Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1841-02-06
REPORT Of the Select Committee IN relation
Ia the Eichmond "A nd BTookviiie Canal;
BY DIR. NJ. LANCASTER


ject under their consideration, make the ioiio"
ing Report:
Tn. committee in entering on the discharge OF
their duty, were sensible OF The ditiIcuties maj
surround the consideration Of every question re
spccting the subject of improvements at The pres
ent time; situated as The state under much EN-
barassmeni, and undetermined as yet III me
her future legislation should pursue, inrei-
erence her public works. One truth howG'-
CIR arrested their attention, and that was, Inc ne
cessity as imperative upon states as to indiVidu-
ais, OF fading relief from existing entnralmcnf,
and securing success TO any iuinre enterprise,
only by n prudent husbandry OF their resources,
and applying them actively, TO lhelr rescue anu
support.
Not the least Of tho evils att cndant on our pres
ent situation - that distrust entertained by dit-
ferent sections oi tho state, forwards each other
fatal to any compromise OF conflicting interests
or concentration of public re5ourccs-eFer es-
scntiai to the accoInpli snmcnt ot important re-
suits. Ia njnctton with This ndisPostion to bar
monte, the embarrassed finances of the state,
and the condition of tho money markets OF the
CONNIE REAL world, by curtatlIng the means OF an
active prosecution, carly completion OF the
public WORKS, present themselves as Interpo5ing
serious obstacles, III the way OF rendering await
able the expenditures OF money hitherto made.
In this situation OF the public interests and
state of public feeling, it must be unprecedented
that any proposition IN reference to P"bic I'm,
proyements, will incur tag risk OF a haztY aud
partial Judgment, and perhaps Of an unfavora-
bio decision. When its merits, under a "isoaS-
sionate aud disinere8ted investigation, would Gu
title IL to confidence and support. The commit
tee howey III new uf the importance of ncrcas-
lug the production of those portions OF the public
works that are now completed, regard tho propo-
sIt1n of the petitioners claiming particular at
tontIon at the present time; and trust that its
novelty will not deny 1T that consideration lis
intrinsic merits justly demands.
The Rchm lad and BroolV!io Canal, which
the company are actively engaged Ia prosocu-
ting, Is "A Branch of the White Water Canal, 10
iersecting the latter at DroolVlllc, and extending
about thirty miles through the counties OF Frank
lin, Union and Wayne, to Richmond. its tormina-
ton. The taxable property of those Counties
an which the work lies, in 1899 amounted to 3d.
433,o5i. nearly eleventh part If the entire 'al-
uatIon Of all tue property OF the state Ana me
portion OF Franklin, the county OF Union, tAe
eastern half Of Wayne. and the country north OF
them, which IS accommodated only by ,hrs work,
ia consequence Of lying either remote from the
tho state improvements, or between thcm and the
market to which their products 90, contain pop
uIation of near 10000 inhabitants, and paid into
the treasury in the year 1850, upwards Of S2J,
geo.
The production Of this portion of the State, is
not exceeded by any other of equal extent In IT.
Richmond, At the termination Of the work, con
tains n large and indus trious population, and en-
ploys Iii It's manuta tories a far greater amount
OF capital and labor than any other town in the
the State. Tho extent of its trade, together
with that OF the whole region of country whose
products this Improvement is designed to circu,
late, we'll as the peculiar situation of the dis
trIct differing from all the other boundaries OF the
State, III having natural channel of navigation
contiguous, Im?eratlvely demands improved
highway OF the character which, (undcr the neg .
Iect OF the SIate,) the company have undertaken.
THIS enterprise they have prosecuted with
energy which, considering the unfavorable condi-
ton OF the times, marks the high confidence of
that section of the State, in the uiiitv-aud the
general convection of the uecessitv-of the work
and affords the best guaranty of its productive
ness when completed 1t need not however be
disguised, that when the company organized, 1T
was confidently expected that the State would as
sist IN lis construction by subscription Of one
malt lis cost. The survey and location OF the
work, and order for the estimate of It's probable
production (ailuded 10 in the petiton) by the
State-the practice of Ohio then recently adop-
ted, OF the State taking one-haf the stock for pub
lie improvement, where the citizens concerned
testified TO It's Importance by the subscription and
payment of the other hali-aII seemed Justify
such an expectation. And your committee are
Wiling TO leave 1t to past future experience
determine whether such policy, in relation TO f;
all the improvements of the State, would not
have saved the public from much Improbable ex-
penditure, aud equally secured the execution of
mefitor!ous works. In the present condition OF
the public finances however, the citizens interes-
ted IN this work do not approach the legislature
with any proposition 10 increase the public bur
den. Whatever may he the M ture and strength
OF their claims; question of right. they wave /.
us consideration upon such ground at the present
time; and from regard for the general interests
are only willing that their proposition shall be
consiered with reference to those public benefits
which 1t is calculated to produce.
The number of stockholders is small compared
with the whole number of tax PAYERS in the dis
irici, and even upon the line of the work where ,
the value of taxable property will be greatly az
fected by the Improvement And the amount of
ten per centum upon cash paid. will take from ,
me revenue, after a few more instalmen;s are g
Pa'd IN, but little than one or two per cent
upon all the larger subscriptions and IS DESIGNED
runner Tor the smaller subscriptions and poorer @
socHho.ders; 10 encourage them to q prompt pay f
"eh' Oh 'neir instaments, by whose cordial coop