New-York tribune., 1876-01-05
ALBANY.
THE CANAL BOARDS POWERS.

THE CANAL BOARDS IONI''@' -
su1r,. THF BOARD CONTINUE THE CAN"b 49,,
SONS INvFsuGAuONf-li LACh ot -.1.,,o,,s
POwER-AID FROM THE IEdisLA' UNI "
OF REPUBLICANS. 80. -,,, ,prp7-,r !
,rpou THE EECULAR CORRESPONDENT of llh ,na.a
- To, last Friday the old Canal Doain,
- al ~ reform and served the klng, ceaSeu
- I'D today the Canal Board is pledged against
~ pinot only bv the votes Of the people Dut ny INC
,oco,ds of its members. The men VINO remain WIN
re with tLe former majority are now lelt III IoPo
Loss minority The Board is solid. Inc Lcu'eh'uh'-
Governor who has been through the horrors Vi "
=; ,,ortbs, CIVIL war around a Board table; MI
Rigeloyy. who was Chairman OF the investigating
Commission. and Mr.. Van Buren, who was ineui-
hr. Mr.. Fairchd. who has had charge Oh tle SUITS
aud Nessrs Robinson Ross. and NalTath, eiec'eu on
Tho anti-Ring issue last Fail. make up the WORKING
majority Doubtless hcssrS 1hayer and jackson
will bo only too glad to be allowed TO JON III VIII
them. III.
The peculiar fitness Of a number Of these gehIe-
men for the work of this investigation long ago
l,,,lt ont the suggestion that the Canal Board be
made the sole heir of the Canal Commission ana INC
suparently inevitable disruption of the latter oooy
caused bv the election of two of the members 10
State Offices and the demands of private business
mon the other two makes il probably the sole soiu-
ton of the problem. While the Republlcan papers
are calling for the investigation of the investigating
Commission il is hardly to be expected that the he
oulIican Legislature will fill its vacancies or pro-
long IFS existence. The members themselves naVo
evidently no idea of continuing the work, ana 90
not expect TO meet again except TO agree upon 'ci
final report The question arises, therefore, mas lhe
Canal Board adequate powers for the prosecution ol
such an inquiry
There seem to be very few acts IN RELATION 10 the
examination of witnesses by the Canal boaId'
law of 1929, in reference to awards by Iahal Az
praserS empowers the Board, in casesof appear from
the decision of the Appraisers to direct their attend
ance before them to give testimony 1t also autnor-
izes ANY member of the Canal Board" to " admin
ister oatbs 70 witnesses on all matters which may
he examined before said Board" and makes williul
false swearing before the Board perjury. The same
act enpowers the Board to subpoena witnesses when
the interests of the State require it, but renders
this provision practically imperative IN cases wnere
large interests are at stake by making wlliIul
neglect to obey subpoena OF the President OF
the Board punishable with a hne OF 9oo'
"to he recovered with costs of sut before any court
having cocnizance thereof nl1Qnaue con-
tractor could survive a generation of these suits
All these provisions are contained in an act govern
ing awards of the Canal Appraisers and appeals
from them; but admitting that they might hold IN
other proceedings it is easily that they are ut
tery useless for the purposes of an investigation
Another provision in regard to the examination OF
witnesses by the Board is contained in law of lo4l
which empowers any three members of the Canal
Board, designated by the Board to take and re-
duce TO writing any testimony offered to the Board
in relation to claims for extra allowances to any con-
tractor The Board is said to have power also to
compel the attendance of witnesses who hold claims
. No Otb "
Board has any power over witnesses seem to have
been discovered.
1t seems evident, them that act of the Legisla-
tuIe of 1876 will be indispensable to the continu-
ance OF the invest CATION by the Canal Board. Ex-
acty what form it is likely to take it would be di-
cult TO saw, but one of the members Of the new
Board said to-day that the best plan would be to
grant TO any committee of three members OF the
Canal Board designated for that purpose full power
TO send for persons and papers. 1t is too early yet to
tell whether the Legislature would venture TO refuse
TO grant to the Canal Board the needed power,
tbough the fact that the Board is unanimously Dem
ocrac might have something to do WITH its decision.
There are well-informcd Republicans here, however,
who say that the Legislature would accede promptly
TO any such request, and who hold that the Canal
Board ought TO have this power, whether for the
purpose of this investigation or not. They say that
IueIo can DC no buCH ODJcCllOu 10 inc Odndl DOdIu
as they made TO the Canal Commission, inasmuch as
Its proceedings be reported daily and are open
TO all. Some of them go so far as to say that the
Legislature would probably be willing to fill the
vacancies in the Commission because, looking at 1t
solely from political point of view, they think they
have the ability to make plenty of capital out of
what they conceive to be the mistakes of the inyest
cation. But however this may be, one great result
has been reached that cannot be overthrown should
there be no investigation to follow this Stealing
On the canal has been stopped for long time to
come.