The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-04-29
The Green River Monopoly.

cation Of the Green and Barren Rivers
Navigation Company, and the transfer
to said Company Of all the improve
ments made by the State of Kentucky
upon those streams, without remuner-
alton Of any character whatever, both
upon the interests of the people of
that State and our own city, has &C.
c%asionel a great deal of futtering on
the part Of those interested, showing
that the JOURNAL battery had both
the range and the elevation Of the
object fred at.
First, we have an anonymous com
munication in the Bowling Green
Democrat, explanatory aud vitupera-
tive. The explanation is that one Of
the Evansville merchants was in-.
formed by the superintendent Of the
Line that an effort would be made to
have the Legislature pass an act
similar to the one afterwards enacted,
and he did not protest against it.
Secondly, that only one Louisville mer-
chant is interested 10 the Line, aud
only three members of the Company
are interested Ia the steamer Falls
City. Thirdly, that steamboatmen and
capitalists of Evansville have been at
tempting for six years to accomplish
what the Green and Barren Rivers
Navigation Company has accomplish
ed, in a single session of the Ken
lucky Legislature. This indicates
that the Evansville capitalists did not
rightly understand the best point at
which to bring the pressure to bear
to secure the end designed
But this is anonymous, and we are
willing to let the statements staul on
their own merits.
Next we have a very painful effort
in the Courier Of yesterday, on the
same subject, written, as that paper in
forms us, by Judge PAYNE, President
Of the Green River Naviga ton Com
pany. We have read the communi-
cation carefully. It is worded with
all the self-complaeency of an individ-
ual having a good thing, and who
thinks heEcan afford to disregard, or
be Indifferent to, the fundamentally
by which it was obtained. We copy
a sentence on this point:
It is hardly a legitimate question as
to how this question effects Evans
Vile, as Evansville and the Green
River Navigation Company are two
distinct institutions, belonging to diff
erent States.
Suppose we concede to the Judge
that Evansville has no rights which
the Navigation Company is bound to
respect. how is it with the people of
Kentucky? Are they to be oppres-
sively taxed that the Navigation Com
pany may make money-the purpose
for which, as Judge PAYNE very
frankly admits, it was organized? The
improvements made by hat State on
Green and Barren Rivers, for the ben
eft of the people living on the same,
was over 81, 600 900. 1t may not have
reached $4,000, 900, but some well in
formed Kentuckians insist that it
did. All of these improvements are
turned over to a corporation, com
posed of a few men, for thirty years,
as a gift, they simply o~bligating them
selves to keep the work in sufficient
repair to increase their profits. This
was donein the face of the fact that
other parties were anxious to obtain
the same monopoly. Judge PAYNE
says:
The Charter was granted to the
company that first applied. It was
understood that other companies
wanted it; some of the most anxious
of them were citizens of Indiana, and
friends Of the JOURNAL. Kentucky
would think it as well to negotiate
with her own citizens as with citizens
of another State. She did it; and so
did not ask any money for it. but she
mix wanted to save the line and
guard against any further expense in
It's support. This object VAS accom-
plished by letting it to a company for
thirty years, and taking their bond in
a heavy penalty, binding them to keep
the line in good order, subject to all