Year: 1870

OUR CANALS UNDER DEMOCR1TC NAN


AGEMENT


One of those epidemic outbreaks of credulity
and impatience which sometimes overcome
intelligent and well-intentioned people had
this consequence that in January, 1853, aDemo-
cratic majority appeared in the Canal Board;
assumed charge of the Canals and control of
the entire policy of their management. These
men had attained the position by diligent use
of the means to which the Democratic party
is generally indebted for its successes-by de-
nying or disparaging the capacity and integrity
of Republican incumbents; by extravagant and
immodest pretcnsOns on their own part to su-
peror skill and prObity; and by a'profusion
of promises of reform, of improvement and
retrenchment,tin every department of Canal
affairs. They evidently thought that simple
reversal of the whole machinery by which the
Canals had been operated, and of every maxim
by which their revenues had been conserved,
would pass with the people as a justification
of the false charges and fulfllment of the
empty pledges, on the faith of which they had
been enabled 10 supplant better men. They
proceeded at once to undo, so far as
was possible, everything that had been
done by their Republican predecessors,
and to invert every method and principle,
however wise it had proved to be in policy or
efficient in practice; entirely Hnmindful the
while that, under the Republican officers they
had superseded and the system they were
engaged in destroying, the surplus tolls had
averaged s1,775,758 per annum for the two
years Immediately preceding; or that the term
for which they had been elected being two
years also, the contrasting of the two terms
was sure to happen, and would be decisive.


1t is somewhat curious that the first import
ant change from the Republican system
made by the Democratic Canal Board on this
occasion is identical in character with that
made at the next possible opportunity by its
Democratic successor twelve years later; and
indeed the analogy may be carried further,
since they are strikingly alike in results also.
Insanity on the point would seem to be hered-
itary in the Democratic party. The change
was the reduction of the Toll sheet below the
point first determined by costly experience,
then established by the Constitution, and justi-
fed by every result down to that day. This
was not only a violation of the Constitution,
which every man of them had sworn to sup
port, just as every Democrat in the present
Canal Board has likewise sworn, but as it
appears now, was gratuitous and wholly un-
compensated depletion of main source of
public revenue ; there being no evidence what
ever that Judicial election was then pending,
or that the slaughter of the Toll sheet was a
consideration paid for the support of partic-
ular ticket by fOrwardcrs, elevator owners,
Commercial Unions, and confidence men "whose
Sands are not yet quite rum But then as
now, while on the one hand they Awere
steadily and unlawfully diminishing the
income, on the other they were with
equal perseverance aggravating the pub
lie loss and injury by profigate expen-
dItures for collecting tolls and repairing the
Canals The reign of this foolish and corrupt
Democratic Canal Board covered the years
1850. During that term the gross receipts
amounted to S3,9320S4 81 the expenses of
collection and repairs to II 916,757 81, nearly fifty
per cent Of the entire receipts. For the two
years immediately succeeding, a Republican


board was In charge of the Canal interests
the gross receipts were S5,S19,2i6 80 the cost
OF collection and repairs was Sf 7G2 %.
or about twenty-five per cent of the receints


The general result of this two wears


burning of the public candle at both ends ,ras
a reduction Of the surplus tolls 10 an annual
average of S917,GG3 ga falling OF ~ noor,v
SSOOOO0 per annum. The public mind repained
its sobriety and self possession when the nul,-
lie liberties were threatened no less than tho
uubic finances from the same quarter. In
view of dangers so enorinouS. even the crrino