The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-04-16
THE CANAL CUES TION,
The Public Waterways Of Ohio---R Repre-
A. ntaiivs Coles Interview


The Cleveland Leaders Columbus cor,
respondent reports an Interview with
our Representative, l., Q. Cole on the Ca.
nails Of Ohio. which contains much val.
liable information. We give II 10 full:
One OF the most vigorous supper teTs OF
the canals IL Mr.. Cole, Of Stark. For the
purpose OF securing some additional
Views on the matter, the Leader repre-
sentative called on Mr.. Cole, when the
following interview took p'ice.-
Reporter What prompted you to AK
In your bill for an appropriation OF q
million a0d n half dollars for the canalhp
MIR. Cole--Patrlotism was the sole OH
| ject Why air, what pr0mpta the people
" Ohio 10 pay fifteen mi Ions annually
| TO support tue common sch00sp DO they
not do IL from patriotic m0ilyesp What
prompted thu people TO allow themselves
10 be taxed millions every year TO suS'
tain our charitable institutions, IL II
not from motives cf hnmanilyp Then
why should we not In dealing with this
canal question be prompt by motives
| higher than that urged by the 0ppon EMS
OF the canals. that they lost more TO the
| State than is returned In the way OF
tolls. Why sir, II the United States Con-
gress was tO act upon that principle not
u dollar would bs APPROPRIATED for The
Improvement Gf rivers and harb0re."
"lhen you think tie objection raised
by the opponents OF the canals, that they
are not heIf.anslaininR, IL not sufficient
TO Justify this General Assembly In re-
fusing Q liberal appropriation for the
canalap"
"Certainly not, and | think ! can de-
m0nstrate TO any man, who Ia not 0p-
posing the canals from purely selfish
motives, that, while the canals may not
directly return TO the Treasury OF the
State what II costa 10 maintain them,
yet Indirectly they save 10 the people
mi lllions Of dollars annually"
THAT IL certainly information the
people should have, and II you have any
facts the Leader will DO glad to publish
them"
Well, to begin, we have In Ohio 1852
miles OF canals which cost tho State $l0-
100000 10 construct. Since they
were constructed they have paid Into
the treasury above the cost OF main.
tunance $5,77l Oh AZ, demonstrating
mat they have MT been burden TO The
state. There is t32, 100000 of property,
consisting OF mile, factories, and ware
houses that are dependent upon the ca
nails. Should the canals be abandoned
this property would bec0mA virtually
worthless This property pays annually
into Tho , ate aud county trea InrieS
over S270,O0O Moreover II The canals
are abandoned II will affect very largely
all cla4Ges Of property bldering upon TIT
canals and will lessen the tax duplicate
In the canal counties millions Of dollars
Another fact which the people are no
generally Informed upon IL that th'
lhlrly.tw0 canal counties OF the Stat
pay thr, e-Attha OF all the taxes collected
FOR State aud local purposes Here are th,
figures: ems yrirty two canal c0un
lies paid into the several county treas
ufles last year $lS ll6 l00,30, The llty
llye counties not touched by the canal
paid Sl25lS 0O3, or II little moi' ,hN'
twO.litthl OF all collected. For fort.
years thu thirty-twO cLral counties hhy
furnished nearly the whole OF the su'
plus funds TO educate the children q
those counties that we're unable to edn
cate their own children. w - ye don
II from patriotic motives believing tina
II was oh aper 10 I'd lcate lne peOpi,
than 10 keep stdndiug army tn
fact that tho canals Increased laTgel
tho VI no Of property IL whaj enables
ua 10 raiae more tdXea for einrnliOna
purpOaCs than we he ded under the Law
IL IL from this fact that we are now enG
bled and ara paying such u large pr0pOl
ton of the taxes toward the support
the state government"
"Are there any other reas0na you ca
give why che canals should not be aOal
dOnCdW
"Yas, sir, many mOre-lnd one OF th
most potent is, that the 7S2 miles OF g,
nails come IN direct competition with o.
leading railroads Of the State, ald 4
c0nreo largely reduce frelghls LIT m
illustrate the truth OF what say. | In
u C0avcr alton to-day with Mr.. Tangl
mon, Of the AIm OF John II. 'rangemo
~ Co.,, paper manufacturers Of LUcRlanl
o., who Informed ma that while nuylgt
ti0n was open by canal TO ClncinnaI
they r0uli ehin freight 10 that city IA
four cents per hundred. A soOn as nav
4 ition closed tho railroads ch rged NJ
hnd seven cen " per hundred or nontl
double what IL cost while nOylgatiO
waa open. llo also stated to mo TN
they hNl In LOcklnud several mllla an
factories dependent upon thu canal, an
that if the canal should be atandone
\ NJ lpaat one.halt u million Of dollars no
lnveatod IN manufacturing popor etC
~ LnChland would be C0mpellOd TO see
sCma other point for Investment ~ ihc
could not gat COal aud Other noCea'nI
IN lterinl nv prices that would allow thCl
10 continue in business"
"Do you think II possible for n raj
} r0nd Gem any 10 carey freight as choal
ly Hg 10 ON be done on rannlY'
"No, mir, II cannot b. done. nj
creditnhy informed that the Pennsylv,
uia Com u y, ono OF tho most ecohon
lcally managed roads IN the Unite
States. aud one that IN dolnga larf
share Of tho buainose, waa unable to u
\ duco the expenses for operating an
y maintaining ita lines below q mills pI
mile per ton for all freight CARRIE
while u canal doing anything Ike IA
business cun bo maintained for mi
per ton per mile, 80 you SEQ tho cant
can bO maintained AZ ono sixth of.tl
cost OF maintaining u railroad "
"You epOke VI tho canals OF ohio ea'
Ing milllona 10 the people, VIII 20
explain moro fnllyY
"Thore Il pOid by the people OF OH
IN railroads the enormous anm Of tl0C
100000 annually, and tho 7Sg miles ,
!, canals coming ia direct cOmpetitio
. M they do with all OF tho len,
Ing railroad lines, IL q great coup
tltor, aud reduces frelghls from W