New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-02-04

ard 40 no, need ,ns s5oitio,al 700. or tba:
il usY be saf.ly Or wisely postponec. lac csnai
never reerei n more. 10 reeds u noT-lnmsilat-Iy
withlr: any lesy-si,h 81 practicable di-pateh- sad
40 C.rsI ,c,r nor ste Officer Is oy. 20 BIS trust
,b.t els 20 prevent il. The higbes; principles Of
c, rercls policy rosy forbid the taxing Of the ryai
railway bu. those prncpss equally rec IRE ne sac
without delsy to inp-rt 10 its oTn cbsDnei OF con-
,re,os AID tIsrspert its utmost ,spsiry And v,lue
Iii, Il opinion Of persois Of jaJgnen: ard expert
&c who nave sttert ve'y & .naued tie lat PAD
Hsr.d report Of the NeV-lork Central Railroad
Cornpa1y. that j. costs them AZ least s3 in sctGal
eIp.Dae, ~iibodt pr,hi, 20 carry tul OF hgaI from
Buffalo to Ner.Yo'k. Win the esS: az II J., eI-
cludIg the preEeLt toll Of ~, Il costs 8 - WIN
The additional foot q. water II vii cost exclutng toh,
bnt 81 80 III shall prove 10 De practicable to ldop.
the ,upgsstion recently made, OF le1gtheuiDg tie
CHAMBER If the locks, by merely moving the upper
ga.ss 70 a.. 10 admit bOsts IL feet in length, l. vi
Iedoc the cost low % permit the Safe 20 ret An
sufficient amount OF toll, and Jet enable the cacAl
% defy 81 further competition.
TIE advantage Oi UElDg steam N the Dsylgan0n oi
the canal II 30 Logger matter % question. Expert
reuts made Cnrirg the last season, embarrassed, how
eyer by difficulties Eh'ch were only Temporary,
clearly pTove-whsf experience on other cznsls both
in tbs country and Europe had slreafy establisae
that steam-veses may De used wlttO II 10 uEy 10 tle
banks OF other structures Of tie cacs snd at rate
OF speed allowing Tie vessel 10 double the numDer Of
IL annual voyages.
The nav. alton q the canal II vii Oe especially Deces-
tary 20 preserve u from b-eaches interrupt Dns or
Hree ulsnies Of any kind end especially 20 Insare
Constant ard urforn supply Of water The manage
rent o. the H. cnanism Of the canal with tnls ne"
power viii demand q high degree Of skll snG iutel-
eeIce and ts general police would be greatly I'M
proved in this ard mary 1tner important rsspecs,
by The employment OF General Superintendent OF
Navigation and Repairs, Of approved sbl y aad 10.
egriiy and vested with sufficient authority IL might
possibly b. thought Advisable To relieve of the
Cana Comnissc Ders FROM any other duty, and to
assign him specially 10 t1is.
The views above presented in respect 10 the EHe
Canal apply with equal force TO the Osgego Canal,
which deserves, If only rurk line, connecting the
seabosrd with Cansda to be placed IN all respects on
an equality with the Erie Canal. Occupying the po-
si,ion which il does 20 the outlet Of Lake On
tariO il must always exert an important and com
maudir influence in preventing the diversion down
the S.. Lawrence Of that psrt OF the Western com
ntTCe finding its vsy 10 the AXE.
The official tables show that our Canal trade Is
quite much exposed "a diversion from that quarter
from the channels Of commerce il Pennsylvania
and Maryland
The Penns yvanis Canal and Rsilrosd Company
brought from Pittsburgh, in 1871 but 8 jp tuGs o.
-four snd , 6is TINS Of wheat. The Baltimore and
Ohio Rairosd carried in 1913 from toe Ohio River,
but 80 iOi tuns Of flour, and but 50 tuIs Of gram
Whereas the st. Ls<TeLee Canal, in the year 1913.
carried downward 5O7s2 TONS Of -FOUR ~ $50 tans OF
wheat ard 1, i32 TINS Of corn.
The amount Of -four and grain Of al descriptions re.
ceved by the Lake a. Buffalo in 1855 equivalent
10 - 10000 bushels, or trUiNV tune. Inc amount
shipped at Oswego by canal in 1871 less t1ns.
Tie tables o. Erie Canal commerce plainly exhibit
the effect Of improving lie navigation even = partial
extent The tunDage Of 1888 shipped al Buffalo has
been ,t6 So tuns, being an increase OF l9ioi tuns
over lej7.
But nothing viii more folly exhibit the mechanical,
ard, by necessary consequence, the commercial al
vantage Of EMERGING the capacity OF the canal a.
labor-saving machine, and the urgent necessity %
speedily completing tie work, than a comparison of
tie yearly moyemt Mt Of The boats at different stages
Of It's PR gress. In the ear 1872, when the work vas
stopped II required movement Of bOa,s Of $50 900
milts to carry ,@36 600 tuns; whereas, in 1856 the
increase in their capacity and consequent diminunon
Of the required number, enabled them, by movement
Of Only 1909 GOO miles, 10 carry f,ll6OUO tuns. II
the Enlargement had remained where the Stop Law
left II IN 1872 the carrying Of the 4llbUO tuns IN
1856 would have required movement OF p, 732,OoO
miles showing saving in a single year OF lsU8,OW
miles which, st 10 cents per mile, the usual price OF
traction, is S2,7Oi 500.
Were this the fitting OCCASION il would not be diff
colt TO show the enormous loss in needless movement
OF boats, by the delay in former years 20 finish the
enlargement. But our duty now is 10 look ahead and
to discern the demonstrate truth that by giving the
Canal the additional foot OF water, we sna increase
the present saving precisely in the ratio of increase
in the csrgo.
In an emergency like the present, requiring the
prompt employment Of all our legitimate resources,
the State might well look 20 the Controller IT'S sc-
officer, 10 point out the ways and mesns and the
proper mooe OF obtaining, with the lesst delay, the
funds needed for putting the public worsf IN condi-
ton fully to recover ard command their legitimate
commerce, and thereby repeDish the revenue OF the
State At period peculiarly demanding the union
OF all parties in patriotic effort 70 carry forward the
measures for rescuDg the Canals their temporary
embarrassment il was not 10 be expected tl a the
crisis would be seized upon 10 crafty any dormant
party feeling, or to reopen the discussion OF any org
buried party topic.
Ii is therefore with sincere regret that the friends
If the canals observe the elaborate effort Of the Con-
TROLL in IL
responsibility of the present temporary want of
upon the legislative policy OF the year 1923, and to
exalt, at its expense. the financial achievements Of
their prede in 1885 and 1896 and in particular
10 MAINTAIN the proposition that all the canals co1ld
ard should have been butt and the three canals the
Erie the Oswego, and the Cayuga and Seneca fully
enlarged with the surplus revenues ao,e and without
resort TO losns.
What good purpose could be subserved in the pres
ent iunctuIe, by establishing the truth OF
such proposition is not apparent; but it Is easy 10
perceive its mischief in paraysng the efforts OF the
Legislature in casting dscredt upon our canal policy
in Gripping the commerce OF the canals, and In lower
ing Il credit end character of the State. The public
interests imperously demand that such q result II
possible shall be erted, and that the .ra.h Of the
allegations of the Controller shall be subjscte TO
full and searching inquiry.
Fortunately his fundamental allegation r qure for
its refustOn neitber argument, noT speculation,
abstract reasoning Of suy kind nor any reference to
the iutuTe-nothng, IN snort, but the evidence fur
pished by public documents and official tables by his
torca and ascertaiied realities place the Truth be-
yond the reach OF further Misrepresentation.
Let US then, by the light OF the public records of
the State examine the accuracy Of the statemeat 10
question.
In the first place then, ii IS admitted to be true tina.
the Canal Board in 1875 did express Their opinion
that the surplus revenue of the Erie Canal would
suffice TO pay for lie enlargement, without resert.Dg 10
loans foI tie purpose but It s not admitted b. true
for il is suguiary untrue that the Legislature Of
1885 or of 1886 adopted what the Controller ais "the
emrently wire policy ofapplylEg the whole OF those
surplus TO that object. On the contrary the
Legislature Of 1885, in the very set authorizing the