The sun., 1903-04-07
CANAL PROTEST TO GOVERNOR
JOHN 7. PLATT'S BRIEF AGAINST
THE DAVIS BILL.

JOHN i. PLATTS BRIEF AGAINST
| THE DAVIS BILL.
| On the HIGHEST Claims OF the 500, ,OOO. 900
spenders the State Must Pay e1O.oo
for Every Dollar OF Pront TO Navga'
tors-scheme Unsound and Wasteful'
| A protest against the signing Of the Davis
Thousand-Ton Barge Canal bill was nied
with Gov. Odell yesterday by John !, Platt.
secretary Of the New York State Tax and
TRANSFORMATION Reform Association. Mr.
Platt lives In Poughkeepsie and Is known
throughout the State as one OF the best
informed men in America on the canals
He has served In the Assembly from
Duchess county and has participated In
/ many Of the recent conventions which
discussed questions Of canal usefulness
| and DEVELOPMENT. As a delegate to the
State Convention at Saratoga which nomi-
mated Gov. Odell he took part In lively
| discussion before the Committee on Plat
| form on the canal plank. While he rs
stronly partisan Republican. Mr.. Platt
does not hesitate to say that he believes
| the operation Of the Davis bill will bring
defeat to the Republican party in this
State.
The arguments against unfair taxation
| TO raise SiOl 900 900 or more for q wasteful
canal which cannot possibly bring q COM
pensatinp return TO the State are set forth
as follows:
| Hon. Berjdmin B. OdeH Governor:
| In the name OF the association OF which
| I have the honor to be secretary, the New
\ York State Tax and Transportation Reform
| Association ard on behalf Of the people OF
| ~. ~ vork Uhn the
cost, whether that be provided by direct
| tax on their property or by an equally
onerous tax on their business. ] respectfully
enter a protest against the bill now in your
hands providing for the construction OF a
new and larger system Of canals. popularity
known as the Thousand-Ton Barge Canal
| bill
First-Because It is not proper or just
that the people should be taxed for an un-
profitable enterprise. The test OF the use
| filness of every undertaking is that It
shall return an equivalent for its cost;
| when IL is a business undertaking, that u
shall pay its own expenses. The canals OF
| the State OF New York failed TO do this
SO was definitely abandoned when the tolls
| were removed and they were made. In the
/ parlance Of the day, free is to say.
when the people at large were compelled
to pay their cost. instead OF those who used
them and were benefited by them.
| Second-Because the purposes avowed
| in proposing the enormous taxation re-
| quired are not right or just purposes, or
such as can be reconciled with q proper
regard for the welfare Of the people II is
| shall not be taxed for the benefit OF the rev.
The author Of this BILL In open debate IN
the Senate, argued that this improved.
canal would build up on the Niagara frontier
country. BY what right, or under what
rule of Justice, can the finds Of the State OF
New York be used to build up such an in
dustry? The counties along the Hudson
River contain large quantities OF exceI,eht
iron ore. In the census OF 1890 the lilly
Foster mine in Putnam county was said to
| have the largest output OF any in America,
but since then the Lake Superior mines have
surpassed il, and II is their ore which makes
the Lake Erie ports great centres OF iron and
steel manufacture They have natural
advantages over us on the Hudson, but why
should our iron mines in Duchess and
| Orange and Putnam counties and the iron
and steel industries OF Poughkeepsie and
advantages. and give TO Lake Erie ports.
some Of them beyond the State limits, O
monopoly Of the business?
| A representative OF the Medina sandstone
quarries, at the last State Commerce Con-
J vention, described the situation OF his quarry
| on the bank OF the canal, enabling him to
get his stone carried cheaply at the ex.
| pense OF the State. while he complained
furiously because when the canal was
closed he had to pay railway freight a.
others did. By what possible principle
| Of right and Justice are we taxed that these
quarries may have monopoly, Presi-
dent Roosevelt. in his address in Milwaukee
on Friday last. denounced the unlawful
agreements of certain trunk lines to trans
port food products from the West TO the
shippers shippers rates much Below the tariff charges
imposed upon the general public. The
| - IL. xr-sth tvnt ts, attob do
nunciation. why then should we favor
canal improvement on purpose TO give
favored shippers and favored localities
rates below what the general public has to
pay, and to do this at the cost OF the people? !?
Was there ever more monstrous proposi-
tion2 The author OF the bill IN the Senate
declared that it's passage was Essential
to the interests Of Buffalo Is the State,
then. to pay that Buffalo may be advan.
tagged? When We object. we are told that
Buffalo and New York pay larger amount
Of taxes than the rural counties do. and we
should, therefore, be humble and sae mt.
b,:s we pay the same amount on the dollar.
II their taxes produce more. IL is because
| they are rich while other counties are poor.
Ia that a reason why we should impose
further taxes to make the rich richer and
the poor poorer?
Third-Because cheaper transportation
| In not in the interest OF the State Of New
York, unless il Ia obtained by cheaper
cost. The founders OF the canal system
never dreamed Of such a thing as affording
q cheap avenue Of transportation for West
| ern products. Their purpose was to pro-
| vide revenue for the State by levying tolls
on such products, and had they ever sup
posed that the people would he taxed to
support the canal they would have re-
jected the proposition with indignation.
Fourth-Because canal transportation Ia
not cheap-it is only made TO appear 10
because more than three-quarters Of it's
| cost is paid out Of the State treasury.
In the year 1901 the cost per ton mile Of
canal transportation was SIS mills, Of which
the State treasury paid Gas. On the whole
| New York Central system, for much more
valuable freight, it was 81 mills. The
assertion that 'the canal Ia essential to
| the commerce of New York. which il
repeated without a shadow OF evidence
| to sustain il, would be indefensible. il II
| were true, for 1t involves the principle
| of taxing one locality to build up another
but il is not true. The canal Ia hindrance
to the commercial prosperity OF New York
In 1901 that city paid in taxes 81 81 for every
ton of freight brought to II by canal.
The railroads brought wheat from Buffalo
| to New York for 90 rs cents per ton. The
commerce Of New York city did not reach
it's highest Development until the tolls
were taken OF the railroads. and they
became the important factor In the trans
| Dortation Of the country. The cOmplaint