New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-10-31

a ~ &-.r-Sj
tA..tsnptl u rob = lsdlssss q slll
earned credit the Case hardly falls within
.praisewortby reform, Yet thl a only one
Il Of many sietG6t -of-hand peFSbfmxnuog 161i0d
upon to throw sand in the eyes Of the cleo
s 6 100 40 TT
GOVERNOR DIX AND THE CANAL REFORM.
Pursuing little further the same general
subject, notice question asked in q news
paper. The editor ashed Why at sTPstla
state. Any thing aape hy Cos srnaE Dix and |.
reform. Itmay bs In order now to state
it was s0as what fsforraatory to restore tbs
wastea rreasure Ok the people and to retrieve
the credit and honor of the State. But
much wae done beside. "A Republican Lag
adopted ams1dments q the constitution
! which have imbedded t.".osnal REFORM in the
fundamental law, whore il oan not be rooted
7 ont even by such Legislatures % We had In
1868, 1870, aud, 1871. These amendments
are . breAkwater sgainst such enormlties
| as came in an avalanche in 1868 and the
following yearS--the rascalifies lin Goa
tracts, IN extra cornpt station to contractors,
and In other things which have lately re.
oeived sHch publisity. Let me read q few
mo- extra compensation shall be made to
any contractor; but il, from any unforeseen
| cause the terms Of any contract shall prove
| to be, unjust and oppressive. the canal
board may, upon the application Of such
contractor, cancel such contract f..
| Again:
"Hsreafter tho expenditures for collec.
tions, superirtendence, .ordin sry and extra
| ordinary repairs on the canals named in
this section shalt not exceed in any year
the gross reCsipt, for the previous year
| These, provisions, and other safsguards
fof the SeesiA, are now part Of the organic
! Legislature, and ratified by the people last
| year 4 Had they existed sooner, the harvest
| of plumber which has been reaped from the
| canals could not have been garuered.
Other amendments, going still further, we're
| attempted, and encountered violent and
| persistent opposition from the Democrats;
they we're fought and delayed until their
Let ms remind you Of two of them Il
speak Of them from reoollection--they are
not before me. They provided for super
intendent Of Canals and superintendent
/ OF prisons, abolishiDg canal commissioners
And ,othor agencies through which harm
had come. They gave the Governor power
| to appoint and remove for cause, and sought
| Is to insure accountability. ~.
White the Governor was Republican,
Democrats would have it that these amend
ments conferred too much power on the
Executive, andit was not till . Governor
of their own came In that they could see
this object in . different light.
On the fret day Of the last session, Mr..
Seward, our candidate for Secretary Of
State, brought forward these amendments.
The House was Democratic, and they were
sent to q committee; but at length their
mover was permitted to call them up, and
they were adopted. and now await their
second adoption, next year. So much for
constitutional measures for canal reform. q
THE REPUBLICANS WORKING FOB THE PUB
Lie GOOD. e...i =
A Republican Governor and Legislature
did still other things. They carefully scruti
nized and cut down appropriations. and
supported the State officers in putting q
stop to expenditure. They did not create
commission at pay of $50 per diem-$20 Q
day for each Of four commssioners--with
clerks, photographers, agents. engineers. .
hired h0use, and other appliances. Very
likely it would have been well to do 90; do
not understand me 20 deny that it would.
Whether money viii be saved by such d
commission, however, remains to be seen.
The little book of fables, already referred
to, asserts that restitution has already been
made Of sum greater than the cost of the
commission. Allueion muet be made to
$l2, 900 paid to the State by one Bennett.
No other sum has been paid that we hear
OF, and surely y can not be seriously pre-
tended that el2 900, or "a, 900, or much
larger SUN, will pay, tho expenses of the
commission. Ode good ct least will be
done By the proceeding; 1t will call attention
to matters which many men have labOred
for years 10 obtain audience for. But Gov
ernor Dix did not suggest commission;
Governor Tilden did suggest it, and Repub.
Hcans in the Legislature at once responded
and created it, and armed the Governor
with plenary powers. One very important
thing left undOne by Governor Dix and his
associates was the blowing OF their ewn
trumpet; had this matter been attended to
with the industry and ingenuity which we
see now ia possible, there ia no estimating
the applause which might have been won.
A SUBJECT OF PARTICULAR INTEREST.
Fearful of dwelling toe long ON the sub
ject, still feel that apology is not needed
for discussing before the people of this
great metropolis the interests of the 1900
miles of canals owned by our State. Surely
few things in our public affairs are OF more
Importance. The Erie Canal has brought
more than we alwaIa remember to build up
its opulence and its power. This artificial
river bears q volume of traffic threefOld
greater than the river Rhine running as it
does through seven sovereignties in the
heart of Europe. New York has been, and
should be still, the emporium and recepta-
Gle OF the vast trade and commerce of which
the Erie Canal is the best oh annel. But
much OF it is slipping away. The sea end
OF the canal ia blocked by elevators and
terminal tacilit es. Philadelphia and Balti
more, and Montreal, are draining off,
through other ohannels, the sea going pro-
ducts of the West. Grain and other bulky
freights are h,odled more cheaply at these
other ports I'll an here. This is subject
which needs attention, and interviewer with
1t, OF course, is the preservation of the
canals themse yes. The canal is the only
sure reliance against railway combinations
to raise freights. A waterway is cheaper
than railway for bulky commodities and
the Erie canal, running parallel with the
Erie and Cen raj roads. is during seven
months Of the ,ear, their competitor, and is
the one power preventing such high rates of
transportation 10 will drive to other routes
portion of the commerce due to us. This
matter should be watched more closely
than ever now. because of q law which last
winter made it's way through the Leyisla-
ture and received the signature of the Gov
ern0r. Before this act came into being, the
statutes expressly forbade any consolidate
between the Erie and the Central roads, and
forbade the directors Of one to be directors
OF the other Here was q partition built
between the two to make them rivals. But
the act OF last winter 10 an act OF repeal, and
now the same men may be directors Of both
roads. Freight combinations have. free
course now, and unless combinations were
intended, it is not easy to see the purpose of
this legislation. This gives us new reason