New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-27
STATE POLICY INTERNAL liI-
PRAVEMENTS-TA


We have received several uncomplmentary let
ters from friends who live On or the line Of the
proposed Albany and Susquehauna Railroad, re-
mOnstrsting against our resistance to the proposed
loan of 81 ,000, 600 by the State in aid of the cOa
struction of that Road. We cannot print all of
these, but we give one of the most plain-spoken
another page of this paper. Let US endeavOr to
make our position fully understood.
!. We hold that the State Tax of last year ca
mills on the dollar) was very high one-as high
as ever ought to be imposed on the People of our
State, except possibly to dcfray the cost of de-
fensiye, inevitable war-and that its increase by
our Legislature would not be just nor safe.
II. We hold that every dictate of wisdom and
sound policy requires the completion of our present
unfinished works before we commence or invest the
proceeds OF taxation in any new ones.
III. We hold the requirement of large sums
raised by taxation for the completion of the Ecie
Enlargement and its Lateras as OnerOus 10 many
portions of the State, aud thas whoever votes to
impose additional burdens until the public shoulders
shall have been eased of this one, will incur grave
responsibility.
Nv. We are well assured that the present Canals
can be completed within year from next May and
paid for by the proceeds of the taxation of 1860
and 1861. Whenever that shall have been accom-
pished, we shall be willing to take mp the claims
of the Albany and Susguehanna Railroad TO State
aid and consider them with an earnest desire to
find that they may be granted without injustice to
the great body of our taxpayers, and without In
curing additional debt
" But we utterly protest against the assump-
tions ami the logic Of our correspondent. He says,
for instance, that the contemplated Railroad is to
pass through an isolated portion Of the State-a
portion that has never received dollar from the
" State for public improvements" Now we deny
that there is single county. township, or school
district Of our State which has not been benefited
by her past expenditures for Public Works; aud
we emphaticaly protest against the setting up of
such claim in behalf of road that is to
run through or near the counties of Al
bany, Schenectady, ChenangO Delaware and
Broome-counties that have been signal
nally benefited by the State Canals or by the
SO, 000 600 contributed from the State Treasury
toward the construction OF the Erie Road. You,
Mr.. Nudge, live in CDenango-a County which, in
connection with BrOOme, fairly bullied the State
into making the Chenango Canhl-a work which
cost some -, 600, 600, and has paid one per
eent.-aDd, beside this, your County is to-day de-
cidedIy benefited by the Erie Railroad All that
your County and BroOme have ever paid toward the
construction of State Works would not reimburse
the cost of that Chenapgo Canal alone
VI The Counties of Schohare and Otsego are
not directly on the line Of any Canal or Railroad
yet he takes but narrow and partial view Of the
matter who imagines that they have not beea bcne-
fitted by any. Their Butter, Cheese and other pro-
ducts find ready markets at prices which could not
and would not be paid but for the expansion given
to this and other cities by the Canal policy, which
they try to fancy preudica TO their special interests
Shame on such narrow calculations They are
specially maladrot in those asking the State to tax
itself in aid of new public works.
VII. Our correspondent cannot believe that the
People of our State will change their politics
and vote against the Republican party merely be-
cause they increase taxation in aid Of this Susque
hama Road; yet he threatens repeatedly that the
People of his section will vote against the RcPub'i-
cans if the Legislature doesn't appropriate the
81, 900, 600 asked for He says they twill throw
"ther influence where it will be appreciated" &c,
&c. And he threatens us, in addition, with with
drawal of patronage if We continue TO oppose this
loan. Does he fancy that taxpayers can't play that
game as well as people who want to be tax consum-
ersl
But no matter what he thinks or does, or
whether the people along the line of the proposed
Road take our paper or let it alone, vote the Re-
publican ticket or some other, we must oppose any
increase of the rate of taxation aud protest against
the appropriation of State revenues to aid any new
enterprise until our present Public Works shall
have been completed. Then we shall be ready to
do whatever shall seem to be for the best