The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-02-01

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per annum Ii the duty salt continued 10 be APP
piled 10 education or such other objects as lhe Legis
lature may choose. The amount Df surplus revenue
can be easily asceriainsd and IN depend entirely
on the economy which shall mark the various de-
parmeniS Of government
II Is not necessary that should dwell on this sub
lecl the papers connected with the several funds VIII
be laid before the body over which you preside. But
do recommend aud hope that you will insist upon
settlement among an the funds and final balance
Of accounts The General Fund--the Common
School Fund--ihe Literary Fund-the Bank Fund,
and all The separate funds and accounts, with The
several canais BY adjusting the accounts as pro-
posed In this letter bstween the General Fund and
the g General Internal Improvement Fund all the
others cen be easily settled
BY adopting this plan The accounts will be so SIM
pli6ed as to enable any member OF The Assembly q
Understand them while il viii provide perpetual
and ample revenue for The Stale without looking 70
II Is no small advantage in this plan that no sur
plus viii be eft 10 the State beyond what may DC
produced by an economical administration OF the
government; and II II should be necessary or ad-
yisabeto increase the Common School or Lilera ure
Fund the yearly surplus can be transferred 10 one
Of these important funds and thus on the hrs DAY OF
each fiscal year balance the State ITeasurers ac-
counts t -,
Having hastily shown that the State finances viii
be benefited BY general statement and equitable SET
Element OF accounts with the several funds ana par
ticularly with The Canal Fund, VIII now explain
how much the Internal Improvement system can DC o.,
aiyanced. and how every section Of the State will
derive advantage from this arrangement;
have proposed 10 establish a Consolidating Fund
10 be called" The General Internal improvement
Fund" and thai the same should be arranged ana
organized on a comprehensive scale, and form an
| independent department. All the works now con-
sruced hereafter made, and all expenses connect
ed directly individually with any proposed ~oiks,
together with the sums above referred 10 which shall
appear TO be due to the General and other funds,
shouIdbe made charge upon this fund; IN inns lhis
.....l. IA t.a tulih
and Champlan CaDals--the Oswego Cayuga and
seneca Chemung, Chenango GeneSSee Valley,
Black River and Crooked Lake canals, also all
loans Of the credit OF the State either To individuals
subscriptions and loans 10 Railroad and other corpo-
ratons for surveys as well as construction, which
have been or hereafter may be made.
These accounts with the several canals, when trans
ferred tothe General Internal Improvement Fund,
shall cease TO be considered as separate funds, and
shall be merged into one general sum. In other
words, would say that the account with The Oswe-
90 canal shall not charge to that account The amount
Of cost and expense, and require tolls TO be imposed
upon II as separate canalior the purpose OF balanc-
ing the aceount-but the tolls should be charged
and collected ii all the branches were one canal,
and all the deb.S and expenses one and the same.
In truth we have but one canal, unless we except
the Champlain Canal for the Erie Canal being the
main trunk or artery and the others being connected
with it, are merely branches-and we may as well
atempt to distinguish between treeand Its branches,
ance which uniteS the body and limbs as 10 attempt
to make the distinction in this case.
Indeed, it is impossible 10 separate them without in
Jury. The dependence is mutual and the connec-
lion so valuable each that they cannot be separat
ed and do justice to either.
The opponents of our system of Internal I'm
proyements have always referred 10 The deficiency
of revenue the lateral canals 10 meet the interests
on the debt and the expenses as an argument against
all other applications for the construction of public
works.
On another occasion placed opinions on this sub
ec on record, TO the following effect:
While the Stale Is the owner OF the grand canal,
which extends through the richest part OF her terri
Tory and derives from the product and merchandise
that float upon its waters, an unlimited amount Of
tolls il cannot escape notice, that every avenue con-
necied with the Erie, which offers cheap and easy
intercourse with The adjacent country, must add 10
the revenue Of the State in proportion to the addi-
tonal amount of tolls collected on the imports and
exports which lateral branch will throw on It's
waters ea
To illustrate our position, we will instance the
Cayuga and Seneca Canal. This canal has of.en
been quoted by the opponents OF Internal improve-
menis conclusive proof that the State, IN justice
10 the citizens, ought not to prosecute this system
farther,
This canal Is 90 miles inlengh and cost ss2390o0
Il Yields revenue of gil 516, and its interest and
expenses amount 10 Sl5,9S2. Here appears to be
deficiency Of $4, i07 But when we take into con-
Sideraion the fact, that the canal enptieS into the
Erie AT Montezuma 206 miles from A bany; that
nearly all The merchandise which passes up this
canal is transported on the grand canal, and that
products which are destined Tor market are borne
easiwardly 10 Albany, we can easily estimate the
difference between the Cayuga and Seneca an in
dependent canul, and as a branch of the main arc-
~ In the one deficiency of from four TO
FIVE thousand dollars is the consequence, while in
the other yearly surplus OF near one hundred thou
sand
Here, then is an undertaking, which, with ordi-
nary tolls, would prove ruinous TO individual enter
prise that affords TO the State at least 80 per cent on
the investment
Suppose this canal had been constructed by indi-
vidual enterprise; what would have been the conSe-
quenceSl communication of one hundred miles
stretching into country possessing productive
soil, healthy climate, and an industrious and enter
prising population, would have been placed under
the control OF company, subject TO such impostons
and tolls as the cupidity OF individuals might i'm
pose, while, BY the tolls they are compelled 10 pay
Tor transportation on the Erie canal, they would be
paving the public debt for the relief and benefit Of
their more western and fortunate brethren while
the citizens Of the west, bordering on our canals
would BE- benefited BY the payment Of the canal debt,
The inhabitants residing or near the shores OF the
Cayuga and Seneca would find themselves doomed
To everlasting tTinuie. Would This be fair would
il be just Z In this case had the State permitted
individuals 10 construct the canal, an incalcnable
injury would have been done To some Of her most
valuable territory, for the purpose Of saving four
thousand dollars per year, or by denying the rghtto
open the navigation Of those lakes, have sacrificed
al least ten thousand dollars per annum.
There can b. no proposition more selfevi6ent,
than that our internal Improvement system, when
Immediately connected with our canals, is in great
degree benefited, in proportion TO its extension.
II canal twenty miles long, is made 10 connect
with the Erie canal 300 miles from Albany, il is
plain that we have for all useful purposes added DO
miles of cana-that is TO say, by The opening of the
20 miles the main channel beneftled BY the tolls
on the additional products the 200 miles TO the mar
ket To make our position still more plain, we will
hat, lam
each, and that the cost and prob-ble products are
precisely the same that emntied itself into the