, 1869-01-28
/ SUSPICIOUS CANAL CONTRACT


/ L resolution was recently passed by
The Legislature calling on the Governor
ior reformation in regard to leasing the
surplus water Of the Illinois Canal to
Norton 4 Co., who own the Touring
mills al Lockport, at q merely nominal
rate, for long term Of years. The Gov
crIor, in response, has enclosed CON-
munication from Sheridan WAIT, State
Canal Trustee, replying to the rcsolu-
ttcr, which confirms the wors. sus-
picicns OF the members of the legislative
body Il seems tina. the existing lease Of
Norton & Co. Is about expiring, and
tbat they have secured CONTRACT for an
extension OF the lease for twenty years, at
The nominal rate Of $1,000 per annum
The justification Of the State T.11ss..
for giving away Ills exceedingly val
ueb'cn POWER for twenty years is that
/ Norton Il Co. put in claim OF SEQ 900
Ter damages occasioncd by shutting oi1'
the wafer III the canal for purposes Of
dccptning 1t, and TO compromise this
claim the Trustees executed this lease.
Tht1e is no allegation on the part OF Mr..
WHIT thst be resisted making this one
Eidtd bargain, by which the State has
lost bali million Of dollars OF more. lie
GraEs a salary Of 92,500 as compensation
tor ]~tkir Z utlcr the S:ales intcres. and
protecting it against loss. How faith
'ully hc has executed Ills trust the stluel
will slow.
Thc communication contains the nd
dltional Information thet there is no law
Oh the statute book requiring the State
Ttuslcc to settle With any State oill:cr,
ard thai bill, which passed through tie
| lfotsc ut tho last session. dIsapp cared
from tic illes Of The Senate, or when
passing between tho two Houses, In
mysterious lusnucr. In her words, /,
WAS stolen, md thereby relieved tho
State TRUSTEE from settling his accounts
with the Stsic. This must have BEEN
done by somc person who ltd no,
desire TO Jut the officer to that iu-
convenience.
OIc Of the members, Mr.. Strcvcll,
called attention TO the fact That ns settle
lncnt lad been hal with thu Cnnal Trus-
tee ior many yeara, and he alleged that
much Of tho money received far canal
lands had been fQusndLrcd, and none of
the canal scrip returned.
This is pretty state Of a1iiIrs, truly,
ard VIC suppose that il this Legislature
attempts 10 pass law enforcing q settle
mcnt, the bill will agsiD be mys.eriously
spirited away by some person opposed
to putting the Trustee to so much
trouble.
But to return 10 the case Of the Lick.
peri water power: Nortan g. Co. have
enjoyed, tor many years, monopoly OF
that power, at an exceedingly low rent
al. They are entitled to use tho surplus
water OF the canal to drive their 1ouring
! OPERATIONS, and their lease had nearly cx-
pircd when they secured its renewal tor
another generation. The Va!ue ol
this power will be immensely
increased when the deep-cut is com.
pleted two years hence. From thence
forth perpetual and uniform stream Of
water Nill flow through the dl.ch, sixty
| feet wide by seven feet deep, at the
velocity Of perhaps half mule an hour.
t Thrce.Quar;ers CT this water will be sur,
| plus at Lockport, and may be utilized.
II would be moderate estim7te to value
this overflow water ut 108-horse power
for each ten feet fall; and the lock4ge al
1ccEport is, Say fifty Ieet, which makes
the whole power equal to 500.horsa
power. Steam power costs no. less than
| 800 per annum for each one-horst
power, exclusive Of the cost AMI
replacement Of boilers and engines
The annual value Of this wafer poge1
can hardly be less than $4,000 per year
afttr the deep cut is completed. Bu
this is not all. Long before the cxpira-
1lon OF the twenty years lease the cana
will be enlarged into steamboat cana
Of certainly double, and perhaps three
times the dimensions ard capacity Of the
present ditch, and then the surplus
water power will be enornous. And il
will be never-falling, as its source o'
supply will be the great Lske Michigan
! In three or four years hence the canal
with all its franchises, will revert II
the possession Of the State, as the bond.
holders lien on it will, by that time
be l!quida'cd and discharged. Tn,
qucction arises, Have the pre:en
Trustees the legal right to give away tni
magnificent and highly valuable waite
power tor seventeen years af:er thc;,
uftlcial connection with the canal cease:
and their Offices are a5olisheds We as.
the Legislature to appoint committee o
their ablest lawyers to examine into th,
matter, for unless the rights AMI interest.