The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-09-04
OTTAWA, ga, friday, sep. 1, 1896


the chicago journal anu the OttR"i No"stu'l'"-
elis,..-who are regarded as the organs Of the Ca
nal cabal The fast, speaking TOR the cenifll N
flucnce at Lorkprn aud the latter ftr TIE urdc'
.,appers in this quarter. The Motives 81 The man
Of the journal in sustaining his master. are ca'ily
OWNED, when it is tecellcc,Cd that he biz S II Is
a contraclo,; and as for the Constitute nnii, It
serves as a soft uf public sewer though "hnh
the understrappcrs d The canal oabal convey ,h,r
Glib; the avowtd editors making 40 prrlensons
to write themselves, ii is Ct receptacle or t.'.s'
who have leisure at The public expense, to grail
fy the whims Of their masters by sickly aduiItlon
through the public press
The main position we assumed last las! week,
neither Of these papers has attempted 10 con'ro-
vert. We stated that they were loul in their
praises Of the Canal Trustees lila, they repeat
edIy stated hat the canal would be IN operation
from La Sale to Joliet this summer o. fall aud
that early the next season it wouli be '.js'icJ
Indeed. SO proidsc were these journals IN their
remarks, that The public we're really led to believe
that the trustees were in snol earacs;, aad dist
they intended to pros, cuie the work with yigrr.
: But what has been the policy, aud how near
completion ia Z. 9 canal at this writing The
pgiicy has worAcd in ibis way Early last fall
anl hi; spirg the work was let and put under
contract md comm,nced. The trustees agTe,nr
to pay according 10 contact. The csntrsclor,
a, 81 b lfur f,f
some two or three thousand men 10 woEk-many
came and vent TO work at from 20 10 81 cents
per day. They worked well aud things went on
finely until the time arrived Tor pay doy, Then,
to their surprise, they and the contractors found
that the money had net get arirCd t0m he Z 81.
They waited from time TO time for their pay.-Do
money arrived .disaf, cion became rife, and as
soon as they could get the meats to leave, many
Of the m,n left for the south never again 10 re
turn, Some left without their pay-.-others tIuk
n,tcs aud traded them OF at heavy discount
whist those who remained had their wages &C.
duced 10 about .fj1y erais per day and were obi.
god TO take their Ray as they cot III catch It,
This is a true history of The Interpretations Oh
The WORK. From some cause or olh;r, the fen Is
TO pay of the contractors did not arrive at til,
stipulated time, and the dissil cinn then created
has prevented men from coming On the IiLe, fear.
ing that il they were once here they would be i'm.
posed uptn. At this time the trouble commen.
ced, aud from that day To this Tho work has pro-
crossed tardiIy, and, slve the clustering Of few
Of the pas, but little has been heard Of the work
The trustees having in the frs; place broken the
contract in regard TO the time Of payment, it l..
but reasonable 10 suppose that the cout,ctsrs
would not be in much dread cf their power, and
that they would work according to their own in.
clna,ions. Thus much for the policy Of tie
trustees.
How near completion is the canal 1T this incl
Let any man mount his horse uud ride from OF.
Java TO La Sale, and judge for himself If a
stranger should have lrayersed this route two
yeats ago, and would now q over the snm,
grounl, he would be unable l., pom Gu, any ma.
terisl alteration, Notwithstanding The labor,L ia.
BILE in the ConslituIionalisl shoauig hcy man,
inca were at work on it.
In fact, nothing Of imporianc, las been done,
and the prospect is that noth'n! will be done for
the balance Of The season. Neither OF the trustees
arc within five bundled miles Of the work. Two
OF them never intended TO be near il, and the one
appointed by the State TO take here interests in
care, Is now Of pleasure excursion a, the cast,
iarlng sumptuousy on the 50 800 paid him nm.
nually by nearly bankrupt State. The land
agent for this division, has not been seer ut nj.
post Tor the last three months; he too, being on
pleasure trip OF the east 10 the tune Of 81 go ncr
annum. The engineers are here-.,hey arpe,,
anxious TO have the work progress, but the men
first having been driven of by the p,y.-.,hc con.
tractors feeling perfectly indepcn lent owing Ia
the trustees first breaking the contract, and Meth.
er Of the trustee being within miles Of the work..
1t may readily be imagined that The Engineers
have but little TO do. Ia fact, like the savagcs, all
the io'ce' On ihc canal appoarto enjoy conlin.
uous Sabbath.
We are well aware that what we NAV say, con
have hut little effect. We have wsucJ with
chartered nonnpolics before, and know CulI well
the result. What we now say, however. d,ry
Their supporters to deny, and wha. wo may here.
a'er say will be uttered without fear, although
We may stand solitary aud alone in the comba,
The State now pays heavy interest for the mo.
ney advanced TO complete the canal She hot
every assurance that il would DO prosecuted viii
vlsoT to completion. With this assurance, man,
persons came TO the vicinity Of the canal an,
commenced buslness-.-,he agricultural portion q
Inc community were stimulated TO labor, and IA.
'''l many so"ej heavy crops in anticipation 0
the partial opening Of the canal. The result ha
been that now universal disappointment il f,l,..
the canal is not much nearer completion nov
fhan II wast then, and uuivcrral pauic has soz
Cd The people. They see the money for whcl
they now pay heavy interest, squanjercd ava,
---'bey wi,nfss the officers, who are paid en,r
nous salaries, abandon their posts, ...lhey &C.
around them many men who have come dis
lance and taken work on the canal, now idin
away their time waiting on the ,arjy movement
Of The canal pets 10 furnish them with material
10 prosecute their work. All this is witnessed
smd were Il not tina, before the opening u anolh
o. season the public have some hopo Of reiormin,
shuses BY the timely aid Of the new Governo
aud Legislature, many now in our nida wcu