The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-02-11
Ohio Railways Will Cob
BILE Them Up.
BY PLAN PROPOSED
Valuation May be Fixed by That
of Contiguous Farm Lands--
City Property to be
Leased.
(From a stair Correspondent,


ton to abandon the Ohio canals did
not make itself manifest till the in
terurban electric railway systems be-
came operative and 1t was demon
strated that they would pay. Then the
assault was made and the proposition
is now up before the legislature.
Representative Painter, of Wood, has
charge of measure to totally abandon
the canals. In the appropriation bills
thus far passed, no provision is made
for the Ohio canals. This is pointer
as to what Is going to happen. The
plan is to sell or lease what is not now
operative and get rid of the remainder
rs soon as possible. That portion that
is outlying is to be drained and sold
as farm property, at the value Of abut-
ting lands. That portion in cities is
to be sold or leased to the best bidder
The city feature might bring in some
revenue
The country feature, at the value of
abutting lands, is one that must show
itself as purely railroad measure on
its face. What railroad would not be
glad to pay for a strip Of land through
the country, all graded and ready for
the laying of rails, with not hill its
entire length?
NO BENEFIT TO FARMERS.
Farmers could only afford to pay
nertain price pc racre 1t would be
worth to them only what abutting
lands were worth. A railroad could
pay few dollars extra and get the
whole thing at a ridiculously low fig
ure, considering the value for the pur-
making living Oft the canals today,
the superintendents, assistants, super
numeraries and such, are making
vigorous protest. For the most part
they are Republican employees and are
therefore insisting upon being heard.
So this confusing circumstance must
be taken care of.
Attorney General Sheets. whose nose
is distinguished by its proneness to get
in everywhere except where it is in
vited, has an idea that he intends to
put forward. His notion is that the
state does not need the money, so 1t
ought not to sell the canals, but lease
them. Who is to keep up the system
so it can he leased the attorney gen
eral does not relate o.
The state board of public works is
the body that will make the greatest
complaint concerning the abandonment
Of the canals. This boards LIE de-
pends upon the life of the canals.
THE BOARDS MOVE.
But II 1t is wise, 1t will defeat the
measure that Attorney General Sheets
is preparing and fall back on the res
olution that was introduced early in
the present session, stating 1t as the
sense of the present legislature that
the canals be abandoned. This gives
the state board carte blanche to 90
ahead and do the selling. Nov the
state board knows that. at best, Its life
is short, and 1t does not want the op-
portunity to do the bartering to escape.
A bird in hand Is worth several birds
elsewhere, especially il the one in hand
is of fine plumage. calculated to hand
eoIne1v feathar jfs naat
CANALS LIFE Is BRIEF.
Representative Brumbaugh. the Dem
ocratic floor leader, discussing the ca
nal question with your correspondent I
Saturday, said that he realized that the
life of this valuable asset of the state
was brief, but he did not favor this
wholesale jobbery to the corporate in.
terests of the state He thought 1t
would be good plan to appoint a spe-
cial committee to look into this mat
ter and to dispose of the canals within
five years in such manner as would
revert to the lasting benefit of the
state. His ideas have not been SO
clearly defined as yet to put them In
the form of resolution or a bill. but
he may be expected to offer something
shortly that will be a rational solu-
tion of the problem, accruing to the
benefit of the state and at the same
time preserving its dignity and its
honor.
The canal fight looks now to be the
N, not rrat fioua of tho saeeion
BER r.. WILLIAMSON.