, 1874-01-09
CANALS AND RAILROADS,
Views OF Gov. Dix, Of Now York.
The following nro oxtracts from tho message Of
Gov DIX, Of Now York, dcliyorod on tho 9th
irpt - -

Gov. Dix, Of Now York. delivered on tLo oh
ibBt..
CANALS.
During tho last yoas tho public attention and
interest havo bccn earnestly givon to tho abb
toot Of chcarening transportation botweon tho
West aud tho Atlantic coast By tho Improvement
Of our natural and artificial waterways.
IheIo is no economical question which con-
most Important aspect under which It can 10
viewed, Is TINT OF 6nabllnR. them to procure at
loWor @ prices thu supplies they require for their
own o consumption. aud to obtain hlehor priccs
fcaoh M tue pointe Of exchange at diminished iato
~ y! transportation. This Is tho local view. and
to one ,p IN which tho great body Of our poopo
Wost. and especially tho grnin-nroduciur tiis.
! trfcts, this is tho solo Wow un]or which Tin
| ton is regarded, with much interest. They wish
through cheaper transportation to soll thur own
products at better prices, mud obtain at lover
prices tho altic1os they take in exchange.
trihlng Importance to tho West, but Of lie great.
co. consequence to us. It snattors littlo to them
by what clanne!s they reach tho markets for
their products. But 1t is vital to tho commor-
c!al aAoerldouoy OF Tho City Of Now York, aud to
tio continued succoss Of our canal Byatom,
| which Las cost US 50 much, ani which co,.
tributes 30 largely to our prosperity, TINT tic
communication botweon tho two pcctious
| SHOULD not be leasencd by tho diversion into
| markets.
1t IL not probable that any comnoting woter
communication can over interfere WITH ns
materially, unieBs 1t be by tho riyor st. Inv
romeo, which IL reached by means Of two short
canals boow all distractions, thus atfortling a
cheap and speedy connection will, tho ports Of
by 20 enlarged within 'fow years, 80 as to
admit OF tho passago OF vessels carl wing
oargoca OF l.G0o tons, at d lower cost oi
transportation than We can afford, unloss our
eann!-luoxs can bo 30 lonEthonad as to pass
boats OF greater capacity, or unloss tho cost Of
carrying caa bo reduced by using steam Oh a
motive power, md lcssoning tue timo now ro-
lalrcd for transit from tho lakes to tide wator
In ono rospcct tho route to tlo ocean by tho st.
Lawrence will always contond Mt disadvantage
with outs. Tho port of New York is opon at Iii
Seasons: The ports in tho st. Lawrence arc
closed during six months OF tho yoar, mud during
| thoso months Quobec aud Montreal can onIy
road. ''''~0
II all tho locha on the Eric Canal wero doubled
as they will DO shortly, aud tho prism wero mado
TO conform to the prescribed dimensions, It's
capacity would, no doubt. bo sufficient to nor
form all the services required OF it for several
years to come; and when to this Increased
capacity tho application OF steam, as motive
power, shall be added, its ability to maintain a
successful competition with other routes c4nuot
wrcll bc questioned. Tho experiments with steam
airoady made, undor tho liberal inducemopt
of1orod by the State, thoug. not entirely Batin-
factory. cayc litto donbt that they will be 10 at
| no distant period Of time.
When tho cann1 debt is paid, or tho payment
ecourcd by the accumulation of ly.inyost-
| cd sinking funds, which Bhnll equal III amount
| the bonds outstanding, the tolls can DO again ro-
1lccd aud The cost OF transportation bo further
Tho oxpodcuqy Of constructing ship canal
to unto tho waters OF tho Hudson aut. lako
Etie Il, haa recently tenn6rd sss,on.
n n nff In nh L.,
vaillng arrangement Of business, ana whom we
should aconoInizo our means by every pla4tica.
ble measure Of rotrcnchment, it would bo ido
to talo any stops toward tho initiation Of al on
| totpriso OF auch magnitude, ind likely to it-
volve ail enormous expenditure. Should it bo
practicable at any future day to undertake it, 1
| trust 1t may ba with olir own means aud with
out tue embarrnsslnont Of a copartnerslip with
was suggcBtad WHOM tho Erie Canal WAS pro-
| jccted; but it was, in full consideration. re-
nounced, with the declaration OIL tic part OF tho
Executive Of tue State That our resources ,yare
| fully adequate to tho accomplishment of tho
work without exttanoous aid."
In tho moan tiMc, with Our canals fully .:com-
pieted Tor the transportation Of bulky articles
ad with our great railroad lines for those which
nro Of lighter weight mud moro easily baudlod,
there need DO no fear TINT weslatl be tho suffer-
ors from tue participation OF our neighbors in
tho business of carrying.
AA1LNoAD COMPANIES.
The pro1liGate management Of homo Of onr
railroad companies, and the losses resuIting
construction. calls for some otcieht measures
Of correction. The lncalculabio yaiuo OF these
lmprovelnonts is universally conceded, They
are Indispensable to the public convenience
they ouaole ua to cross tho continent in less
time than was required tn 60 from New York to
buffalo half century ago; aud they bring to
our door products OF tho States aud Territories
west OF tho Mississippi, which would otherwise
mover hayo reached US. They ought not by our
legislation be rendered unable to perform tho
valuable services they are rendering in bring
Ing distnut PORTIONS OF our widely OK
tehdcd country into virtual contact, and in
advancing i our 7rosperity aud growth with i.
to protect our towns aud our citizens, who hayo
aidod In tholr construction, against tho roclosa
aud unscrupulous acts OF tho Directors, by whom
they ayo managed. Immense associations for
railroad purposes, welding hundreds Of millions
OF dollars, hayo grown up within the last fifty
years aud Whenever groat wealth. il accum,i-
latod tn new forms, VIC 1nust expect it to be iii
vaded through new forms OF depredations. We
nayo not kept paco with the progress OF tho
crimes which tl1e aggregation oi ca pital hAs pro-
duceds by enactilg suitable laws for their re-
preston and punishment The application of tic
funds belonging to railroad companies to objects
rated and tho uHe Of these funds in any n,a,l1ler
ny tue nanagors for p1iyate profit, should DO
made crimes punishable by Imprisonment. It IL
. tepioac1 to orr criminal jurisprudence tllat
@ thore aro hundreds Of maIefactors in our
State Prisons undergoing sentonco for atcaiug
at,tns under 800, while there are othors ut largo
WHO llavc by fraudulent coutriyaneeY for their
own benefit sacrificed tho property OF coudding
shareholders. many OF whom aro women nnti
chiluron: to the amount Of hundreds OF thou
.I sands OF dollars, and arc living III luxury on
the proceeds Of thoHo enormous iarconies
Our statutes in regard to tho embozzlement
OF moneys and breaches Of tr,et, arc excectl-
ingly dofoctiyo IN respect to tho aots and per-
sous embraced in them, tie definition Of tio
Grimes, and tho dogreo Of The punishment
awarded to them. Public officers and servants
aro not embraced in tho statute Of embczzlc-
monts aud it IL doubtful whether It coyors tho
acts Of tho oflicera aud servants of pubic
corporations, while the statute In regard to
breaches Of trltrt reaches only the acts Of pub
u, 10 officers, mud provides for aggravated cases
for year III he County Jail and tino OF $3.50,
rhore ii nothing molo ga' lug in tho daily oxh-
bitlom Of crime tl,an tho abuse OF tlduciary
trustH. Littln s needed now on tho Bcore of 4 |
firm and unsparinG administration OF Justice