Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1838-12-08

itv of receiving any thing from them, in the
mean time, has formed no part OF any one o! the
proceeding calculations. Are they to be lost
sight of, Are they to be set down as noihing.
Not If we are permitted to Judge from preseu,
appearances. For, by looking to their present
state of forwa rdness we find ninety miles of The
Wabash and Erie Canal; thir,y-one miles of the
White Water Canal: twenty-three miles of the
Indianapolis division. and twenty miles OF the
southern division of the Central Canal; TWEEN
tv-two miles of the Madison and Indiana polls
Rail Road. and fnriy-tw miles ofthe New Albany
and Vmcennes McAdamlzed road. all completed
and ready for navigation or using In the spring
We find, Furthermore. that there are now under
contract fi.y-five miles OF the Wabash and Erie .
Canal; twenty -four miles of the White Water /
Canal: forty three miles of the Central Canal,
twenty five miles OF the Cross cut Canal; seven
mites Of the Erie and Michigan Canal the grad !
ing of twenty-seven miles of the indianapolis and
LAFAYETTE road; fifty-three miles on the Jetfer
sonvi!lc and Charlottesville road ;tw enty-six miles
on the New Albany and Vincennes road; and
four miles on the Madison and indianapolis Rail
Road, making, altogether an aggregate OF two
hundred and twenty seven miles of Canal, Rail
and McAdamized road completed; and two hun
dred 6. sxty-four miles now under contract be-
sides the dam and lock, and all the improvements
necessary overcome the distractions at the
Rapids of the Wabash River Facts, certainly,
which most cheeringly demonstrate that let our
Legislative supinenss, or providence. or mis-
mana cement, be what they may that neither the
Board of Internal Improvement, the Engineer
j Department. the contractors and laborers en-
gagged upon the works, can be charged with like
defaults, or with having been wanting in any OF
! the essential requisites of energy. or industry,
or perseverance. Why If the same spirit. the
same energy, and the same perscvcrance-wlth
a little better management-be only kept up, we
may confidently assert that by 1913 the Wabash
and Erie Canal. at least to Covngton, if not far
Their the White Water Canal to Hagerstown: the
Central Canal from Evansville to the feeder dam
on White river and from Martinsvlle to the
Wabash and Erie Canal; the Cross-cut Canal !;
the Madison and indianapolis Rail Road; and the
New Albany and Vincennes McAdamized Road,
will all be completed and In full operation; be-
Sides considerable portions Of the Erie and Mich
igap Canal; the Lafayette and indianapolis, and
the Jacksonville and Charlottesville McAdam
Roads Can it, therefore, with the least shade of
propretv be said that nothing can ought to be
expec ted from them in the mean time; in a word
that they to be only a bur'hen and an OK
! pense to us? Strange fit would!
have now finished, as briefly could, what
: ! promised in the beginning-to endeavor the as
certainment of our true position-the exact meas
ure of our trength-embraclng the extent and
character of our several means and RESOURCES
/, The facts, the conclusions and the recommends
: tons growing out of them leave with you, thai
You may dispose of or give to them whatever
I weight or consideration your better Judgmen
Va
: anime the mode OF manner in which our public
= works have been prosecuted. Unless l great,
err, the spirit Of economy may be permitted I
enter here and become a reformer to a very con
siderable extent. MANY useless expenditure
NAV be avoided, and the system conducted Il
n such a way as to render the works more speedi
productive, and, consequently, less burthensom
to the people. And, here: permit me to remark
that nv views. on this branch of our enqulr,
have andergone no change The plan sngges
honor of delivering from this place, on taking tn
y, Executive Chair, | still adhere TO. Indeed exp
- rience since has only confirmed me In II the MOI
strongly What was it? 1t simply "to col
:, "ccntrate (for repeat the same language) "tf
- "mcnns OF the State portions OF each work
>, '.the same time, commencing at the most prof
- cable and commercial points, to be designate
ga ga ssby the Legislature the Board of Internal II
10 s'provement; to complete these portions resPec
=, s'ively before others touched; and, as soon
:: completed, put into use In order that the ota
=, :. 'may be realizing something from them wni
-. .she is in the act of finishing the remainder"
'"' Was this plan adopted! Has it been acted G.
~. The very reverse. Cast your eyes over the M
~ - of the State, and you will find portions
49, many of the works under contract, remote fro
III each other, so much SO, that in some instances
~ will require the labor of two three years
- connect them together. What must be the &C
"a sequence? Why that the money expended up
~ them must remain ust so much dead capital IN
4
'ue But my plan obviates these objections IN gre
- measure. The same extent OF work would
w completed by it in the same time; but with t
marked differ renee that while the latter portions;
completing, the first portions completed would be
nc! use.gathering tolls and benehtng the country tn
40 which they pass. Am asked TO designate a cou
P., thnt would likely lead TO such result? Topoint
'in the steps by which reformation can be safely
80 ectede
y propose and recommend first, that the Boart
my Internal Improvement be reorganized, that it
~ made hereafter to consist of but three memb
NJ, be elected by the legislature, regardless of
nno calitv place with fixed salary, each of fit
~, hundred dollars pei annum; that It be made
8 duty Of one of them to take charge of the /
w and Michigan Canal, the Wabash and Erie Ca
P, To Logansport. TO superntend the sales and
,pro- ~ 80. ,,., 80 tho coo of ,ha -
suii works divided between them. Give to this b
'o'h also the power of employing and fixing the
-. or salaries of engineers. The Board, as at
N ent constituted, the State eleven thous
four hundred and ninety-seven dollars and
-, cents. As propose to constitute it, it W
. cost only four thousand FIVE hundred dollar
y IL