The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-21


First Gum On tho Grand scheme OF
Trsns-Aileghsny and scabosrd Canals.
The proceedings in the Senate yesterday
were opened by petition from Wendell Phil
lips and others for a prohibitory liquor law.
Having exhausted the negro question MIR.
Phillips has gone into woman's rights, labor
reform and temperance; but in asking for
prohibitory liquor law from Congress he is
somewhat wide of the mark. Mr.. Wright
from the judiciary Committee reported new
bill in relation to the bankrupt law. Two re-
ports were submitted from the Judiciary Com
lief for the sufferers from the Boston fire.
from which we infer that q bill of relief for
those sufferers from Congress is doubtful
| Mr.. Stewart, of Nevada, moved for an in
quiry by the Post Office Committee into the
costs of construction, equipment franchises
and market value Of the telegraph lines now in
operation throughout the country. We sup
pose that Mr.. Ramsay, Of the Postal Commit
tee, will oheerfully take up the inquiry. in sup
porting his bill for the purchase of these lines
and their annexation to the public service
of the Post Office Department. where they
properly belong. Mr.. Conkling, however,
having an amendment to offer to the resolu-
ton, it was laid over The House bill author
izing the building of six sloops of war, with
all the modern improvements" was then
taken up and debated, the question being on
the amendment to increase the number of
these vessels to ten, according to the recon-
mendation Of Secretary Robson, who seems
to have an idea that at some day not far distant
they may be needed in the Gulf of Mexico.
In the House, Mr.. Cox, Of New York, by re-
quest, introduced q bill to aid in establishing
mail steamship line between the United States
and Venezuela Another subsidy. Very good;
the moro the merrier. Let them all come in;
| for why should Congress make fish of one of
these lobby jobs and flesh of another Mr..
Perez, of Mississippi, introduced little bill
to refund the cotton tax collected in the years
1865 67-'68 on the ground of the uncon-
stitutionality of the tax. Agood ground; but
then, as these taxes collected amount to some
seventy millions of dollars, and as the bills
have been largely bought up by spectators,
this refunding bill will hardly get through
this session. But, with so much money in it,
it will keep.
Next we come to the grandest scheme of
the catalogue. On motion of Mr.. Negley, of
Pennsylvania, it was ordered, by vote of LAG
to 30, that on the 18th of February the Com
mittee on Commerce shall be authorized to
report bill relating to lines of water internal
communication. What does this mean2 We
have some hints as to its meaning in the
Presidents Message Of December last, in
which he suggests the advantages that would
result to the country-frst, from an inside
line of ship navigation by system Of canals
connecting the various sounds and inlots along
our whole Atlantic coast second, by the con-
struction Of % number of Trans lleghany canals
connecting the eastern seaboard with the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers-including canal
across Georgia to the sea from the north, a
canal westwardly through South Carolina
from tidewater, and the completion of
the James River and Ohio Canal
and the Potomac, known as the
Negley appears assa advocate of the general
scheme, we suppose that the Pennsylvania
Trans-Alleghany Canal may be counted in.
| Of course, If these projects are entered upon
by Congress, New York cannot deny herself
| the pleasure of the assistance of few millions
from the national Treasury for the enlarge
ment of our Erie Canal. Lastly the President
likes the idea of Niagara ship canal on our
side of the river; and what are twenty or
thirty millions for this object?
Here, then, is the budget of internal i'm
provement schemes in the way of coastwise
and inland water communications upon which
we may expect the initiatory bill from the
House Committee on Commerce on the 18th
of February. Only million of money or less
may be required at first for the costs of the
preliminary surveys and estimates of these
canals and canal extensions; but if the two
houses venture into this business of digging
canals they will probably not touch bottom
short of the expenditure of two or three hun
dred millions Of dollars. The vote of 146 to
| 80 on the motion for the preliminary bill indi-
Gates strong current in the House in favor of
this stupendous system of canals. Of course
these enormous jobs, as we go on, will require
enormous additions to our taxes or the aban-
donment Of the national debt. But with the
report from the Committee on Commerce we
shall probably have more light on the subject
| Opening OF the Now Firth Avenue
Theatre. In Broadway.
The new French play of 'Alixe" is to be
produced at the Fifth Avenue Theatre this