Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-05-23
speech Of Hon. Bcnj. EasOn, OF
Wayne County, i'm the SENATE,
April 10. 1864, on Leasing the
Public Works.

When the bill for the leasing of the Public
Works was under discussion in the Senate, on
Friday, April 10, 1861, Mr.. Eason arose and
said
Mr.. PREs sIDENr:--Before the vote is taken
upon the motion of the Senator from Clinton,
to indeiira rately postpone, l wish the indul-
gence of the Senate while present my views
upon the merits of this bill.
This measure, having already passed the
House, and now depending here upon major
ity of the Senate whether It will become law,
proposes o lease the Public works of the State
to private individuals, for period Of ten
years.
The works thus proposed to be let are the
the Miami and Erie Canal, from. Cincinnati to
Toledo 26S miles in length, with % miles
Of navigable feeders; the Ohio Canal, from
Cleveland to Portsmouth, distance of 300
miles, with "A miles of feeders; the Wolhon-
ding Canal, 25 miles long, from Roscoe, ia Co
shocton county, to Rochester Knox county,
the Hooking canal, So miles in length from
Carroll, Fairfield county to Athens Athens
county; the Sandy and Beaver Canal, in Tus -
carawas county, 6 miles in length, from Boil
var TO Sandyville; 81 miles of Muskingum Riv-
er Improvement, from Dresden in Muskingum
county. TO Marietta, on the Ohio River; and
the Western Reserve and Maumee Maca-
damzed Road, 47d miles long, from Pcrrys-
burg. Wood county. to Bellevue, in Huron
county;-iD all, 664 miles of can |, 40 miles
of navigable feeders, 81 miles of River I'm
provement, and 57I miles of Macadamized
turnpike DAD, together with all the reservoirs
sidecuts, weigh locks, leases of surplus wa
ter, lock. houses, toll gate houses, tool-houses
and other property of the State belonging to
these works.
~ e To-
ton, the State commenced, in 1925, by bor-
rowing S400, 200, and continued from time to
time, increasing from year to year. until it had
borrowed over S14 800 900. Tho interest on
this sum has already far more than doubled
the principal.
Theseworks have thus fastened debt upon
the State, which the people for more than
thirty years, have seriously felt and, are
groaning under to-day; and before it is finally
cancelled, the tax payers Of the State will
have paid over $40, 900 C00,-principal and
interest on their accunt.o
| In their day, as the Senator from Delaware
has clearly demonstrated, they have greatly
benefited the people of the State. 1t cannot
be denied that these canals, ,-some of them
extending, as they do, through the entire
| State from lake Erie to the Ohio river, auC
Others intcrsecting from different parts of the
! State, have aided in developing its rcsour
ces and in improving the country-have servct
as great public thoroughares for travel anC
have furnished ready facilities for transporta
ton of produce and commerce ofthe country
These works, some years, have been
| source of revenue to the State, and in other,
! large deficits have occurred, as will be ser OF
examination of a special report of the BoarC
of Public Works, made pursuant to a resolu
| tion of the Senate passed March IL 1861.
| In that report Senators VIII find receipts
and expenditures of these canals given iol
ten years, closing with the fiscal year ending
| November Is, 1860.
| will read to the Senate Il part of the re.
port, exhibiting receipts and expenditures
for five years, ending with the fiscal year, No
vcmber lj, 1866 | have added column tc
this table, showing the full amount of revenue
derived from the Public Works during that
| time.