THE NEW TRANSPORTATION. 123 



Republic by advocating "a perfect system of roads and ca- 

 nals" throughout the country. They wanted a road like the 

 Appian way which should extend from Maine to Louisiana, 

 and serve, as they said, "as the principal artery of the whole 

 system." They advocated the connection of the Great Lakes 

 with the Hudson River, and for the purposes of political well- 

 being, as well as for those of commercial prosperity, they 

 urged upon Congress the wisdom of beginning, at least, 

 the connection of all parts of the Union by a great and well- 

 defined system of waterways and highways. In a modified 

 form these most statesmanlike demands were finally embodied 

 in a bill which passed both houses of Congress, but it was 

 vetoed by Monroe, who did not believe it to be in accordance 

 with the Constitution to make use of the National treasury 

 ip the development of internal improvements. After attempt- 

 ing in vain to pass the bill over the President's veto, the 

 Congress reverted to its former method of providing for 

 road-building by the appropriation of funds received from 

 the sale of public lands. In 1811, 5 per cent, of such pro- 

 ceeds were given to Louisiana for roads and levees, as a like 

 per cent, had previously been voted to Ohio. A like per 

 cent, of a similar fund was given to Indiana in 1816, and 

 the following year Mississippi profited in the same manner. 

 In succeeding years Alabama, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa 

 were all voted funds for the building of highways and wa- 

 terways. During these years also the annual appropriations 

 for the Cumberland, or National, Road were continued, the 

 last order, amounting to $150,000, made May 25th, 1838, 

 bringing the sum total for this road alone up approximately 

 to $7,000,000. 



Toward the plan of a complete system of National high- 



