New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-02

larger In population. She did not always have the
largest commerce. Boston and Philadelphia and New
port and others. which have almost shrunk now into
insiRnihcance, had more hundred years ago IL was
not until the benefits which came TO her from her com
that New.YOrk obtained the supremacy; 1t was
not until tho population bad gradually gone
OF tho country had gone gradually toward the West
that NewYork State became the " eat emporium OF the
good harbOrs II not her enterprise, for II would
be nvidous that other cities had not enterprise
Which ran back i5b miles into the State Of Se%Ors
and gave the city highway OF o5 nat gr0st
laton went further TO the westward. when
raised 0s st rtSsT the westward then it was
that by the creation OF the Erie Canal extending V
iGa the Hudson Ryer 800 miles further 70 Ssy TGs
opening the whole commercial center OF the country
York fer the rst time in 1880 after the completion OF
the Erie Canal became the first city IA America In pop
uatiOn
this before to-day, OF the interest which Is
taken this matter here aud the first response coming
those who are before mo Now Mr.. President, do
to enter at all upon the discussion OF the general
cellency the Governor. They known and read
by all The press has taken them NJ. and with
winch Is almost unprecedented. Dav by day so many
examples brought before you Of the way IN
that every one is familiar with them.
The of unbalanced bids, which two weeks ago
household word You all have seen the sample OF those
bids how the material would be bid for 50 In one
slope wall was bid for at 20 cents per yard ana q
per yard in bids received the same day How o FAX
q thousand feet be received on the same
day. Fraud IS patent, and on Its face atso, IL
before YOU ALL Now, I'm the message OF his Exeelency,
the Governor, wish to draw your attention 10 two
KINDS OF acon Separate and dstinc one Of them
looking to the future action, when shdi DC
ation; the other looking to the past action, which
is to be taken through nyestgaon and %hich Is to Dc
legislative looking to the enactment OF laws which Will
prevent the IN the future of these difficulties
diatey can be finished before the end Of the present
session OF the legislature And Is In connection with
sembed to-day, the Influence OF the Boards, inc
influence of public opinion generally viii be most
sanlary and most valuable IL can be pushed Iorward I'M
mediatey; no investigation IS necessary an t1e
general facts OF the case are perfectly well understoou
exist, and there Is difficulty whatever In demslng
such legislation Will prevent them IN future. III can
DO done and 1t a to be done speedily and ehectuay
and trnst and believe IL WIN DC done nasS sal
difficulties in the system. for the difficulties which are
TO be reached by legislation are difficulties IN the
system You cannot take rogue and BY an act OF tne
Legislature say Ii IL hereby enacted that ana so
laws, you change the system, so that this
man who Is dishonest, VIII not nave
the same opportunity that be has to-
day Now these difficulties in the system very easy
to be seen, coming down from the time or the Con-
sponsby wnch made 1t impossible for any one 10 put
their finger on single man and say; Thoi arr the
man that hath done this wrong" Look at your Canal
Board board which has the control rims whole matter
Under the Constitution there are nine Misunderstanding
men-aGd they are tho State Officers there Is the Leu
elected because knows great deal aOOut canals lie
he is put on the ticket because IL will help carfy
the ticket Even II discrimination Is used In
cause eaS slew he will make good Governor il the
Governor dies; 1t has nothing whatever TO do
with his knowledge OF canals. When you elect an
AtIorneyGeneral, you do not pick him out because he
knows the time il takes for lOckagc-not at all. You
elect him that he may protect the rights OF the people
Controller you do not select hun because he knows how
many hours 1t takes for vessel 70 60 from B5alo to
Albany, you PICK out the man VINO mas great financial
ability and whose hands you are willing 70 pat the
Secretary OF state he is selected for the peculiar
qualifications which lac has. But, yon say these
the majority t Of your Canal Board, elected by
the people without a thought OF the way
Will conduct themselves III such aud such way aud
even II this not the case and II these nine
men were angels Why you put tho aIr, OF the canals
aud they could not be well conducted You
niue men or nine angels. You must have more OF
responsibility You must have q smaller lumber of
eve in small governing boards think three men are
better than nne and one is better than three as rule
(Appause Now IL is not the fault OF all OF US that
This thing lust as 1t does to-day. gentleman
who is on the platform, who was member Of the
that Commission proposed an amendment to the Con
stituton whereby those men should be appointed by
the Governor OF the State. Inc Legislature OF 1873
fortunately defeated it, and 1t did not come to the
peOpe among the Constitutional Amendments, but IL it
had the canal system to-day would nave been under the
control OF one single man. Commissioner OF Public
Works, who would have been appointed by Gov Tiden
the peope-whrh means you nave nun named
at Convcntion-and where you md hun to
Wards You ask: "wno has put this man in power
you Will mud that 800 men, gathered IN the CITY OF syria
aud nobody remembers who they were, and nobody re-
members which particular way hey voted on mat par
course we cannot change that now. That requires a
fundamental constitutional change. l trust IL may be
Winter. trust that the influence Of this meeting will
go far III producing that result, If you choose
But we can DO something by way OF legislation and
hold in my hand abili-Assembly b No: 32O-which
Public Works, an officer to be appointed by the GOV
OF the state and removable at his pleasure whose
duty inspect all works carried by
the State, which the State Is iuterested an Of
tccr who shall have iul! power OF nvestigaon and no
are lodged In the Governor OF the State. This is the
surest way perhaps-by legsaton-for the prevention
changes made In bids after the bids recevedI mean
change OF quantities. You are all familiar with
the public prints, with the facts that those
frauds have arisen. Now there IS bill
in the Legislature that viii do away with all that
require in ali where there is any change to any
considerable extent that there shall be new lifting OF
actual quantities aud the amount that is required
This bill introduced by Mr.. Davis, to whom, let
say very great credit to be- given for having nau
gurated this reform last alone and uuaded and
made the first speeches ever made In the legislature of
the State against the corrupt organization which ID
known as the Canal Ring; IAPplssase9
done IN the future. Now in regard to the past With
regard to that must have Investigation. That In-
yestgaton should not only be speedy, but 1t should be
thorough and 10 order TO be perfectly thorough, It
cannot be and must not be expected to be entirely
speedy 1t can be done by two means; by legislative
nr hY m Inv fIa Gnv-
ernOr OF by both. For myself Will frankly confess
right here that for one | have no great faith
in what be done by q legislative
mttee between now and the end OF the session. or
course IL do harm: the more investigation the