The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-11-19
CHE Daily gomrnal.
EVANSVILLE, IND.
The Canal Trustee.

lerre daute oOuTHQt. we nave neN or
charged that the people of Terre Hautc
were iminical to the interests of Evansville;
but have said that from the apparent neg
lect of the Southern section of the canal,
our people were led to suspect there were
influences in the Board of Trustees
iminical to our city. If there were not
hostile interests in operation against rs,
there was certainly culpable indifference and
neglect of this part of the Canal. We
know that navigation has frequently been
suspended for weeks and months, from want
of attention to the most necessary precau-
tons, to prevent injuries and breaks All
confidence in the canal as q Medium of
transportation has been lost for more than
two years There is scarcely house in
this city that has entrusted its property on
it, but can enumerate heavy losses of thou
sands of dollars, by long definitions, and
extra expenses incurred by wagoning goods
from points where they had been caught in
the canal by some accident. The most
positive assurances from the Trustees and
officers that all is right on the canal, can
not induce business man here to ship an
article on the canal-though it should be
carried free-to any point to which he can
send it by any other conveyance even if it
cost him four-fold. We daily see shippers
paying 25 cents per 100 lbs. freight by the
railroad and wagons, when the canal boats
ten cents, during the short and infrequent
intervals, when the canal is said to be in
complete order. If its management cannot
be improved, and it kept in a more reliable
state of navigation it might as well be
filled up between here and Terre Uaute, ex-
cept for the short distance on which cord
wood is brought to this city. It-was by the
exertions of the people of this city, that the
public lands were procured, almost in spite
of the objections of the people in other
parts of the State; it was by the promises
and assurances given by the delegates from
this city, of the national benefits it was to
confer, to the people and legislatures of all
the Western, and nearly all the Eastern
States, that they were persuaded to pas
resolutions and memorabilia Congress to
give US the public lands. Those lands were
received and used in the adjustment of the
State debt. But the work that we promised
should be O national avenue for the trade
between the North ard South, has proven
an abortion, and our character for foresight
and good faith is damaged by the failure.
If the difficulties are adherents in the
work if the canal is incapable of being
made permanently and usefully navigation
If our suspicious of neglect and bad
faith on the part of those who have had
control of it, are unjust and groundless, the
best way TO persuade US of our error, is tc
give Us a Trustee of our own choice-if the
evils are not remedied ia two years by one
of the efficient men we have nominated fo
Trustee, we will retract all past imputation
and cease to utter any further complaints
we will give the Trustees or the people 0
Terre Haute permission to fill up the cana
between us and will go to the people 0
Missouri, Kentucky, illinois, Ohio, an,
New England, who SO generously aided us il
getting the grant of land, and say frankly
we were deceived; the face and soil of OIL
country were untitled for the construction
of a canal, and we were fools to begin it
1t is not altogether selfinterest that prompt
us to demand a representive in the Board O
Trustees we want chance to prove tina
our estimates of the value of the Canal
properly managed-were not so grossly Ell
roneouS as they now appear.
We did not intend to say that statut
was passed by the Legislature, reducing til
States Trustees salary to $1,000; but
joint resolution did, we think, go throug
the General Assembly, declaring that 81 20
was a sufficient compensation for the service
rendered by the officer. This ought to hay
had the moral force of Il statute, if it did ne
have the practical effect of law.
The Terre Haute Journal, referring to o,
article of Monday, says:
alt contains two cgregious errors whiC
we beg leave to correct. Our friend of IL
Journal calls Mr.. Hudson the candidate
Terre Haute. We deny that he is such, e
cept in the light of self-consttuted one
In our opinion the people of Terre Hau
care but very little where the Canal Trust
resides, and would just as soon see we
qualified gentleman elected from Evansvlll
as any other point. We do not hold it
be essential, by any means, that the Sta
Trustee should reside here, for we have Il
resident Trustee, appointed on the part
the bond-holders living at this point. v
are sorry that our friend of the Journal ente
tainS the opinion that the citizens of Ter
Haute are hostile to the interests of Evan
vile. lie is laboring under great hall
cnation in this matter, we are very sure
AS to the canll, we know that it is the
sire of all cur people that it should be Ike
thoroughly in repair, SO that it could alwa
be available as a channel Of tranSportatio
The position assumed by the editor of t
Express, that the Trustee ought to resi-
here, and in consequence of which
claims the right to an election, is in o
humble opinion, perfectly absurd, and W,
calculated to excite local feelings and lie;
ousies. Such an office, in our opinion, /
longs to no locality. So he who is elect
has nractical knoYledra enourb r. coo