New-York tribune., 1869-05-07
4 CRUSHING TAX FOR CANAL PURPOSES.

4 CRUSHING TAX FOR CANAL PURPOSES.
Certain persons in our State Legislature are
pushing through bill providing for the rails
ing by tax on the people of nearly four millions
of dollars this year and the next to be ex-
pended upon extraordinary repairs, improve
ments. aud reconstructions of the canals. OF
this vast sum, one-half must be borne by the
people of the City of New York alone, and the
other half will fall on the farmers, the me-
chanics, AID the wOrkingmen throughout the
State. The act which proposes to appropriate
these four millions has already passed the
Senate, and is now held by the Canal Com
mittee of the Assembly. 1t is one of the most
monstrous and impudent attempts to take
money out Of the pockets OF the people ever
seen in the Legislature. 1t resembles very
strongly those outrageous Tax Leyies which
the Democratic, Tammany Hall ring of our
city sends up every year, and suggests the
idea that the cOrruptiOns Of our officials
here have inspired the Canal managers and
others in the interior Of the State. This act
is filed with every old, exposed, and nOto-
rious steal about the Canals which has been
urged and defeated during the last five years.
There is the Chenango Extension job of
$3.50 900, which is and has been butt for ridi-
cule and scofn by honest legislators for several
sessions; there is the job of Doubling the
Locks on the Western Division of the Erie
Canal costing s4jO,OOO which is rich
placer for hungry contractors, who now expect,
with the assistance of the Legislature, to fasten
their grasp upon it; there is the vast job of
making over again the whole Erie Canal by
removing the present walls and building new
ones TO cost over 100000, which, it is well
known among the wise ones in the secret, will
lead to the expenditure of over 81 100000 more
TO complete the work-an exact copy of our
infamous New Court House. scheme in this
city; there is the 90 Iron Bridge" job, by which
it is contemplated TO absorb 100000 for tearing
down the present good and seryiceable wooden
bridges and constructing costly iron ones over
the raging canals :" there is the cool pro-
position to tax the people $4,000 for "pro-
"tectng the slde-banks Of the Genesee
Canal" work which tho regular
contractor is bound to perform now without
extra pay; there is the item Of $4,000 for i'm
proving the Champlain Canal, which is exactly
four times as much as the work need cost, and
simply gives 100000 for somebody's pocket;
there is 800 800 for the "towng-path and road
Deu on w OOu OTcck,' which lS clever at
tempt to saddle on the State an expense which
the towns of Fort Ann and Whitehall should
bear; there is $1,000 for vertical walls in the
"village of Fort Edward;n $4,000 for the same
at Utica, and $4,000 for the same at Schenectady
all little jobs to improve private docks at
those points there is the " Fish Creek Feeder"
to cost 100000, and really intended To
feed some interested parties to the extent of
SlOO.OOO there is $25,OOO in one item for tho
purpose of making a job for an anxious con-
tractor in taking away the present wooden dam
Mt the head of the Glen's Falls Feeder, and re-
placing it with costly stone structure; and as
this "Glens Falls Feeder" seems to be
fayorite instrumentality for conveying food to
y the hungry" there ia further item of $780,
600 for constructing the guard lock on it after an
enlarged plan TO replace tho present structure.
But want of space prevents our giving in
full tho list of schemes by which our heavily |
taxed people are still further to DO burdened, |
under the plea Of necessary and cxtaor-
" binary repairs" to the canals Suffice it to |