The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-06-21
For the Spirit Of Democracy.
N o. vi.


ing into law, for the relief Of Eden Burrows
The Miami canal had been dug through this gen
tlemans land, and as the statutory time for making
application for damages had long since expired, il
was proposed to pass special act of Assembly 10
enable him to sue the State for those damages
The antiquity of the claim excited the curiosity
of the subscriber inquired of Mr.. Burrows
representative, why that gentleman had slept so
long upon his rights; why he had not pressed his
claim for damages in the ordinary manner, as
soon as the canal was dug. He stated that Mr..
| Burrows was at that time RICH MAN and disre-
garded the matter, but he had since become poor
and reduced by misfortune, and hence had become
petitioner for the allowances of this old claim.
1t is to be hoped that sympathy with misfortune,
will ever form trait the character of every true
of Ohio, but the public taxes do not constitute
proper fund for the qualification Of that amiabe
feeling. If the claim was just it should have been
urged within the limited time and in the legal and
appropriate manner, while facts were fresh in the
memory of the witnesses, and there would be less
danger of error or mistake in the matter; if unjust
it ought not to be paid out of the State treasury.
| The great number of such claims by which the
some quarter necessary,--the bill failed through
| the resistance of the eastern members. t
The principle involved in all such cases is, a d-
rect preference of private over public interests; of
the interests of individuals over those of the great
body oftaxPayers. whose industry and economy fur
| mis- tha nd MI vorfe ifsaf in
more ways than one. The Mad River and Lake
Erie Railroad company, which has received two
hundred and seventy thousand dollars from theState
treasury, and which has been most assiduous and
successful applicant for remissions, releases and
| indulgences, allowed its chief engineer from two
thousand to twenty-five hundred dollars per annum
as his salary, and its engineer on the southern
division eighteen hundred dollars per annum, and
after the stoppage ofthe work he was still retained
at salary of eight hundred dollars per annum.
The Auditor of State, in one of his communica-
tons to the General Assembly, speaking of this
same hall insolvent, mendcant company, says,
"WEALTH and WINE were as plenty as paper and
townlot speculaons could make them, and labor
was removed from hand to hand by each to his
subordinate in rank as far as practicable. Why
should it not be sol With specuations in lands
as the basis, the public treasury was furnishing
nearly all the means by which the road was con-
structed, and upon which this host of place-men
existed" He is speaking of corps of engineers
in addition to those above mentioned. As shall
have occasion to speak Of this company In future
I all ,uitb rio
Let the reader compare the salary of $S25O0 for the
chief engineer of this company, whose duties
can not reasonably be supposed to have occupied
very large proportion of his time, with the pit
tance of $3.50 doled out by our present law to the
president Judges of our courts, who must in most
of the circuits be absent from home more than half
their time, and whose travelling expenses can not
generally fall short of 81 so $2 per day. And
this at time when our canal tax, which is applied
to nothing but the payment of INTEREST on the
canal debt, is in about six fold proportion to our
regular State tax. In the struggle of interests,
the weakest comes to the wall. No rich morsels
are reserved for the individuals engaged in the
genere service of the State II is only the gentle
men engaged in 'private business publicly paid
for who grow fat and become able to build mar
Bile palaces.
1t would be easy to produce !other examples of
the working of the same principle. The Miami
extension canal is State work altogether. 1t has
cost the State about three millions of dollars
This, let it be remembered, is exclusive Of the
enormous sum spent upon the Miami canal ITSELF
Tba o,nJS of oil inf al
men that there have been most wasteful and lavish
expenditures on this work, is very general. A
great part of the excavation was let at thrty-fve
cents, the solid yard to the original contractors.
These underlet at thirteen cents the solid yard,
thus making a speculation of twenty-five cents
good bargain for was told by gentleman living
on the banks of the canal, that the farmers along
the line would willingly have performed the work
for eight or nine cents. 1t is due to candor to
remark, that should place far less reliance the
accuracy of these private sources of information,
if the impression which they are calculated to
make were not powerfully corroborated and con-
frmed by the report of the Auditor Of State. He
charges wasteful and lavish expenditures on this
line of public works, in language too strong and
unequivocal to be misunderstood; and well was he
warranted in using such language.
But perhaps the circumstance which of all others
contributes most to render the canal system odious
and insupportable to the unimproved counties, is
the naughty, overbearing conduct of the canal
counties and their representatives. The Mercer
county reservoir contains 1900 acres, mostly
covered with heavy timber. In the fall of 1912 a
controversy sprung up between the citizens Of
that comfy and the board of public works; the
citizens insisting that the timber should be cleared
out of the reservoir before the water was let in,
the board insisting that such measure would be
useless and even pernicious, and they let in the
wateTaccordingy. InMay, last year, the citizens,
or rather the mob, madea regular appointment and
met to the number of one hundred and more, and
spent two days in cutting down the embankment
4 Izla.. Al r. Til.nI