, 1879-01-30
THE CANAL.

Its Alleged MI&Managemrnt.
Ia ,hr Editor Of The Tranns.
MonkIs, III. jAu. 21.-fu my Communication
of Jsn. u, 1879, / satd: ''The prevailing opiu-
lon Is. there Ia a combination OF lntcrcsis To
fosce the trade from and dry Up the canal,-
aided By incompetent or corrupt sinte officials"
1t Is the dusv OF any snsu making charges Tint
cover 80 much, u show what thu facts are. This
Is not work that has bccu dune In ouc year; It
extends over the histdty Of rnilruad operations
jp Il3lnpis+
In lHi3 the Illinois Il Michigan Canal WAS
opened, and this WAS the brgtnulD1 OF tho Erain-
trade Of Chicago, and the first connection OF i'm
pnrtance with the Mississippi River and Ct.
t.ot1!s. The infringement of the caoal WAS run
by Trustccs. twh Of whom were the reprcsenta-
tires Ut capitalists IN England, toat'rf tic
muney to the State to build tie canal, and held
the canal In trust. The third Trustee was ap-
pointed BY tlle Governor Of Illinois. Those
Trustees ad Tie entire contro If the canal, and
it, management.
On Feb. Z, iB5t, the Chicago t. nock Island
Railroad got charter to build tltAt rt,at. fuu-
ming parallel with nnd over the eanaliandt. and
In part on tho canal.bank. One 1f tale ptovts-
lons NJ the charter is: Suh corporation shall
pay 10 the Board of Canas Trustees bf tln' ILL.,
nos {: Michigan Canal, upon all freight traus-
ported on said ratruad. The saulc rates OF toll
Tint are now paid ubon like articles Of freight
carried through the canat,n ctc. The 1apk
Island Railroad Company has not paid stlrli
toll: nnd II cannot bc attributed to nnyth,nE
hut neglect or design Oil the pArt Of thoss l'av-
IN iaSs tbr Alton Il 81. Lnuts Railroad wa.
completed to Chlvarn; md tile Pcnr1a iirancl,
81 II" Rt*:k ts!anL f'aflrond was ro'npct.,l I"
peera Abon. this tine, They came inlo s,n,~
l'oIuts, ata1 they werc protected hy u rers hiri,
ratc ot toll cnIrEci on ttr rasla,. THE boatmcp
petItinncd for reduction os toll. but wtthnut
success. From lsG0 IL 1s'1' trade wns gou.l On
the canal. This was rauAed b. the Wnr HtlI It's
intlucbre.
The buttnen wcrc looking with hnre to the
tftHc wllrh thr Stntc wuul1 gel con!ru' nf tiie
ynn s u " @ 1sIi ,nl es VIII w.s
now tVnltngnccd ut Henry. The Trusitcs sur
rendered. ihcir trust to the Stale III ls1l. Tic
tioscrnor appointed Board OF Commissioners.
cEycn. Two Of those Commissioners were from
districts remote trot, l1e ranal; neither cf then,
wis Interested tn the welfurc Of ite canal, Us
tMtt were railroad tncn,-ono nf tilcm being sflG
attorney for tue ChcaEu. Alt,dt d 1t. Louis
Railroad. Tile buattI,rt tuon discovered tint
ilir change was not u better i!lcts condition.
Changes were nude 10 the Beard without max
ioE my change IN t1lc character OF the koaFd;
tttprs were rather growing wo1se.
III l6is aud as13 lrrr were petitions sent tu
tllc H,aftl for a reduction Of tn1ls. In 1874 Il
very slight reduction hal brn ,l,a,le. bat It did
NIT give my rrlief. IN 1877 thetr WAS
anut1lrr reduction n,nlc. III 1878 anothrr
was made. II tht. last reduction hAA bern
tnsdr fn ainle bcfoss liz. rntlroad had perfected
fts pAtIs, It would llave at,IcA tusc Interested
In cn,Ial-trnfc to hold the trn,le.
When the Commissioners took charge of t}te
cauat, It was in 4otd cunuitton. Tie alurtluctz
nNh bttt10Cs were gomnarat!vely rcW; lhe banks
were stanrtl and actttru. Tflcre Is no rcasui,
| why talt auHual Average expense shnnlt b. NOR,
than tiat Of tfle TRUSTEES; It should be frs<,
| Mr. Thomas, tllu Superintendent, n,alv state
ucnt hare. on The 18th VI January. thAt liz
waa running the cluat at sRyfng u,
tile people OF tllc State Of *l+,0U
| from The cost Of the Trustees Il rcicr 10
The Ca1at Commissioner rennrth The annual
average expenses us,tler The Irustecs' t,,at,usr
ment. from, 1873 t0 l670, inclusive, twenty-thrrc
years. was about $a1 0n per year. Ttlt 1r1.stces
had tu feed tue canal bY tic hydrauftc works.
They ran the works frotn 100 to f5U days enctl
year, at from $40 to 500 r'er tIay: a1A tn this
must br aided the rust OF tl,Eis maintenance
nnt repair. nud to keep lii. Calumet fetaicr u1ld
dam In repair. When tllc deep cut w&s cotn.
pfctci this expcu.e WIS dispensed with, a,ri the
pl,nsphorkn il bringing In El.:aU IHr a'lu,t11,.
nnhve uni REPAIRS for ttM' fast Tight ,cark, BY the
Commissioners. Is $5o, ,4O0: "nh lhr eanal IL mt
In LII good cop1iton ~ Il Nus when they r.
eelrel tt from tie Trustees. 10 III Il dlIaps-
daied condition; 10 many places two boats eat'
| not pass; and II Ia growing WORSE.
81. IiALgr.