The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-15
THE CANALS AND TixITION.
Arc These Waterways Played Out?-Should
Big sum be Spent in Their Repair?

ment anu Improvement OF tnht system anu OF
the entrance Ivy the state upon a progressive
expenditure for tho purpose. amounting even
tually to between 500. 100000 and $40. 100000.
This statement Is not verified. but it will
probably turn out to lie true.
Most OF the dozen or more Of the Corn mis-
sions and Committees which have. within the
last twenty years. Investigated the canals. have
generally reported i'm favor OF doing some
thing " for them. 10 do something for the
canals has. indeed. been popularity and legisIa-
lively considered the rorrnnially proper action.
The clamor and entreaties OF n few canal boat
mems associations and Of the representatives
OF one or two other extremely limited inter-
ests have prevailed over considerations Of
well-informcd and prudent public policy and
the recognition of some plain and hard COM
mon sense facts. 1t is high time that the pub
lie men OF this state and especially those inter-
ested in the future OF the Republican party
In the nation ns we'll us in the State. look
the canal question sluarey in the face fair
sample Of the loose thinking and hasty action
which the question has received in recent
years is the canal amendment which was. with
tho best intentions and by the best men.
rushed through the Constitutional Convention
OF 1894. and whose results TO the party in
power has been one OF unauthorized and con-
tinued harm. ! believe. il the Republican
party or the administration of Governor Roosc-
welt commits itself to any such scheme OF
vagrom engineering theorizing wasted money
and burdensomo taxation. as is outlined in
the supposed report of this canal COMMITTEES.
1t will be impossible for that party to carry an
election in this state. except under stress OF
national peril. for years and years to come.
The simple truth Is that the rural population
OF New York. suffering from hard times as has
no other part Of the community and from which
IL has by rppOyarpI ppInrinp ia
ton in a peculiarly severe. unjust and exaspcr-
ating form. and barely managing to squeeze a
livelihood from their land. realize by personal
observation. the utterly insignificant part
that canals have come to play in the trans
portation of this State; and they are in deter
mined revolt against spending one drop further
OF what is utterly their life blood. to support
what they know to be n worn out. useless and
antiquated means Of freight carrying. whose
local service has been long since abandoned,
which has always been a nest of scandals and
which benefits. If it benefits anybody, only Il few
persons in the terminal cities of New York and
Buffalo. The farmer has very practical way of
looking at this matter and the one question
which he asks himself about it Is. assuming
That the canals do serve. BY competition with
the railways. to bring the great grain products
Of the West from Buffalo to New York cheaper
than could otherwise be done. OF what value is
it to me?"
wonderif any witness before Gov Roose-
velt's canal committe" put that question to the
committee, and If so what the answer was
Now. OF course. mere reference to the
record shows that the effective competition Of
the canals with the railways and thus the per
formance 10y them of public service in lowering
railroad freight rates, ended long time ago.
The gross tonnage OF the canals Of the State
has for number of years been only about three
per cent. OF that OF the railroads :anl | believe
comparison will show. as between the Western
grain yearly carried from Buffalo to New York
by the Erie Canal and that carried by the great
trunk lines OF railways between the same
points. that an even smaller percentage than
that named goes over the canal The idea of
raising 4O.O0O.OOO by taxation and spending
1t upon method OF transportation which has
In the orderly course OF nature fallen into such
decay AS well try by similar expenditure to
give to an old man Of eighty the vigor and ca
pacity for daily labor of young man OF twen-
ty-onc.
That the Erie Canal has done q great work in
the past and has more than justified the hopes
and predictions OF its founders. no one ques-
tons. 1t is also true that striking balance
to-day. the money the State has spent upon the
canals has not been more than the money
the state has received from them The
NuuuIS were Stchully DTOHluDt up 10 about
lSSO,and since then have been steadily unproit-
able. As n mere matter Of financial expense
the State is nearly whole on the transaction
But It almost recalls Josh Billings's as
severation that it was human to err hut
devilsh to brag on it. TO hear men sedately
say that the canals bear in any comparable
degree. the same relation to the prosperity
OF the State that they did when constructed
Then, the Erie Canal was practically the Only
highway in The state and the most important
artificial channel OF commerce in the nation
II was really the only door to the West and ell
the people Of the State OF New York shared in
the pride and toll of it's opening and shutting
For years after the railways came to be ope-
rated. canal transportation was very much
cheaper and almost as speedy as that by rail
So obvious was this fact that its permanent
continuance came to be an article of funda-
mental belief with our statesmen and under
laid the entire public policy Of the State.
How it has all been changed. how railway
service has become cheaper and canal service
made comparatively dcHrer. slower. and in
every way poorer. has been cloQuently set forth
by MIR. Hewitt and his letter to the canal com
mittee on the subject ought to be in the hand
OF every voter in the State Long trains OF
large freight trains drawn by enormous
engines pass with speed and chcapncss I'M
dreamed OF fifteen years ago over almost a
dozen great RAILWAYS paralIeling the Erie
Canal. Such have been the scientific economies
OF rhilroading. the inventions. improvements,
and caretuness that characterize modern
methods, that the canals can no more
attempt to compete with them, or
TO secure any more important restraint upon
their charges. than could the old lines OF stage
coaches Neither is il u proposition that can he
soberly discussed that by means of any eN-
penditur". however vast, made urOn either the
stag" coaches or the canals can they otTrctua,v
compete with this latterday railway dcvelop-
ment 1t would indeed be- a grand thing, to
have Il great ship canal from New York west
ward. SO that grain carrying steams hiprn,d
60 from Dduth or Chicago to Liverpool with
out transshipmcnt of cargo But the cngin-
eering practlcahlity of such n scheme has vet
TO be proved. 1t is doubtful if there is water
enough in the mid levels Of our State to supply
such canal And such scheme, practicable
or not, is Of national not local character and
importance. and ought to he undertaken By the
General Government and not by any State.