New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-02

way rate was cents a bushel including tn, inc
this at cents. it leaves cents for actual trans
G ms ton or Gn ess than half T What the state
paid out OF its treasury FOR the canals, ana less
canal
NOT CHEAP TRANSPORTATION
We might rest our case here. for this is I'M
answerablc argument The state Of New-York
wants cheap tranSportation-it needs for its COM
mercial prosperity. the development Of its indus
tries and the growth OF its commerce. cheap trans
portation. Therefore il does not want canal trans
portaiion, Tor IL costs more money To carry a ton
OF coal. hushel OF wheat thousand feet of lum-
merchan noise 6y canal than il docs to carry the
same merchandise ~ railway. The figures I'M
denisble the conclusion Is irresistible. 1t does not
its cost IS psid out Of The state treasury. It
not be1eht the State any part OF il to do So on
INC contrary, such payment is loss, and loss
But We may be told that all this applies to the
present canal IL has been neglected and per
mitted 20 fail into state OF dilapidation!' VIII
not the pending bill bring about entirely different
conditions to which these arguments do not apply?
To this reply, first. that 1t is not that the
present canal has been neglected. II was never
before in SO good condition now. and can easily
electric towage it transport heavier tonnage
THOSE Who an ~ f i o Tob p Ee Go SalI t
know that there has been expended the present
sum for alleged new work than has been paid for
cepee J raSy 1 On af e r S tS ea Il any any
0ase- And herein is one of the inherent weak
railway may be materially improved and its ca
pacity increased by the expenditure of com
grade. every reduction Of curve, every replacing
valuable return at once. but remains in full ef
hoiency when further improvements can be made.
A canal. on the other hand. only be improved
by entire reconstruction. The money spent in the
So-caled mine million Improvement was entirely
thrown away and ali must be abandoned and de-
stroyed if the barge canal Is built, while It in turn.
ship canal.
ANNUAL COST OF NEW SCHEME.
As to tho applicability Of the arguments already
set forth TO barge canal. let consider some in
teresting but quite simple figures. The annual con-
tribution which the taxpayers must make for in
tterest and sinking fund required by the pending
OH is S,.a4S,'lo year BY the terms of the bin
this tax must re into effect proportionateiy az
the bonds are issued. We shall have to meet during
be no canal in xistecei bec al @ITn mere h VIII
cation of the proceeds to the one, series OF
button or between ti-tysix and thiTtysereH mill
men When tle canal oeSlns business, the whole
sum OF S.S37lo will he due and payable every
least 5000 OO9-its advocates admit that-or say
round 100000 in all it will take time to
construct feet of thousand ton barges and 10
recover and build up the canal traffic after period
but the payment of this ten millions a Year viii
nor STOP II Is certainly very conservative esti-
spent before the expectations Of the sanguine ad-
S5oooO,OOo. all of which will be as offectuaiy sunk
as il cast into the depths of the And when the
tons Year nayy,e mi ~ $40 o69 oe en- loas
# the average distance is the same now, as al
miles, then the sum which must DC paid out Of the
mills ton mils We have sIros5T cent b or Is
the railways are now carrying wheat from Buffalo
The canal cost to the state exclusive Of What the
frame itself pays vii he 81 cents a bushel. or
ers FOR the eighteen Years which viii be- reoirsd
charge for transportation by rail az the present
out a benefit to the State Of New-York from such
COMPREHENSIVE.
CANAL DID NOT MAKE EMPIRE STATE.
I have occupied so much space that there re-
mains little opportunity 10 reply to the peculiar
arguments by which this scheme is made to APP
pear plausible TO the public But I cannot resist
the impulse TO speak Of which has been re-
peated in every variety Of statement namely. that
| State. and New-York City the commercial metrop
When any condition follows certain events it is
prior events the cause. but the case is quite
| is an undoubted axiom that effect never can
precede cause. and the fact is that New-York
| before the Erie Canal was opened. The first cen
| sus taken after the adoption Of the national
! other city. Boston and Philadelphia did not lead
her as manifesto issued by the Merchants Ex-
I9 "en f HSS before me asserts, Out were
] Eve years before the Erie Canal was opened, New
York exceeded both Of them together by 1866 and
in relative growth she did not gain upon them any
more rapidly after the opening Of the canal than
/ she did before.
As TO the state, the refutation IS still
elusive At the time of the first census. i'm 1872
New Aork occupied fifth place being exceeded in
population by Virginia by 4GIfs0. hut I'm the next
two decades Nevy-Gork gained IS per cent the re-
/ mainder OF the Union only % per cent. and Eir-
gnia's lead diminished to j. SOL IN the next dec
ade. from 1910 TO 1A0. when the war with Great
Britain paralyzed the progress Of the country New
York gained 80 per cent. the rest Of the Union only
/ 80 per cent In 1890 New-York the Empire
State. leading Virginia by 3O445. she was pTac-
/ tically the Empire State ten years before. The
! following decade. ls2D TO 1890 the opening OF
the Erie Canal, hut its traic so insignificant
| tll after 1889 that IL could hardly have been
factor OF sufficient importance TO exercise any ma
teEia influence, and here the remarkable fact con-
4 fronts US that that decade was the last one in
which the growth Of the State Of New-York was
| more rapid than that Of the remainder OF the
Union down 10 1890. During the whole period
/ when traffic on the Erie Canal was greatest and
most important, the rest OF the Union increased
more rapidly in every decade than did our own
! State. The figures showing PERCENTAGES of in
crease are so significant that l give them in de-
! tail.
New Of