The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1884-03-06
The Preservation Of the
Hooking Canal.

1t has always been the policy
of the Democratic party to pre-
serve the system of public works
of the state intact from spoila-
ton by rival railroad corporations
and from destruction at the In
stance of selfish individuals.
The public works are state
property, paid for by the state,
and maintained for the public
benefit, and so long as the public
of the state does net suffer, and
their maintenance inures to the
benefit OF, no matter how incon'
siderable a number of citizens
honor, justice and a wise public
policy demand their preservation
Just now there is a clamor fol
the abandonment Of the Hooking
canal.
Let us consider for a moment
this movement and the parties
engaged in it.
THE EXPENSE OF REPAIR.
The occasion was the recent
flood, and the pretext made that
the damage is SO great that the re-
damage is so great that the re-
pair will cost more than the can
al is worth. Let us consider this
Superintendent Harlow White
has gone the entire length of the
canal and on a liberal estimate
places the cost of repair at less
than ten thousand dollars. The
cost of making this repair will
be paid by the state. The amount
Hooking county will be compsll'
ed to pay, is not over ten dollars.
less than half a cent to the tax
payer who pays l hundred dollars
tax. The average tax payer, the
man who pays, say $1,000 ayear,
will be ten years paying his pro-
portion before the sum he pays
for canal repairs will cost him a
cent. So that the "great expense
clamored about is a childish
prattle, too feble to entertain
But suppose the canal is aband-
oned. The damage done by the
distraction of water power to
mills, the loss to owners of boats
and persons with property in
vested, will cost the state, if the
state pays it, more than the cost
of repairing the canal. Ts re-
pair the ca aal preserves the
property on the canal and pre-
serves the canal also. In other
words it costs as much to aban-
don tho canal as it does to repair
it.
WHAT IS THE CANAL WORTH.
1t is claimed the canal is not
worth preserving.
Two years ago the state was
offered yearly rent Of ten thou
sand dollars for the canal and a
railroad thrown in. The rent at
ten thsusand dollars is the inter
est on one hundred and sixty
thousand. Say the canal will
cost ten thousand to put it in as
good condition IS it was last
year, then it is still a property
worth to the state not less than
one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. Is it reasonable to sup
pose that Democratic legisla
ture will abandon, give away
property for nothing, which two
years ago a republican legisla-
ture refused to sell fer one hund-
red and fifty thousand dollars of
money, and a railroad guaranteed
to the Valley.
THE CANAL INTEREST TO LOGAN.
The only strong objection for
public consideration urge d
against the canal by these seek
Ing its destruction, is that it is
the source of much sickness. A
breeder of MALARIA.
This malaria is a new thing,
and developes most when men
have no othes excuse to offer to
carry out personal ends. 1t is a
mysterious name that alarms the
fearful nerves of the stalwart
Loganites.
The assertion that the canal
produces sickness is not true any
more than that a hill or a hollow,
a railroad, or a river couses sick
nees. Logan is one of the most
healthful towns in the state. Our
statistics show that. and such be
ing the case, we can properly ar
que that our exceptional good
health Is due to the canal and
that it's abandonment would re-
suit in ague, dumb and shaking
in all its malarisl notifications.
Only a few years ago when a
Home was sought for the Orphans
the benevolent and intelligent
directors, under advise of able
physicians, selected a house on
the banks ST the canal in the
spot most exposed to canal in
fuence if any in town, and we
have vet to hear if the Orphans
suffered from malaria in that To-
cation. So the argument on the
grounds of health will not hold
,onol xx,atsr