New-York tribune., 1903-07-20
A MENACE TO ROCHESTER.
SAYS CANAL COMMITTEE.
COnCentiOn Called There to Defeat
WGterzcay Referendum.

The following statement has been Issued by the
Canal Improvement State Committee:
The Chamber of Commerce Of Rochester has
pose Of defeating the 1oooton barge canal proposi
preciate the damage to commercial interest cen
tred in Rochester that would follow were It pos
erendum next fall. Such an eventuality would
certainly mean abandonment of canal facilities
which Rochester now enjoys
Considering this enormous traffic to and from
canal. We may ask what would ii be upon a canal
four times its size with unlimited supply Of
The convention of July d seeks not only 10 de-
much TO the prosperity Of the city of Rochester
& 2 sso oo 10 MAKE MAKE IN '6se s pie T fronp tb
tons a 1.OoO-ton barge canal
The United States ITEersSate Commerce Com
mission warns the public against the raiir3aa
TooVes Esei and Wgst and West to East across
the nation would be under the control Of two or
We do not believe that the people Of Rochester
qesTe 70 promote traihc Inonopo.y OF ms mature q
which is uncontrolled waterway
in defeating the canal referendum. It will do an
indstr5ai and aeTicuIturaf interests of the State
II will increase the price of every pound of sugar
piece of stone lumber. and. in fact, even the
necessities OF life which are used in that CITY, VIII
The result then will be- Of course. the turning
State 70 the railroad interests Willingly or un-
from the success of the Rochester scheme of
"a !sb POST % RI; RnEesea of J,Iz isog:
THE Chamber OF Commerce does not necessarily
believe ekcqsivey M IN any i6ea IT 3 baTee oSns 9
am unable 10 state until after the convention is
held here. There undoubtedly Will be some az the
convention who will favor the barge canal; they
win be welcome, and we shall be pleased TO near
In the same issue of the paper is the statement
Of the secretary. John Ives, in which he says among
Large quantities Of clay stone man manufasnreTs
supplies etc. are shipped to and from Rochester
the canal easily 1han they couIQ D0
shipped by railroad. We do not object TO State
6af ship p canal mi' Rocheser n MERCHANTS are almost
solidly opposed 10 the proposed barge canal; the
Sgainst IT, 1t is Proposed to make Rochester the
eaeg eoT Tor hs o nS s its
We then have these astounding conditions, the
saying that he does not know just how much the
chamber is against the barge canal. r.. -, -
vertion is heid ID here"
At the same time the Secretary says:
iy against It, 1t is proposed TO make Rochester
to exert every effort to accomplish its defeat"
The prssdat proposes that the cha CHAMBER b decide a
after it gets the opinion OF other people-the sec
opposed to IT, The q unaninty Of the oficers Of fhe
Rochester Chamber OF Commerce on the most i'm
astonishing and is matter worthy Of careful con-
aSter Oy 9 tbat are quantities of cay
stone and manufacturers supplies etc, are shipped
in the next breath says but what We want is not
barge canal but ship Ca canal tba+ c,tv sbouId
anaiyze this last statement, and then see for him
self what an outrage the Rochester convention of
by Rochester over the canal
built around Niagara Falls into Lake ontaTio. t9
thence by Oswego or Lake Champlain TO New
rochester Every thinking person in the city of
statements made at the convention, and not be
carried away by any proposition which may be
ion against the passage Of the canal referendum