The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-04-25


nal to Terre Haute, and from thence, by the
cross-cut, las it is termed) to White river,
and from thence, by the Cantral caIa., to Ev-
%ansville, determined upon prosecuting the
work herself, and by her own resources. On
the work she expended a million OF dollars
it is believed something over. This million
of dollars will be a total loss if the work
shall be abandoned and SUITE red to sink in
to ruins. A fact connected with this expen-
diture deserves the attention of the Govern
ment. If that million of dollars had not been
expended, the greater part of another mil
lion ofdollars, long since received and dis
bursed by the Government of the United
States, would not have yet been received
for lands in the Vincennes district. Indiana,
by her efforts to improve her ~thoroughfares,
animated by a noble spirit-though she fail
by attempting too much-sold the lands of
tie United States to the mount of millions;
and she now, when her resources have failed,
comes to ask, not a gift, but for the compile
ton Of grant which was long since made
The undersigned repeat, that if the terms of
the original grant receive that liberal inter-
probation which the object requires, it will
only be complete when a complete naviga-
ton shall be furnished from lake Erie, through
the valley OF the Wabash. The northeastern
and southwestern waters-the one flowing
into the Gull of st. Lawrence, the other in
to the Gulf of Mexico-will then, and not
till then, be connected at s.navigable points,
in the liberal and appropriate sense of these
terms.
7. But it may be said, and is said by a por-
ton of the people of Indiana and Illinois,
that the canal is unnecessary-that the Wa
bash is the natural outlet, and may be so i'm
proved as TO supply a constant a vigation.-
A much greater number of the citizens of
Indiana think differently, and their petitions
and memorials are before us.
The State ofIndiana did not think SO, as
is most manifest by her legislative action,
and the subsequent proceedings of her
board o~fpublic works. She set on foot both
Improvements, as being necessary-co-oper-
ated with Illinois in reference to the river
improvement, as her legislative and execu-
tive documents will show. 1t is matter of
regrert that measures, which found harmonic
+ Gus action in the councils of the State,
should become antagonistical here. The
undersigned will endeavor to restore this
harmony; for, in doing ii, he believes the
the two works will be placed on their true
ground.
The river we have; so has Illinois for a
short distance. Its floods viii ever render
it a valuable outlet for our flour, pork, corn,
beef, and other articles that may be carried
off during the spring rains and thaws of the
snow and ice.
Thatit may be improvedb by the removal of
instructions at the rapids and at other places,
where the rock appears,is doubtless true ;and
that such an improvement would be ofgreat
utility, even if the canal were completed,
no one who understands the whole subject
doubts. Nor is there any portion of the COM
munity in the Wabash region, or in the State
of Indiana, that would oppose such an i'm
provement. But when the improvement of
the river is urg ed as al antaganistical meas
ure to the canal, and upon the supposition
that the latter is, and has been from the first
an unnecessary undertaking, and is not now
worth the completion, an issue is raised I'M
fortunate for both works, and which tends to
place each in a false light.
The canal is necessary-indispensable as
a channel of export of import, and of transit,
during those months; and the improvement
of the rapids, and removal OF other obstruc-
tons, will not dispense with the necessity of
t the canal. Neither is there any necessary
: conflict between these measures. The Sen
; ate's report only proposes TO grant one half
of the lands in the district; and it therefore
: results, that the opposition of the friends of
3 the river improvement does not necessarily
grow out of the true merits of each work.
t 1t only arises when that measure is present.
ed in a shape which implies that the State of
, Indiana was engaged for years in the prose
/ %cution Of a work, and expended a million
t of dollars on il, which was wholly useless; at