The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-02
THE EMPIRE STATES CANALS.
Retoinders by Two Correspondents on OPP.
posite Sides of tho Question.

To THE EDITOR OF The suS--Sir: feel
quito reluctant to impose further upon your
courtesy by attempting to add anything to
what appeared in your widely read paper on
tho 22d inst, respecting canal enlargement.
but some reference by a correspondent to what
L said seems to require reply. that your
readers may not be misled by either OF us. 1t
is not denied that have always been what Is
known as canal man." My father brought
me up In that school. and was so infatuated
with Gov. Citations canal policy that he. In his
honor. gave mo his name. He had carteG many
bushel OF wheat from Little Falls to Albany.
l do not think that my opposition to the
s9.o00.ooo enlargement scheme. commencing
about thirty years ago. should be interpreted
as making me otherwise. l simply hold. as
the people have moro than once hold. that 10
further appropriations should be made to en-
largo our canals or build new ones in this
State. no sooner than l would advise tho
General Government to send its mails In stage
coaches along our railroad lines. as many OF us
have seen before railroads were established.
They are stll employed in our frontier settle
railroads are asi not feasible. A' 10 O' ~
What ! said in my lormer letter respecting
the decadence of canals in other countries need
not have been said, as 1t did not strengthen
mr. position, whether truly said or not. 40 more
than the converse strengthened the position
mittes. 1t is not material IL an erroneous
statement Of an immateriai fact DO made
Interested in the hipmont Of any Of our great
commodities OF iron coal or grain, 40. g1t
and Buffalo twenty ysnrs beiore the canal was
built, that neither the Erie canal. nor any other
canal in this or any other State would ever have
believe further that no parallel instance to
can BE- ssd y 81 o any Of s
10000 miles more. than In all Europe. more
sands OF miles OF lake and nayig able rivers. and
still we ind men Of influence. intelligence and
patriotism Urging the eapanson or Sn
the demands of commerce and the wants
OF our people. They are owned BY the State
tho enormous burdens OF our railroads.
whose annual contributions to the support OF
the Government and lite institutions reach mil
owners OF not The State Is thus placed in the
abnormal position OF being a competitor with
merce Of tho people. with agencies that have
added thousands OF millions 10 the wealth and
ote. Villages ha8lets ' and d1 opened n tho WIDER
ness to settlement. unaided by canals. rivers or
What have our canals done. useful as they
confessedly have been in their day. In this
direction, unaided by railroads or navigaDle
waters2 Look at the Gordon OF cities and man !
lines OF railways, and tell me how many OF
them. and WIFI ch they were. that met the eye
before those channels OF travel and commerce
were intrOduoed2 II the canals. still held by
the State and backed by it's great and sovereign
power, were In the hands ~ private corpora
tions or individuals. they could not stand the
competition OF steam and tho rail one hour.
French. Prussian. Belgian and German statis7
tics (Great Britain left Quit. They are all
irrelevant to tho subject. We are no longer
led by foreign policies. civil or military
Gladstone. the great Commoner. onoe apty
said. we have world OF our own" Tho
Kaiser Of Germany. following the lead OF our
great Clinton. suggests the opening and build
Ing OF canals to convey cheaper American
bread stuffs to his people. but his Diet is
Conditions are not alike everywhere. We
Germany from the Tyrol to PomerGnia. with
her free cities. duchies and kinRdoms, with
out any canals but she has Thousands OF miles
OF railroad lines.
Why don't your correspondents give us full
statistics respecting our canals. their tonnage.
past and present, whether Increasing or other
wise, the cost OF adm istration, how much OF
the 1893 miles Of the Erie Canal was enlarged
by the $a.OOO.QO0 appropriation. and what it
10 it's NAHUM oapacity. and II 1t was ever
reached2 The amount. from first to last. that
the people have paid In taxes for repairs.
enlargement and superntendence? These
things are german to the subject and all
within reach. II tho accounts have been
properly kept: and which OF them the people
could the better dispense with. II they were
h1 r OF Ss5Ssd
MOETIrEJJn