lying west of Chicago, bordering on the mississippi and on the lakes, furnished 1/3rd in value of the staples exported during the years 1861, 1862, and 1803 and here shall take the liberty of quoting from an address delivered by a distinguished citizen of my own city, P Robb, Es., before a convention of shippers and merchants held at Dubuque, which sets forth in concise terms the value of this commerce to our country. He says: “ An examination of thestatisticsfully establishes the additional fact that these 5 Statesduring the years18611, 862 and 1863s. hipped East 150% moro corn and moiil, nnil 25 filer cent. more pork products than were oxported om the entire country during the some poi mil. These States not only supply the export w lost of the entirecountry. but alsothe export corn and pork products. The contributions, theretorc, iniulo by Illinois, Wisconsin, MissouriMinnesota and Iowa, to the exportsof the U.S. in these 3 losdmz agricultural staplesalone. are as follows: 18661. 1861 62. 1862 63. Wheat. Cornand mcal. 6.1LSTJ60 9.6mm 9.011.331 Pork products. Total., 013.724$04, 017, 303$81, 695, 674 "Excluding gold, silver and bullion which are hardly analogous to other products, and the entire exports of domestic products of the U.S. mowed in lBdO Glto $211.666Ak3ini: 1861 45t2o $1“9I0 have 387 raagnedeinxp1o8rt6s2o SecyGLO. for the 3 years was 374.18383, and the ayera c exports which these 5 S to: cgntributed in w oat. corn and ork alone was, 570, 56866 or vary nearly one “I In18811. 862a.nd 1863 the average yearly tonnage of all American vessels engaged in transoceanic commerce and entering the portsof the U.S. was 256427 tons and the average tonnage of all the vessels of all countries engaged in oceaniccommerce and entering the ports of the U.S. was 341.867 tons. Now, the 3 staples contributed by these 5 upper Mississippi Statesto our exports were equivalent to 1, 315, 0(tIlons annually. They. there forq. not only contributed 1/3rd in value to our entire experts. but gave employment upon theocean tomore than 1/2 of nl our American tonnage, which was cquivnlont to one4th of all the tonnage of all nations, our own included, entering the U.S. History and nonnegtuuerdni sinhathpoatrraalnlesl. ocBeuatnfice rcothmemreelriecef. afforded by the productive industry of this section opuarirendation daslhcipresdmituwstohualvdehroatted baetetnhseeirriwouhsalryveims." I regret, Mr. Speaker, that I have not the time to note more largely from this address, which is in itself a complete argument on this SuIbsject. it possible that those who organized our Government intended to confine the power to regulate commerce to that only which appertains to our intercourse with foreign nations, is power the most important in its creation and most extensive in its operation which can belong to any Government 1 Is it not certain that they intended to remove this power from the disjouited and conflicting legislation of the States and place it under the auspices of a united and cflicient Government, a power to be lar ely, liberally, and beneficially construed in furtherance of the great objects of Government, to be exercised {findently and wise l by the Congress of the U.S., an to operate as well Within the several States as upon our foreign commerce? we are imperatiyely called upon now to exercise this power in behalf of the agricultural interest of the country in order to furnish cometing lines for the transportation of their proucts, so that the corn of the prairies may reach NewEngland and the East where it is needed for consumption and exortation, instead of being burne as now for ucl. We want these iin provements to encourage the development of the great West, so that the food consuming States may have cheap bread and the farmer may receive an adequate reward for his toil. A nd inasmuch as thi! bill has a tendency to diminish the cost of transportation by creating a competing line of communication, it will receive the support of the people of the western States and the sanction of their Representatives. The Gentfrom NewYork [Mr. J. M. Hournasr] finds fault with this measure because he can find in the Constitution of the U.S. no power to vass it; but if he will refer to the measures that have been at various times before Congress he will see that it has become the uniform policy of the government to engage in these great works of internal improvement. There has scarcely been a Congress that has not in some form or another recognized this principle in our legislation. But the Gentfrom NewYork [Mr. J. M. HUMPHREY] objects to this measurebecause it is within the State of NewYork alone, because it does not connect any 2 States, but the whole of the proposed iin prove ment is necessarily in the State of N NewYork. He seems to forget that it unites by water communication the great chain of lakes which float the commerce of man States and opens a direct communication With the ocean that bears upon its bosom the commerce of the world. Now, I think this bill finds its sanction in many provisions of the Constitution. as in the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several States,” “to declare war,” “to raise and support armies, ” “and provide for the common defense,” “to provide uud maintain a navy, ” &c. It is admitted that this measure will be one of necessity for the protection and defense of our northern lakes should we come in conflict with England. But the gentleman says we are not likely to have a war with that country. Why, sir, upon the principle be advocates we cannot cast a cannon nor builda fortification in time of pence, because it is not necessary except as a war measure. We could not build a ship for the protection of our commercial marine because we are not engaged in war. I believe the true policy of the government is, in time of peace to prepare for war. Therefore it is that whatever is necessary to control and protect the commerce of our great northwestern lakes and the States bordering upon them as a war measure, the Congress of the U.S. certainly has power to adopt, and it is the sole judge of the exigency which shall call for the exercise of that power. But another objection of the gentleman is that it interferes with the properlocal jurisdiction of the State of NewYork. The Gentfrom NewYork will bear in mind that we are constantly interferin with the local jurisdiction of the States. e have done it in a marked instance in the p c of a national bankinglaw whereby we controled the moneyed interest and power of this country by the creation of national banks. By the o crations of that act in the State of Iowa, which l have the honor in part to represent, a State bank system has been utter destroyed. Under the constitution of that State acurter organizing a general banking system in that State must be suEbmittedto a vote of the people, and we had asstein there which had been thus submitted an passed upon favorably; and yet, under the national baning law, our State bank system has been utterly ignored and driven out of existence, and without the consent of the State Legislature. A national system has been established there in violation of our State policy. So that we do interfere with the local policy of States by our legislation here, and we have the constitutional power to interfere when it is necessary for the general interests of the government, Or to carry out specific powers granted in the Constitution. More the hammer fcll.]