Mr. HOWE. Thatis true, says my friendfrom NewYork. We are agreed upon one oint, then. Now, I have to say to my friend, if he likes the style of the goods, why not increase the production? Enlarge the facilities for communicating between the Northwest and the sea board, and you will get more of the same style of goods. The Northwest has but begun to develop, but you cannot stand a much larger development; you have not the facilities. Commerce groans on its way between the interior and the sea board now. You must enlarge the facilities or we shall cease to grow, and so will you, for when we cease to grow you must. You depend upon us as much as we do upon you. The dependence is mutual. There can be no sectional interest here. But it may be said that this measure is an tagonistic to the Eric canal, and that we on ht to be grateffi to the Erie canal for what it as done. So we are grateful to the Erie canal for what it has done. Our gratitude is mani fested, if you call it gratitude. The account is not against us. We paid you for the Erie canal, and we paid you a large sum beside. we have paid more than 9 million dollars. The tolls levied upon this commerce which we are trying to provide for have paid for the Erie canal, and more than 9 millions beside. It has therefore cost you nothing, but you are the gainers by 9 millions of money through the construction of that simple work. Now, Mr. President, ought not NewYork to be willing to square accounts with us? We do not ask her to pay back that $0,000,000, but ought she not to be willing to settle, to jump the accounts, that being the way the thing stands? I conceive so. Ought she to insist that this already great country, in the basin of the lakes and in the valley of the Mississippi, already grown great, and which wants to grow greater, shall make its commerce trickle through that little one horse canal? No, sir; we want a two horse canal at once to do the business; a larger one as soon as we can get it. Steam must be employed not merely around the falls of Niagara; not merely between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario; steam must be employed to do that work the whole distance to the sea board; and sooner or later it will be. This is one of the steps. But the Senfrom NewYork rather undertakes to frighten us from the prosecution of this design by holdin up to us t ie prospect that the Eric canal, finding itself de reciated in usefulness by the construction oft iis work, will get impatient and discouraged and insist ii on being sold, and that the people of NewYork will demand to have it so d. Well, Mr. President, when the Erie canal becomes use less by the construction of a lar er, a more capable, a more generous rival, shall not have any particular objection to its being sold, and I shall have no particular objection to the NewYork Central ailroad Company buying it. But I am extremely inclined to think that when that day comes it will be about the last iece of property that the NewYork Central liailroad company would care to invest in. The NewYork entral Railroad Company will never want the Eric canal unless it can do business, and the Erie canal never can do business when there are larger and more capable rivals by its side; so that I am not specially terrified by that consideration. But, says the Senfrom Ohio, why will you agree to the construction of the work provided for in this bill, and abandon all control over the tolls, and allow an incorporated company to put such tolls upon the canal as they see fit to levy? Why, sir, we do not propose any such thing. There is every variety of control given to us that could be thought of. 1st we provide that once in 5 years a board of commissioners, one to be appointed by the President, one by the Governor of each of several States which are named, and one by the company, shall meet together for the purpose of revising the tolls; and 2ndly, we pIrovide that at any time the Congress of the U.S. may regulate the tollsjust as they please, put them high or at them low; and 3rd ly, we provide thati we are dissatisfied with both these measure of control we may purchase the property, pay for it, and make the canal free. 0 you want any more absolute control than that? Can you have it? Build it yourselves and you will not have any more control. Then Congress can put the tolls just as they please, and now they can put them Just as they please. But, says the Senfrom Ohio, we have been already making liberal npprppriations; this year we have appropriated from one to 2 million dollars for the improvement of harbors and the creation of defenses. That is a good thin to do. That makes the country just so much more wealthy; but is that any reason? Because you have a coat, Mr. President, is it any reason that you should not seek for a pair of pantaloons? Because you have harbors by which you can et into the ports on Lake Michigan and Lae Superior, is it any reason why you should not have a channel b which you can get to those harbors? Your arbors are in a measure useless without these added channels of communication. Why do you want to provide for commerce to go into your har bors unless you will provide the ways for commerce to get to them? But it is said it is a monopoly. What is a monopoly? This company; a company under the absolute control of the national Legislature, 'When you inaugurated the Pacific besides all these other controls! I repeat that the moment it begins to be a mono 0 y or not like a monopoly you have only to 0 what the Senfrom Maine and the Senfrom Iowa say they want to do, to wit, just launch the money out of the Treasury an buyit. Mr. President, I am not gain to detain the Senate. I could deluge the ho y with figures enforcing the necessity of this work; but I shall not do it. If figures were as cooling and refreshing as water, such a day would be the day to do it, perhaps. They are not, and I shall not occupy the time. I only ask gentlemen to be logical;I only ask gentlemen to act consistent l with their own a mission, with their own congression. They admit the necessity of the work; then let us build it. That is all there is of it. The committee thought it more prudent and more economical to employ a company. do not mean to go into the constitutional question. The Senfrom Maine has raised it. I think the Supreme Court has decided, and I believe the country has acquiesced in it, that whatever the Government may do directly by itself, either in the prosecution of commerce or of national defense or in any other way, it may do by the creation of a company. I be; lieve that that is the establishe law of the land today; but that there is any constitutional objection to this, I am not prepared to admit, nor am I prepared to take the time to argue against the assertion of it. if it is supposed that the State of NewYork ought to be consulted, that her assent ought to be required; upon that we have not definitely determined; that is not involved in this question of postponement. That we can consider as well this year as next; that is a question to be considered when that amendment shall be under consideration in the Senate. Although Ivoted for that amendment in committee. I have no more belief that we are under obligations to ask the permission of one State when the commerce of the U.S shall pass through it, or how it shall pass through. than I feel obliged to ask my consent when it can pass by my house. Sir, it seems to meif we are dealing honestly with this great interest we shall consider today or at this session whether it is one which the people demand or not. If we say it is one which the people do not demand, we shall vote against it. I we conclude (which every senator here concedes) it is one which the people do demand, we should commence to build it today. T his company is required to exhibit its faith by its works before the U.S. is called upon to contribute adollar; it is never called upon to contribute a dollar; but before you are asked to loan a dollar, this company musteontribute to the stock, payin, and expend in the construction of the canal $2000,000. Railroad Company, you required, I believe, but about 200,000 dollars to be paid in before you commenced to loan. This company is required to pay in and expend in the prosecution of this work $2,000,000, and when it hit 8 done that'it has got to contribute $300,000 as often as you contribute $200,000; and that contribution I speak of itso because others speak of it is aloan. A loan to whom? To this company. It, the company, is worthless; it will not be repaid. Do you say that? Then your admissions fall to the ground, for you admit that the work is a necessary one, and you are only afraid the tolls will be too high and that it will do too much. If thattion assump is correct, then the loan must be perfect y safe and the work will be built without costing the U.S. a dollar. Sir, I Will not detain the Senate longer .