New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-06-13
The Canal Bill.

The Canal Bill.
The Erening Post complains, with the APP
pearance of keen chagrin, because both
Houses Of the Legislature evince DISPOSE
ton to vote rather than talk. This is per-
haps not surprising. The anti-Canal party,
no longer able to break up the Legislature
by factious resignation, would gladly dis
course against time from now till the regu-
lar session of next Winter.
But we are told that the Canal bin has
not been discussed and is not understood. -
This would be amusing, were it not uttered
in a tone so melancholy and touching. A
bill on which the Legislature was broken
up and the public mind startled, and which,
for weeks and weeks, was the great topic
for the journals of every section and party
not enough debated We should like to
know what measure has been So much de-
bated since the formation of the COnstitu-
ton, or debated with so much talent and
earnestness on both sides.
But, says The Post, in the controversy
pending the election, the Wings took great
care not to speak of the Constitutionality of
the Bill, and therefore the people don't UNI
derstand it. So much the worse for the
Wings, because their adversaries hammered
that question over and over, from head to
tail In fact that was the only thing they
did or could speak of with any effect, and it
formed the staple and substance of their ar
guments, whether in print or from the stump
If the people are still convinced that the
Bill is constitutional, or if they have no
conviction at all about it, that is not the
fault of the Post, or the Atlas, or ii. b.
Stanton, or John Van Buren,, et ODne I'd
genus. They certainly did the best to make
out their point.
But the Wings said nothing about it :
Our contemporary seems to be suffering an
extreme shortness of memory. Was there
nothing about it in the Wing Legislative
Address Was there nothing about it in
the opinion of Daniel Websterl Nothing
in the speeches at Albany, at Syracuse, at
Buffalo, at Oswego, everywhere! Nothing
in any of the Wing Journals
Moreover we are told that the election
was called too soon; it was a trick of Gov
Hunt. This seems to us rather a hard
thing to say without blushing. The term
fixed by law for calling special election in
such case is not less than twenty nor more
than forty days; the Governor called it in
thirty. Where is the propriety, not to say
decency, of pronouncing this a trick
And then the popular vote in the twelve
districts was not so large as at the last
hotly contested State election. Who ex-
pected it would be At no election is the
full strength of people called out. Were
the Canal Bill the sole issue, and were it
to be discussed through a year, when the
vote came to be taken it would be little
larger than now
But, however this may be, it furnishes no
reason for debating the Bill in the Senate
for a week or month. Legislative debates
! are had TO settle the convictions and deter
mine the votes of the Legislators. The
people are instructed by them no doubt, but
that is not their primary purpose. That
sort of thing is done much more cheaply
ano effectively in the newspapers and at
popular meetings. The Senators have
made up thei. minds on this question. Who
supposes that Mr.. Dart or Mr.. VIM. Horace
Brown are going to be converted to the
Canal Bill by bushel of speeches ! Or
that Mr.. Hatch or Mr.. Huntington csn De
brought over to vote against it! There
Is no longer any need for talk on the ques-
ton and the sooner the vote is taken and
the session brought TO close the better.
Besides, The Post has announced as with