New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-31

one of tho other three officers will be sufi-
GENTLY indebted to the Ring for his nomina-
ton to offer at Toast no active resistance to
their plans.
The full Canal Board consists of nine MEM
bers, including the State Engineer and the
three Canal Commissioners. The Canal Board
has. in an eminent degree, the weakness OF
all boards Of directors. The Lieutenant Gov
ernor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treas
urer and Attorney General were not elected to
manage The canals, have no practical knowl-
edge of canal matters, and have neither time,
inclination nor ability to unearth canal jobs
They are not, "a general rule, of that type
of men who love to be continually In hot
water. Finally, the very circumstances
under which they are nominated i'm
ply that they are of a character to
offer the least possible resistance to the Canal
Ring. We intend by the preceding observa-
tons no reflection on the character OF the
present State officials, some Of whom have
already hOnorably distinguished themselves by
opposition in the Canal Board to the schemes
of the contractors. Nevertheless, we do not
shrink from asserting that the Canal Board, in
the dispensation of patronage and the general
supervision of canal affairs. is controlled by
the Ring and that the tools of the Ring who
do its dirty work receive their appointments
through the medium of tho Canal Board.
Among the subordinate officials appointed
by the Canal Board are the Division and
Resident Engineers, who are practically nom
mated by the State Engineer, since they are
required to have his certificate to their
competency. One Division and one Resident
Engineer are appointed for each of the three
divisions of the canals. and custom as
well as common sense has sanctioned the
practice of giving tho appointment of
these officers to the Commissioners and
State Engineer. The next stage is the creation
of a body of Assistant Engineers, who may be
employed by the Division Engineer, with the
consent of the Commissioner in charge, and
State Engineer. We know not how many
assistants it is customary to employ, but any
| one with half an eye can see that the State
Engineer, the Resident Engineer. the Division
Engineer. and their assistants are all indebted
| for their Offices to the great contrac-
tors of the political party which happens
to be dominant We think it would
be difficult to imagine reason for
expecting that particular slum Ill the
pool of politics which is presided over 10y
the Canal Ring to be more pure than any
other part of it. But the moment we grant
that venaity, falsehood, and trucking sub
servency are as common with canal engineers
as they arc with other placemen. the explana-
ton of all the discrepancies between the estl-
mates of the engineers in their "quan-
city sheets" and their measurements
of the work. actually. done is easy
ENOUGH. We do moi need to sblso the re-
spectacle gentlemen who Gil the high Offices
of the State and fall asleep in their chairs at
( the sessions of the Canal Board. They are az
honest and respectable as any of the army of
directors of banks or insurance companies,
| corporations which. as everybody knows, are
| liable to find their cash and credit gone be-
fore the directors and stockholders have dis
| covered that anything Is wrong.