The New York herald., 1875-03-26
Tho Canal Rings Limo OF Defence.

ture yesterday were by Mr.. Jarvis Lord in the
Senate and Mr. Alvord in the Assembly.
Both of these gentlemen manifest an indul-
gent tenderness for the Canal Ring, and we
must look into their speeches to find what
can be most plausibly said against Governor
Tilden's Message. Neither of them is raw
in canal matters. Senator Lord Is popu'arly
reputed to be the Napoleon of the Canal Ring,
and Mr.. Alvord, who resides at Syracuse, the
headquarters of the ring, is an old stager,
ripe in legislative experience, and possessing
a more intimate acquaintance with the way
canal affairs are practically managed than any
other member of the Legislature What
such veterans as Alvord and Lord could not
say in opposition to the Message is not worth
saying Both of these gentlemen, though
they belong to different political parties,
adopted substantially the same line of reason
ing for weakening the force of Governor
Tildcn's disclosures. Their long experience
in canal questions qualified them for making
the best defence the case admits of. We may
safely assume that such flaws as they could
not detect in the Governor s reasoning are tco
trivial TO deserve attention.
Mr.. Alvord and Mr.. Lord both concede that
the present system opens the door to great
abuses 1t is to be hoped that after making
this admission they will support appropriate
legislative remedies. They profess to desire
the fullest investigation of the Governors
charges; but it is too late in the day to regard
this kind Of professions as presumption of
innocence. The Tammany Ring, alter the
damaging publication of figures in 1871, made
precisely the same professions Nobody can
have forgotten their eager parade Of desire
Tor investigation, and the committee of emil
troller Connolys accounts. Among the re-
spectacle names on that committee were those
of Mr.. Astor and Moses Taylor, but we dare
say the whole committee is heartily ashamed
Of the report they made that everything
was correct in the Comptroller's nc
counts and the fiscal operations of the
Tammany Ring. We recall their so-called
investigation merely to show the hollowness
of the pretended desire of accused parties for
an impartial examination of their conduct
and the worthlessness Of On investigation con-
Quoted by committee selected or appointed
by the alleged criminals committee ap-
pointed by Speaker Mcclure, who has been
fool enough to disclose his strong bias, will
be secuted as a whitewashing body and their
copclusions treated with the same contempt as
the Tammany committee Of eminent citizens
was in 1871. That dodge is "played out"
The statements made by Messrs. Alvord
and Lord in the debate yesterday do not quite
deserve the same contemptuous treatment
Their lines of defence run parallel, and al
though there are some discrepancies in their
figures the statistical differences do not I'M
pair the force of the arguments. Regarding MIR.
Alvord as the ablest and best informed of the
two we will present the argument clothed
with his drapery of figures 1t will be
recollected that the great impression
made by Governor Tilden's Message resulted
from his exhibits of contracts for doing work
on the canals for certain specified sums, when
the actual payments to the contractors we're
twice, thrice or quadruple the amounts stipu-
lated in the contracts To Offset this Messrs.
Alvord and Lord show that the actual cost of
all our public works has always been enor-
mously in excess of the original estimates.
In illustrating the argument we follow Mr..
Alvord figures, for although they are not
accurate the force of his argument does not
depend on statistical exactness. Mr.. Alvord
asserts that the original estimate for the canal
enlargement was s12, 100000 and the actual
cost $44, ,0O00 900; that the original estimate
for the Champlain Cenal was $871, 900 and the
actual cost 50, 900, 900; that the original esti-
mates for all the State canals were $4,000, 900
and the actual. cost $72, ZOO, 900. This is
striking exhibit, and it's force is not much
impaired by some inaccuracy in the
figures. 1t is the general experience,
both of the State government and
the national government, that the cost
of public works enormously exceeds the first
estimates. Our new Post Office in this city is
striking instance and the new Capitol in
Albany a still more striking one 1t is there
fore maintained by the champions of the Canal
Ring that the excess Of cost for canal repairs
beyond the contracts conforms to the ordi-
nary course of things, and is no conclusive
proof of fraud.
This is plausible, but it ignores the distinc-
ton between estimates and contracts. When
piece of work is done by the State itself, if
more materials are used or their cost happens
to be higher than was contemplated in the
first estimate, it simply proves the inconpe-
tency of the architect or engineer but does not
necessarily impugn the honesty of the build
ers. But a contract is not the same thing as
an estimate. If the building OF the new State
Capitol had been let out by contract after the
plan and materials had been decided on there
would be no excuse for paying more for the
work than was stipulated in the contract. The
confounding of estimates with contracts by
the apologists of the Canal Ring is therefore
deceptive and sophistical.
Anotbor ,oint which thov maka is morn