New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-03-25

UoFman and 4. ksystI-sI caOehe"t -
and strong advocates Of the Enc enlargement
The enlargement bill passed the Senste unanimously
and the Assembly by Sc 10 l6. ltprovded for the en-
lsrrement Of the Erie Canal and the doubling OF the
locks az coon q, the Canal Board should be Of opinion
tha, The Public Interests required such improvement
On Tire llth of Nay, 1895, the Board, composed en-
tirely Of Democrats adopted the following resolution
Resotd That the pase interest requires the eoarse-
ent and improve Of Il Enc Cana and the oonstrac-
tion Of a double set Of locts therein.
They ai2o resolved that the work ought 70 be com
nenced without delay and prosecuted with all reasona
bic diligence In 1896 Gov Marcy in his message sa'd
III improvements COW required on the Inc Oh the
Canal will be made in reference 20 lis enlargement
and the Canal Board in special report 70 me Leie'
ture say:
The of the Canal 20 the proposed dimensions
u ess the eypense Of transportation exclusive Of tolls
about 90 ter cent This difference spphed 20 the "a hes
Of the past year, assuming t1e - ~ ~
tniis rlsch il believed 10 be low estimated would De
sns Of ss6 81 and in 10 years. calculating the same
rate Of the tools hst has akn place IN the last
IN years il would amount 70 Si2,772 2l 10
This statement ives made nearly twenty years ago,
and had the Canal then been completed the difference
a, saving based on the same calculation would already
amount 10 more than $50 OOOOOO and yet in conse-
quence Of the stop law ttoldy Of 1912 and the tom
foolery of 1876 ts capacity bas since been very e
augmented.
Gov. Mercy, in hs message Of 1871, says;
Tie unfinished works of Internal Improvements will IN
vove On expenditure Of 10000 and the best interests
of the State appeal you with freet earneses 70 pro-
vide for the early completion Of this important improve
meIt. .
AZ this session of the Legislature s4OooOOO was ap-
urouratfd for the enlargement and completion OF the
Canada In 1923 bill passed the Senate authorizing
the issue Of g. in State Stocks for the prosecu.
ton of the Public Works. This bill was defeated in
the Assembly but the Canals steadily prosecuted
through the year In January, 1888, the Administration
of Gov Seward came into power, and the Governor
recommended the speedy enlargement OF the ETie
Canal. The Canal Commissioners, in their report,
take a similar view Of the subject and after indicating
that all the work on the Canal should be put under
contract during the years 1889 and 40 they say The
ENLARGED Canal will be finished and ready for use,
from Albany 70 Syracuse, in the spring of 1872 to
Monte yuma in the spring Of 1913 10 Rochester in
1874 and 10 Buffalo in lS45.'
Here, says Mr. Cooley, we have good old fashioned
Democratic scheme for prosecuting the public i'm
provemens down to this period, and had it been faith
fully carried out the canals would have been finished
seven and a-ha years ago. and their revenues would
doubtless amount now, to more than 50 100000 per
mum. This wise policy was injudiciously abandoned
in 1912 by the abrupt suspension OF the Public Works
II was period Of great financial embarrassment
throughout the Union but there was nothing alarming
in our State finances The stocks Of oil the States OF
the Union we're deprecated. Treasury notes Of the
United States sold in Wallst below par. Our State
Stocks were always in better demand than those OF any
other State Of the Union similarly situated with respect
to extensive public improvements. They declined In
value at the time and in proportion as other
stocks declined State Stocks City Stocks Bank Stocks
Insurance Stocks, &c. Our condition entirely
owing to the financial embarrassments Of the time and
nothing else. And to contend that the suspension OF
the Public Works the violation Of our contracts with
those who were constructing the Canals, and the i'm
position Of the direct mill tax all the property of
our czens was the means of restoring public credit,
and to enable the State to pay ts debts and
relieve the public creditors is to contend for what Is
not true.
At the close Of the fiscal year ending 3h September,
ls4l Just three months previous to the assembling OF
the Legislature which passed the stop and tax law,
there appears to have been net balance OF S6O5 5l %
standing to the credit Of the canal revenues of that
year "aier paying all the interest due on the canal
debt and for all repairs, supcrntendencc and collee-
ton OF tolls on the canals, besides s64s50 SO allow
ances for land damages, and other extraordinary
payments and $4,000 contributed toward the gene
raj expenses Of the Government
This state of the Canal finances does not look much
like embarassment-does not indicate that the Canals
were becoming dangerously burdensome 10 the State
Exchequer. Had the debt been 100000 greater
than it actually the balance would have been
than sufficient to meet the interests on such debt.
There was not the slightest necessity for taxing the peO
pie directly for canal purposes in 1912 or arany time
subsequent TO that period. The tolls OF 1912 only fell
short Of those OF ls4l, TO the amount OF 1892 23 05
while those of ls43 the amount collected In 1871
sos 1915 30 and the revenues have averaged large
annual increase ever since Then, where the
sy for enoing the prosecution OF the public works
There such necessity, and long after the mem.
beIs no perpeusted the foolish act shall have passed
away its perncious consequences will be impressively
realized by the intelligent citizens of THE great State
The violation the part Of the State says Mr. Cooley,
OF lie deliberate and binding obligations to contractors
for work the canals in 1872 not only unnecesa
~ unwise and rnpoic, but II unjust 10 the con-
tractors dshonorsble to the State and injurious TO the
public interest
There would have been evident propriety in press
ing oTN ard these improvements ess vigorously during
the pecuuiery panic aud depression that peryaded the
nation in ls4l and 1912; but immediately on the re-o
ration confidence and revival OF business IN sij and
s44 when labor and materis Of every description were
both cheap and abundant, the work should have been
urged rapidly forward 90 completion. Had ibis wise
and patriotic been adopted, the Canals them.
selves would long ere this have been completedi aud
their surplus instead OF being less than 500
900 as reported for the LAST fiscal year would have
reached alter complying with all the Sinking Fund eX
actions of the Constitution more than S30C0,OO0
But different policy was adopted the puohc i'm
pIovemenis were njudiciousy and abruptly suspended
the state muctcd N an immense amount OF dams.
ages for the violation Of its contracts most II the work
Done the enlargement hss 20 this day remained use
desc and much OF gone TO decay. Convention assem-
bled in 1916 and put the Legislature in srasat jacket
aud phe LEGISLATURE here Ia 1873 with the Canals yet
unfinished, wrsnghpg over = variety of piAns mostly
imprGctcable Tor TIER hnG ompletion-desiinei,
think reach the end ofhe session without doing any
ipp aud the ~ tlrQNp II mower ~ the
election, precisely as we were in lsi6, on tbs very
question.
Mr.. Cooley pitches into the Nine Million Act Of the
Special Session Of ls5l, adVerts to the wonderful
changes which have come this State since the
question OF the EreCsual first talked Of intmA,es
that the Democratic party must go for the Canals or
20 ear ofpower ana concludes as follows
"1bisgrest work must be done-and il must be done
by 70 modifying the Constitution now think % a.
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