The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-27
The Canal Policy or New York and tho
Democratic Organ.



to say few words in defence of the remarks
Of the PRESIDENT at Rochester and Buffalo in
relation TO the enlargement Of the Erie canal,
which have been strangely misunderstood and
the subject of much unjust criticism by the
Union newspaper Of this city. If that journal
is to be credited, its readers must believe that
the President told the people of Rochester and
Buffalo that their "grand canal" was 'valueless,"
| and would remain 80 until the enlargement, now
| in progress, is completed. II is impossible to
| imagine more improbable or absurd state
| tnent. The President said nothing of the kind !;
and the Union unconsciously betrays degree Of
| ignorance Of what everybody else rightly
derstood, which renders its remarks on the canal
policy of New York as ludcrous as they are point
less.
The old Erie canal was completed twenty six
years ago, at a cost Of S7,l43,7S9, and paid for
| soon after. To that the President made no allu-
sion. In 1888, sixteen years ago, the enlargement
| was authorized by law, and commenced. In 1912
the farther progress Of the work was arrested un.
der the hue and cry of ga forty million debt and
the necessity Of adopting "stop and tax policy"
At that time $l2,50O,0O0, in round numbers, had
been expended on the enlargement, and since then
some $3,5OO,OO 30 that the sum invested is now
$l6,00O,000. The Democratic mayors of the cities
New York have great confidence in the opinion of
Mr. Fillmore sound constitutional lawyer
and an honest man; and knowing, too. that
while Comptroller of the State and &c o0icio a
| member of the Canal Board, he had become en-
tirely familiar with the constitution and laws as
they affect the enlargement, all were naturally
anxious to have an expression of his views upon
| the subject With the frankness and courtesy
which have distinguished their 'own Fillmore
| through life, the late comptroller of New York
gave opinion in favor of the Canal BILL to defeat
| which twelve Senators resigned thcir seats, and
one, still more cowardly, ran away. The organ
| OF the Barn burners in Washington can have no
just claim to the character of republican journal
80 long as it endorses such traitorous descrtion
from legislative duties exhibited at Albany.
Minorites have their rights well majorites,
but the right TO desert post honor ro trusts not
| one Of the number. Desertion is not democratic,
ia not republican. II unites tho weakness of the
coward with the baseness of the knave.
What IL the objection of the Union to the COM
pletion Of the enlargement in the way provided in
the bill, which had the support of decided MAORI
ty in both branches Of the Legislature 1t is this:
If the money ($9.0OO,OO0 is expended within the
next three years, the probability is that the Who's
will have the letting of the contracts, and incident
ally, it may give them some political advantage.
Delay the work soine ten fifteen years, and, per
| chance, the Democrats may have the ascendancy,
and the handling of the State revenues, which they
| know, from long experience, how to turn to the
best political account Conccding that one party
has much right to the disbursement of the money
| required to finish the enlargement as the other
the whole question turns the point whether it is
better to complete the work, which has already
been sixteen years in progress, in three or in
thirteen years more.
It should be borne in mind that the canals are
State property, the property of the people,; and
that the railroads in New York belong to few in
ucntial capitalists. Under such state of facts it
ia obvious that the longer the enlargement of the
canal is postponed, and the more impcdiments
thrown in the way of completing the Black River
and Gencsec Valley canals, the more business will
be transferred from water to railway communica-
tons between distant points, to the great benefit Of
such hold railroad stock. This view of the sub
ect sufficiently explains the opposition of the Jour
nal Of Commerce, albany Argu,, and other organs
OF capitalists, to the early completion Of the canals
The sums of money invested in the New York and
| Erie Railroad, in the railroads from Albany west
to Buffalo, north to Lake Champlain, and soon to
| be south along the Hudson river to New York, are
many millions. Every friend of the canals wishes
these improvements all prosperity; but their own
ers act unwisely when they attack either openly
covertly, the older improvements, which belong to
the people. Their generous Erie canal has made a
present of $3O0,000,0o0 to tho New York and Erie
Railroad Company; another Of 100000 to the
Ithica and Owego road and still others, with
interest," to the tune Of about s 100000 in all.
Let US now return to the speech of the President
at Rochester, on which the Union Of the oath con-
| tains an extended criticism.
4 rha oIx coI b,vX n
whatever sum the enlargement might cost, (pro-
badly twenty five millions,) the work must be
completed, to the finishing of the last lock, before
enlarged boats possibly pass through the canal
| from Lake Erie to tdewater Does the Union
doubt the truth of this statement There arc be-
| tween three and four thousand boats in use on the
Erie canal, of which three times more are built at
Rochester than at any other place. If the Prcsi-
| dent could stoop to any thing like humbug or cxag-
geration in reference to canal navigation, popular
audience in Rochester would be the most likely to
discover and rebulre the deception. But men of all
parties there knew that what he said was true;
and that the loss to the State arising from
| the delay to complete the enlargement ten years
will be at least five timcs the necessary to fin
ish the work. A few unquestioned facts will eetab-
lish the accuracy Of this statement. The number
of tons now annually passing through the canal
|
is four feet deep and forty wide, having prism
for the conveyance of water of one hundred and
sixty feet. The enlarged canal is feet by
seventy, carrying volume of water of four hum
dred and ninety feet. This is sufficient to feed
double locks the whole distance of the work; and it
is at the locks that the principal detentions now
occur No one estimates the saving of the actual
cost of transporting ton of produce to the
Hudson of goods to Lake Erie at less than
two dollars by the enlargement. This gives
an aggregate saving of $4,oO0,00o on the quantity
of freight now passing through the canal every
season, which is $40, 000,0 coo in ten years will
not estimate the gain from the great increase of
freight to accrue by adding three fold to the capa-
city of the canal and diminishing the cost of trans
portaton onchalf; but the augmentation of revc-
hue from tolls is by no opponent Of the enlarge
mcnt set down at less than million year for the
frat decade after its completion. Here is clear