New-York daily tribune., 1849-10-31
GRATIS.

and b, only WISHES Tor taem cooler heads ana cies
e. aai better perception. Of what concerns. not only
their own .nity. but the welfare and hsnor OF the
In .he session Of l>so It became known for the ars:
time. that the COS; Of ensrglns the Canal bad been
,,u,h unierrated.-for the Oaua tonmissioners toen
-.-.s5 fhat il would amoun, 90 S2},io1>o. bong
Ten millions beyond their former estimsie "Asa taey
exrsned 70 have been rather IN me nature OF an ap
proximation or relative estimate Ana 'heie SCENES
20 De fair reason 60 sapposc, tnat tAe iV'"- 0S' W
aot "a. short OBJ twenty-five miNons -
The francsi question arising on this ne" s'''e e'
'acts. sni the fxlns of the time and manner % ."-
counegag this unexpected addition 20 tae eoS' NV
ssrily became a matter Of careful inquiry
The death os the late General SrErnhN ~
hENSSGLAE8, rs the honorary and aoaoreG Nea' "a
the Board o. Canal Commissioners. len vacancy IN
that body and through the paruality Of his inenas
In the Legislature. the writer was elected % hl the
place 10 afforded him the means and the opportunity
70 study more closely the details Of the Canal admin
isiration. and during The year lc;S he actively
charged with the care OF the Genesee Valley Canal.
and the western division Of the Erie Canal extending
from Rochester 70 Lake Erie.
Mr. bCycA and the four other Democratic Commi.-
.oners remained in Office until $50, when they
removed The personal relations OF the writer with
Mr. B0rCN in 1850 became intimate and friendly, and
t is but an act Of justice 20 HIM 10 state, that during
that year be adhered most firmly 20 the policy o; en-
argin. he Canal with all practicable despatch. In
truth De the very protector and founder o; the
rocv-ani in the fnal discussion in the Canal board
&C. ls'j which settled the future dimensions Of the
C,anl. he voted for depth Of :, and width Of ~
feet I non numerous occasions he ezra 'atci % the
writer earnestly and mprcssiyely. on ths impor. lnce
OF siherng s full Dimensions a. settled at ieet
hv 7O-dec'erirr II 20 be altogether the most impor
can't interest p ,te state. and the greatest worA Oh
e. cge and fraiv IN $50, on leaving the olhcc whca
, bad fl.l c- nearly twenty years, he eNhored tne
w-,crto disregard all petty and pariizan consiera-
t.crs. and 80 s.and firmly by the great enterprise
Asesrc 1s tie year lSi9. the columns Of the Lead
ing .. opposed 10 the Canal policy. began 60 be
Il
ciatir. .sedit OF the states and it was manifest
tha, .. would be made 20 create, II possible, a
raa., be subject Of the public debt os thc state o
NV ork. As a mode Of embarrassing The state
el ris,raton. engaged in large expenditure, 30 was
r...eally important 90 disturb the confidence 81
..ists, and IL was quito apparent that those
c.e, IS would know No niermission, until the as'ai-
al.i should be restored 10 office and power ihere
could be doubt that IN an effort like that required
fox enlargng the CanS patriotic unanimity was
greatly 10 be desired For want Of that harmony me
Erie Canal itself in its early stages had on several
occasions been seriously endangered The asains
party was experienced aud unscrupulou', long prac-
sed in party warfare and sklful to seize upon any
season q panic temporary depression. ana tuth DO
TO account. Without admitting openly the extent ot
the danger 10 be apprehendcd, but knowing me dead
~ hostility 6t the adversary, It became important 10
conine the efforts Of the state for time at least,
within limits more narrow than would otherwise have
been desirable
this purpose resolved, much as practica'
locks and aqueducis and TO let the running e OF the
Canal reain until the contracts then m course OF per
formaace should be completed Il was known, that by
completing the enlargement OF the locks and aquo-
duets alone considerable portion OF the total oene-
its OF the work would be secured and this part OF
the undertaking could be accomplished by an ex-
penditure of little more than twelve millions IL
would serve convenient stopping point, OF resting
place il 10 should become necessary
The section work, including land damages, was es-
,imated 40 upwards of twelve millions, but ttle OF II
had been put under contract the western divl-
sion bctveen Rochester and Buffalo, only - miles
and no, more than twenty miles between Little ANS
and Rochester.
Pursuing his policy the Whg Canal Commission
ers caused a section TO be inserted IN the law OF Aph
18th, 1870, enactng that mo new work should DO
nut under contract on the enlargement; OF the hrie
Canal " except section one mile long through thc
city OF Rochester, lock which required rebuilding at
Black Rock and such work as should be required to
render available the work then in progress ,.,
In tho next year, on the l'th OF May, III. ls,l,
A similar section inserted at the request oil tho
Canal Commissioners in she law Of that date
The total amount Of contracts on the enlargement,
made by the Wing Canal Commissioners during tho
whole time they were in office, does not exceed one
million Of dollars The portonsput under contract by
the writer DO not exceed hundred thousand dollars,
and in this connexon, perhaps, be may DO allowed 10
advert TO the fact that upon the 6cnesee Faey "
nal alone, he saved, by reducing the unnecessary
cost Of of its structures, upwards OF SIX hnnliei
thousand dollars 30 much then Tor the spend-
thrift policy" that has furnished such Luxurious
ament for partzan orators for the last ten years.
II by " spcnithrts" are intended those who deem
10 honest and judicous, TO employ both capital
ADD credit in constructing great public works, which
are sure speedily 10 yield rich remuneratins ro-
turn, and secure at the same time incsiimaolo
and eyer-enduring benefits 10 their ellow-ritlhens,
their State and their country - then was tho wing
Administration of Governor SEwARO and bis associ-
ates amenable 10 the charge, II the term moro
truly denotes the paltry parsans who Tor low grover
ling and selfish purposes, seize upon temporary ps
mic of their own creation-deude the people into tho
suicidal act OF Gripping the work intended Tor thehi
and their children, aud abandoning to decay ana
ruin the noble which should have been thcn
pride and oast,-then may We pomt Tor examples lh
another direction.
In Ami. 1910. Mr.. Jonv G. SPENCER was Secre
tary of State, and leading member Of the Cana
Board, formed by the union, m one body, OF tho
Canal Commissioners and the Canal Fund Conmis-
sioners lie had not participated actively IN the early
stages Of the Canal policy Of 1888, and his opinions on
that point remained in measure uncommlttcd TWAS
quite desirable that the facts on which the pfopuey
of that policy depended, should be examined by MN
careful and dspassiOnaely, that they snouii oe SUD
eced to the scrutiny OF his clear strong, osca intel
ect and that hi. Judgment should decide not upon any
Imaginative anticpat0ns Of the rich ani teeminS
future bat upon acute analysis 0i the past ana an
actual dissection Of the trade and movement Oi tbo
canals whether the estimates Of prospective revenues
the fundamental basis on which the policy rested
cOad certainly be relied on and II 50, " at rate vi
progress might safely be made, in completing the pub
lie works then IN construction e,..
10 th.s inquiry he addressed the powers o hi' great
mind 70 their full extent and on the lith of Apni,
1910. submitted his report 10 the Assembly, J. no
final and definite result 70 which he arrived "a th's
tae revenues Of tho Canal, insteaI oi Deng one A
two.thirds Dor cent annually as stated by dr fAeh,
would amount % seven per cent per annUm iof e,siy
successive period Of seven years or seven aua I'
Der cent annually ior every period Of zen ycsis 80.
"a be yas eeu &c or how far bis report should a4ay
be Glazed among the " works Of imag gnaticp, wiz
best appsar by comparing bis estimate Iof sas Even
Years aex. succeeding his report with th' @etuai r.
81, TSs toiis fgotn 10 to lsi6 both inclusive, nc
estimatgd a, as oO2 2,7l5,-tley actually amountea
70 sij, 1896; exhibiting tAfiAti'n '' 0h'5 s"-'
oG9 in this Immense amount g.
IL ,seo expressed the op,aion Of the Fund Com
;i-sr. r AZ 10 would be safe, upon that estimate,
70 All 10 the debt Of the state three millions anuaii-
e5 an EXISTING contracts and have brought into use
I'll ths locks and aqgeducts on the enlargement Toe
sat had thea borrowed for that purpose .i,ycpJ,