The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1852-04-08
[For the Lnncasler Gnzelte. I

OemOcrattc Progress ana ADsOluttsms
1t is an outrageous but notorious fact that for
about seventeen years the members of the Ohio
Board of Public Works have been the most pow
erful and irresponsible and hs consequence the
most oppressive and tyranpical iunctionaries in
the State.
1t has at the same time been the most corrupt
and dishonest furnishing more delaulters than
all other departments together.
Beyond all this, it has had few men of adequate
or suitab'e talent or temper for lis proper du.
ties aud has very generally been guided, by mar
row views and personal interests, to the perpetu
al loss aud annoyance Of our merchants and ship
pers Under such management it is no wonder
that the Ohio canals have been a nuisance and
arc yearly becoming more so.
But the present Board, in its recent act Of folly
and proposition of atrocity, or insanity has shown
tself far ahead Of all its predecessors in all things
that can prove its members unworthy Of the
places they disgrace.
OF course their silly and pompous or ler for the
destruction Of the railway bridges. will be no
more regarded than would an inflated Spanish
pronunciamento. Though it would serve them
right to give such insisnfcancies an occasional dip
in the canal from the aforesaid bridges and this
may probably yet be done. Though severer
punishment would certainly seem due to men,
who would advocate action of the Legislature
which wanld place thousands Of all sexes aud con
ditions at the mercy of the meanest aud most
fall nho of ,o;I
way tracks. Why the Michigan consprators
committed but venial offence, compared with
that of this Board, it they have really proposed to
repeal all laws for the protection of railways from
such viainy as tnat of obstruc,ing them at the
risk OF thousands of lives, it the people under such
circumstances would travel upon them.
lis impossible to believe in such arociy
without reading the report which should be pub
shed, and if it is really So and such inen cannot
be turned out Of ufGice it will be disgrace to
the State
But the object OF this article is more to sugges'
aremedy for the perpetual incspocity and NAL ad
mnstration Of this arrogant body, than to de-
nounce the hagrancy of their late proceedings
lho PluPc' ""u Nio "hy IcHcuy WIN oe wv
sale Of the public works of the Sa'e on any terms
whatever, so they he kept in order and operation
il possible, and il not let them be abandoned, for
any one well managed railway, running across it.
will be of more value TO the State in five years
thun all The canals in it in fifty.
Ifsld, then may these works and the railways
be useful anxilares to each other, which under
existing circumstances can never be.
In the hands Of private individuals. or com1a-
mics, their nismanagement may be corrected and
they will be far more uselnl 10 the public and
profitable 10 the pfopretors.
The Ohio canals as now managed and navigat
ed, are our very worst schools Of vice, dishonesty
aud immortality for bnth sexes-and beyond this
the patronage they afford to political huckters goes
far 10 corrupt what little political purity may be
left among us
Let them then be sold or leased out for long
term for what they will bring and it s..suggest
ed that the Legislature be forthwith petitinn,d To
adopt some such measure. If the Iavorite Drmo
cratic, and napoleonic system is adopted, of TAX
ing all real political power from the people by
protesting to give them all, that is it the pro
posed measure he submitted to unioerSal suf
.frage, there would doubtless be very large ma
jority iu favor of what would prove 10 be rea
step towards moral, political aud financial
PRoGREss