Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-05-03
OHIO LEGISLATURE.
AIrERNooN sEssION.
I'M SENATE.
THuRsDAY, May 2, 1861.
ADJoURNnp sEssIoN.

AA' o6AsA
THURsnAY, May 2. 1861.
Mr.. CUMMINS had the Hoor at recess. He
said be had Listened to bectons sthat certain bids
had not been made In good faith. There were
some things In this connection into which he was
prepared 10 swear there should be investigation,
but he would not further allude to them. Il
appeared that one particular contract, only, will
satisfy certain persons, and they seem to object
to all others as mott good faith. He hoped the
Senate would disagree to the report, and thatit
would be sent back TO the House
Mr.. MCCALL said thOreseemed to him some'
thing singular In the management Of the leasing
project. He had, from the beginning. favored
a disposition Of the Public Works, but he thought
the fairest and most satisfactory mode is to let
them at public auction. He had become salts
fed that some arrangement had been made by
spectators TO make money out Of the canals.
In order to protect the interests Of the State
against probable or asscertained combinations,he
would put the canals in the market for public
competition Mr.. Mccall proceeded to describe
the mode by which he supposed bidders are op.
Grating. ~t.a.4a.a rn>
We we're told by a member of the Board Of
Public Works, that the canals are not worth
anything. After awhile we haye a bid of $l0,.
600 from responsible men; they get further
light and incrAese to $4,000, and nov the same
partks cfier $26, 500 per anpum. ,Fbese facts
causdd him 70 suspect that the canals are worth
something, And convinced him that public let
ting you'd jcause1a further increase|of bids.S >,
We are told thstNs bid bf SIS, 900 BY another
party is bogus, yetlthe former see proper to Of
fer MORE than thstA The most singular feature
Of Interpretations upon yhis bill is the report Of
the cdpmittee of Conference. He would not
say there is anything wrong about IL, but 1t
Certainly indicated ban management The bill
wenYt4 them from thA Senate, providing for a
public lifting, ThS Hpuse had passed the bill
letting the canals for $4,000. But this COM
mittee npw agree ppon Areport to lease the pub
lIc works to the SINE pattes for $25 500, when
better hid was offered. a
Y If they had authority tdItake bids at all, they
should hage taken the best. Some Of the op
erations Of those who desir6. to lease were very
peculiar. u He bad been APPROACHED by friendly
inquiries Concerning bis county aud business
and one had even ventured toetate that he knew
his (Mr. McCAlls) wife before he was married
The Senator from Harrison proceeded at length
to describe tie adroit management OF bidders
and conclu3kd that the best way to protect thu
interests df the State is TO ledge the Public
Works to the highest bidder. He was 10 favol
OF selling thsm, but since that could not be done
he reluctantly adopted the Lext best plan of dis
posing of them
! Mr.. HARRISON said no had steadily votet
against every proposition 10 lease the Publi
Works, and he expected To continue to do 30
True, hs county is not directly interested II
these Works, and he had felt the influence o
! the clamor raised against their cost.
I But he was convinced that the expensiyenes
| and unproftableness of the canals are the resul
OF bad management, and the clamor agains
them results from the fact that argument upol
only one side of the question has been present
ed TO them. The State is trustee for the peo
pie, and we, as the representatives Of the peo
pie, are bound to protect this interest. He be-
lieved, if fair discussion Of this question
could be laid before the people-if they DOS
sessed all the facts-he believed they woul
overwhelmingly oppose the surrender the State
control over them. He did not believe the toll
had been properly managed. If they had been
he believed, these public works would hav
been self sustaining. He was In favor of ap
propriating the tolls this year for that purpose
that the question may be fairly tested. IL i
unwise at this particular time to take the con
troll of the canals from the State. Circumstan
ces which surround US may change the who'll
course of trade. Il Is impossible to say hov
long 1t may be before Ohio may desire untram
meled control of these works for her own de
fence. This change of the State and natio
may greatly enhance the value of the canals
If il should iDjuriously affect their value
would not the lessees come before the Genera
Assembly for relief and discharge from the con
| tract or lease2 These canals should not be sur
rondoEed from the control OF the State, unit
there 10 overwhelming demand made by the
people that it shall be done.
The Constitution would not prevent US from
leasing the Public Works, yet it places then
under the superintendent OF Board of Public
Works, who shall not be obstructed in their
control. II would seem, then, that the Genera
Assembly, as trustees for the people should re
tain control Of them for the State through this
Board. Mr.. H. did not believe there is pop
ular demand for surrender the States control
and that the canals have not paid, is attribut-
able either to mismanagement, incompetency
or dishonesty. He was in favor of disposiDg Of
the Public Works entirely, when they are dis
posed OF at all. And he was and ie in favor oil
the bill adopting the system Of repairs practiced
in New York. He believed moreover that the
canal counties contribute more taxes In support
Of the school system than the proportion drawn
from the non-canal counties TO sustain the
Public Works, and gentlemen from the nom
canal counties ought to be more careful how
they press the tax argument, lest 1t come back
on them with redoubled force.
Mr.. KEY remarked on the trouble, annoyance
and expensiveness of the Public Works. They
are mischievous element in politics, affecting
platforms, parties, and the legislation of the
State. They had been badly managed, and no,
free from corruption. It had been difficult fol-
him to determine what should be done with
them. But he was satisfied that the people are
not willing to sustain them by appropriations
while he was also satisfied that they are moi
prepared TO surrender control of them. II
there were immediate necessity of parting with
the control of these works, he would not hesi-
tate to vote in advance Of popular demand.
But he saw no necessity for this now. The rres
ent political condition Of the country impressed
him that separation of the State from the con-
troll Of the canals is not wise. He would, there
fore, vote against the report of the committee
Mr.. PARISH said he was satisfied three oul
Of four Of the counties which he represents are
10 favor of disposing Of the Public Works. He
also had been in favor of it, yet he had beer
willing to test any plan which might promise
to make them self sustaining. But the House
seems determined they shall be leased, and he
had also determined to vote to lease them; but
he should not vote for the report of the Confer
ence committee, because tne emanagementres
ed 10 for the purpose Of leasing them to spe-
cifc company did not meet his sanction The
Senate had refused, when the bill was up before,
to strike out, and insert a better bid. He
thought there was something wrong about this
The question recurring upon agreeing to the
report of the committee, the Senate disagreed
to it-yeas 10, nays 23,t ,a/ t,f
Those who voted in the/affirmative were
Messrs. Brewer, Bonar, Cappy, Eason, Foster,
10. IN ~ fLN z " y "