, 1862-06-19

dPpGe41 J1uIa LIE ItgD{GS 1u7QE III ku6T ECnALE
and assembly. The report Of Mr. Ogden, t
chairman Of the canal committee of the assem-
bly,, substantially confirmed BY that Of Mr. |
Cook in The senate, truly asserts that these !
large dimensions of the Canadian locks, stso |
far beyond the meager wants OF Canadian
copmerce at the time, suggest that the higher
object o. military deferss was not lost sight |
Of by far-seeing British statesmen In their |
construction; and they will not complain II, !
on subject Of so much moment We follow
their example. A preparation for defense and |
provision for the rapid concentration of mill !
tary and defensive power in time Of need,
could not be construed, BY any Logical or fair |
course OF reasoning, into hostile intent; nor |
would it provoke Criticism in q nation careful !
as Great Bsitain is in placing herself in defen- |
siye position.
defensive measures are always pacific !
measures: their bearing and tendency are !
toward peace; they avert rather than provoke |
var; iLduce caution On the part Of rivals aud |
antagonists, ard never provoke kostiiitie5 On |
the part of friends. It is submitted NTH en- !
tire confld >:ncc that the means Of pl.cing gan-
boats speedily and certainly on the pufder |
lakes will tend greatly to prevent war with |
our northern ncislbor. She would respect Us |
noresand surely not fear us less, If NC stand |
o. On ptre.t Equality with herself in the par
ticular referred to-"
In opposition to these sensible and patriotic
VIEWS, i. 1as been asserted tliat no real n:ces-
slsy exists for eplarEipg the channels Of our
American canals for the passage Of gunhoata,
hnt, On The contrary, that the safety Of ouc
cities and commerce on the lakes may be fully
aDd snr+ly provided for either By accutnulat-
ing and storing materials for gunoo1ts at
points On The canal near the lakes, OF, iu case
OF ~ar, by marching military force into Call
ada, to seize and dtstroy~its canals.
In respect 10 the first Of these expclients,
it 1nay be observed that even if it could be
lawfully and His.lS adopted under the provi5-
ions and true intent OF the existing trea1y, the
very materials thus to BIZ stored for any ade-
qnate number Of vessels ESTIMATED at S210, 900
each), and probably dtstind only to decay
through a long course OF years, would cost
very nearly. il not qui.e, as much as the whole
expense Of enlargiug the ninety locks on the
ETe and Oswego canals; and furthermore,
that We should ruuch nnderrate the resolution
and activity Of our vigorous adversary in as
suniug That, with his large and powerful feet
Of gunboats, ready at any moment to be pre-
cipitated into the lakes, he woRld give us time
to complete CIR vessels before the mischief
would he done.
In respect to the proposed seizure and de-
Etructlon Of the Canadian canals, it may in
spirit Of perfect amity, that onr British
brethren, sharing with ourselves descent
from common ancestors, inherit, at least, q
reasonable amount Of courage, if not OF OBJ
stiuacy; tllAt the matter Of se1ztng and de-
stroyipg their canals, however trjtItDg it NAV
GhNAf3 "oAIA A0AAA3 6V ny dNltkuA59 %AA43
any rat., that their nunlcrous and s1ift-sail-
ir:s grnboats could ascend and ravage the
whole coast Of the lakes before our military
columns, Of adequate force, could be pnt in
molten.
Such, too. seems to be the present opinion
Of the British people a. manifested Through
tbeiz putlic jeurna1s. The leading article in
the L0ndon Tunes Of the 7th Of January last
t in reference to the disturbing affair Of the
| Trert, then pending, declares:
"Tbat as soon as the st. Lawrence i5 opened
| again there will be an end Of our difficulty.
| We can then pour into the lakes such a fleet
| Of gunboats aud other craft, as will give US
| the complete and immediate command Of
| those waters. Directly the navigation is clear,
| we can send up vessel after vessel without
| any restrictions, except such as are imposed
by the size of the canals The Americans
| would have no such resource. They would
have no access to the lakee from the sea, and
| it is impossible that they could construct yes
! se1s Of any considerable power in the interval
That would e]apse before the Ice broke up.
With the opening Of spring, the lakes
| would be OURS"
| It was after careful examination Of this
Important matter in both houses Of the legis.
latuEe OF New York, and taking into view not
only the greatly exposed Condition Of her
northern wafer frontier. but the immense
stream of Lake commerce penring into he1
territory and through her canals and railways,
not only from the Mineral aud grazing dis
t1icts oi Northern Pennsylvania and Ohio, bui
from tie truly Imperial group of agricultural
6tatts adjscent to The upper Lakes, that
the act Of the 22d of April was pas
senats and assembly, placing als TIC
State canals connected with the 1akcs
! at the service Of the general government. By
the provisions Of the act, the United States
will become fully entitled, whenever it shal
proVide the pecuuiary means for enlaryiag thu
| locks m fhn E,fin and hSwarn canals n 4hf
perpetual right Of passage through those ca
nails I" free IRON toll or charge, for its vessel:
OF war; boats, gunboats, Transports, troops
supplies, or munitions of war." The act grants
the government shall provide the mean6 70
two other works, one being q branch cana
{now partially constructed) from tue Eric ca
nal to the Enle and commodious harbor o
Great Sodus Bay, on Lake Ontario, Furnishing
avery desirable rendezvous Tor naval vessels
the other being the enlargement OF the Cham
plain canal, on the direct route OF tue old an
natural Wa1 path 0f our revolutionary history
and opening channel of rapid and easy &C
cess to an Important military point on the 81
chain Of water Communication between Uppc
and Lower Canada nj gbt be broken.
Tie cost Of en1arging the locks on the Fri
and Oswego canals, to be paid by the Unite
States, will not exceed 81, soc. 600, That {
. the branch to the Great sodus Bay is not II
|
the Cba1nplaiD canal has been estimated by tn
state engineer at 81, T00, 600; but with du
+ economy may probably be considerably II
I duckd below that amount.
The enlargement Of the locks on the Err
: and the Oswego canals can be easily compl
i ted il single WjnteTt and, if Necessary,
Q tAe LIST of May next. Up to the 50th of Sci
4 tcmber, 1861, the State had expended, in col
etrnetjng these two canals, aud in enlargir
: their dimensions to the size required for tt
4f 81 fhnr
J, Their net tolls, dcducting repairs, are Whol
c devoted to the reimbursement OF the debt i
t. CURED in their enlargement, and are kept
d the low est rate consistent with that object.
6 These then are the prominent features
i the canals which the legislative act Of Ne
+ York has placed at the service Of the Cover
S MELT. 1u view Of her peculiar geographic
= position in the Union, with three OF the S
J. great northern lakes {Champlaiu include
d lying Immediately On her border, she nc
g tetls entitled respectfully hut earnestly
II calm that the national duty Of defending SUI
:. chain Of seas, not only from itnnlinent 81
l. immediate danger, hut the rcmotcst chance
If assault and rAyagc By q maritime enemy,
o amarg the big hest and most imperative OBJ
10 cations Of the general government. Iu {
&c ttrirg into the Union, of which, throu
3 every charge Of circumstances, she las bc
!e /. loyal member, she voluntarily aud cheerful
a surrendered 10 the general government, 7it
out stint or reservation, the rich revenu
se from foreign imports, WHICH her geographic
IS position, Commanding at once the ocean a
L. the Lakes, would have enabled her, with q
20 views less comprehensive and national, pr.
ar tically to nonopol olzc.
ut For the sake of that priceless Union, S
IL gave up ali to the common treasury, for +
g very purpose Of enabling the national COVER
il mcn1, then called into being, fully aad fait
To fully TO discharge its sovereign and transce
0, dent duties, among which noue was more &C
ID ! spieuous or emphatic than the solemn {:
In perpetual obligation imposed By the consu
be lion, "to provide for the common defense
IN | the States.'' She does not presume or ties
III TO cslcu1ate TIE value, OF count the cost,
of thut glorious national structure, aud nev
be theleEs, In view of the scanty measure Of p
at lection and relief sue nov asks, lar 1ess
ed herself than the loyal group Of sister Stat
cs richly clustering around the lakes, she can't
to retfuin from s1atinglthat the duties collect
On at the single port OF New York, aud faithful
IN, paid over to the national treasury, alrea
"A, amount 10 1911 .063, ,52I; Of which ful1nel
is, SUM st55, ,2SS5 655 is Included in the single
eade from 1856 to 1860. These duties, it
ar- true, were eventually paid by the consum
~ Of foreign products, scattered bToadc
he Throughout The nation, but it must be reme
,rt bered that Of those consumers, q populat
or OF ID, ,85S.0o5 are embraced within the Sta
rs adjacent to the lakes, without including
ne BARROW but ycFy valuable strip Of territory
Ier those waters belonging to Pennsylvania.
of How Hiuch, or rather how little has bs
he done By the general government to pror
he for the common defense Of these States aror
I'd these inlaLd seas from hostile attack, So