New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-09-16
THE CdNAL RING,

Whether the Contractor or Superintendent
system of keeping the Canals in repair is the
better, is an open question with some; but the
obvious fact that the pecuniary interest of the
contractor ia the same with that Of the State,
while that of the Superintendent must be adj
verse, is a sufficient reason with many in favor
of the former. The contractor is much in the
position of the royal physician whose pay ac-
crued while Majesty was well and ceased when
it became i'll. Just now, the competition may
be said TO BIO between two systems, one of
which, after patient trial, has produced
noxous and Improbable results, and another,
which has borne much good fruit The al
legged difference between the fundamental
principles of the two, it would seem, ought to
settle the question TO this extent at least: that
the apparently better one shall be fully and
fairly tried, as the rival one has been, and
abandoned only after manifest failure. We
trust the day is not distant when one more
wise, economical, and efficient, than either, will
supersede both,
The enormous and annually increasing cost
of keeping the Canals in repair by the agency
of superintendent, amounting to $1,O52,97S 80
in 1854, impelled the Legislature Of that year
to begin the policy of repairing them by con-
tract; but this did not take effect along the
entire line until 1900. The entire cost of keep
ing the Canals in order for the fiscal year
ending Sept. 30, 1861, proved to be $5SG,647 Az:
something more than half as much as the
same service cost in 1854. Nor was the aver
age annual cost materially greater during the
three following years. In 1864, tho Legisla-
ture, moved by the enhanced prices of labor
and materials, and the depreciation of the cur
rency, authorized extra allowances to con-
tractors. The normal condition of the coun-
try, however, being that Of peace, tho expe-
rlenCe OF 40 exceptional a term az that of
war were of little permanent value in this
matter but results have been realized under
conditions well fitted to justify and encourage
the friends of the contract system.
The system by which the public money may
be expended without the sapping and mining
OF acute and greedy peculators has not yet been
devised. This system met the inevitable fate
and received the special attention of perhaps
the only Ring which may hopefully contend
with that of Tammany in low cunning, villainy,
and rapacity-the Canal Ring Many of the
reprobates composing it had grown gray in
the practice of fraud in the Canal Depart
ment The Committee of the Legislature of
1867 detected and exposed abuses to which the
Department had been subjected-vices less in
the system itself than in the laxity and
venality of the supervision. These could be
remedied. This done, the franchises of roguery
would be alarmingly abridged f; and hence the
Canal Ring is the strenuous advocate Of the
superintendent scheme, of which the more
venerable members retain pleasant memories
II experience has not decided beyond con
uoyersy what system of repairing and main
tanning the Canals ia the best, it is ample
enough to dispel doubt as to which is the very
worst In 1867, the Republicans first found
themselves strong enough in all the necessary
departments to begin to apply remedies and
supply notorious defects in the management
OF tho Canals. and especially to reheye the
Uay-rol The Republican Legislature Of that