MR. H A M E R. 285 



out of the public treasury, to be expended in his own region ol 

 country, or among his constituents. That principle would render 

 our legislation little else than a pitiful scramble for the public 

 money. On the contrary, he viewed this great republic as one 

 and indivisible. He did not look forward to a day when it would 

 be split up into a number of confederacies ; and, in anticipation of 

 such an event, busy himself to get as much as possible of the 

 common funds appropriated to his section of the country, in ad- 

 vance. He held that no man, or set of men, could dissolve this 

 Union. The great mass of the American people were devoted to it, 

 and they would not permit its dissolution. He did most solemnly 

 believe, that if it were dissolved to-day, in less than three months 

 the people would have another constitution formed, and in full 

 operation ; and they would politically destroy any man or set of 

 men who should attempt to prevent the reunion. The country was 

 made to be united ; the people felt it to be their interest to remain 

 so ; and he would repeat what he had before said, that this coun- 

 try was one and indivisible, and would remain so for generations 

 to come, in spite of all the efforts of selfish, designing, or disaf- 

 fected politicians to seduce the people from their allegiance, or to 

 weaken the attachment they owed to their common country. 

 Viewing things in this light, he had uniformly voted for whatever 

 appeared to him to be required in any part of the country. Ap- 

 propriations often seemed to be of local character, and were so in. 

 some respects ; yet, when properly considered, they were of na- 

 tional character and of general utility. Thus, a custom-house in 

 Baltimore, New York, or Boston, belonged as much to him and 

 his constituents, as it did to the persons who resided in those cities, 

 or to the gentlemen who represented them on that floor. They 

 were necessary to aid in the collection of the revenue, which sup- 

 ported the government ; and they were placed at those particular 

 points, because it was most convenient for the commercial com- 

 munity, and for the whole people, that they should be thus located. 



