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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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3 1833 01470 9601

Gc 977.2 N47 v. 3

Newspaper clippings on the Wabash and Erie Canal

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Newspaper Clippings on the Wabash and Erie Canal v. 3 December 1841 - July 1844

HHen County Public librae ft. Woyne l^'i^'^

Ball. Civil Engineer

12/21/1841 To Jesse L. UiUUmi from Wm. J

12/27/1841 From the Dally Indiana Journal

1/29/1842 Mlanilcal Extension

1/29/1842 Wabash & Erie Canal (Report)

2/ 5/1842 To the Editor of the Fort Wayne Sentinel

2/ 3/1842 Wabash (, Erie Canal and Miami Extension

2/ 5/1842 Supply of Water

3/19/1842 Ohio Legislature

3/19/1842 Canal Meeting

3/26/1842 Extension of the Wabash & Erie Canal

4/ 2/1842 Wabash & Erie Canal

4/ 8/1842 J.L. Williams. Esq.

4/ 9/1842 High Water

4/16/1842 Report of the Chief Engineer

5/13/1988 J- L- Williams

5/31/1842 J. L. Williams

5/30/1842 Answer 1

6/17/1842 Answer 2

6/22/1842 J. L. William

6/28/1842 J. L.Williams

7/ 5/1842 J. L. Williams

7/30/1842 Wabash & Erie Canal

8/ 2/1842 Wabash & Erie Canal

8/ 5/1842 Wabash & Erie Canal

8/10/1842 Wabash & Erie Canal

11/ 5/1842 Boats from Fort Wayne to New Orleans

1/18/1843 Wabash & Erie Canal: Rochester Dally Democrat

6/ 6/1843 New York Tribune

8/ 3/1843 Maumee Towns

8/ 9/1843 Wabash County and the Canal

11/ 4/1843 Bridges

4/13/1844 Completion of Wabash & Erie Canal

6/15/1844 Towns on the Wabash

7/ 4/1844 Trade of the West

6i Senate Chamberlain Defence (Cont.) Defence (Concluded)

its Influence on Commerce & Travel

Indlenapolls, D~c. 21st, l^i]-l

ivlK. Jz.SSj^ L. iVILLI^^S,

SIR: — Having C'^lled my attention to a resolution at the House of Representatives, dated Ec. iSth, 1241, requiring you to report whether it be Requisite to construct that por- tion of the Erie and Michigan canal which diverts the waters of the Elkhart river to the Maumee, to meet a sup- posed deficiency in the supply of water for the sximmlt level of the Wabash and Erie canal" — in compliance with your request, I have to say that In the summer of IS39, whilst engaged in the service of the State, I was employ- ed in making extensive surveys and examinations to de- termine the adequacy of the streams relied upon to feed the line of the Erie and Michigan canal from Northport to Fort Wayne.

From these exrloratlons it was determined that the natural flow of the streams was insufficient to supply the canal, and that it would be necessary to provide reservoirs in which the whole drainage of the country lying above the summit level, co.ild be collected and retained to meet the demand during the summer and fall. It was also found that the whole amount of water that could be thus collected would riot be sufficient to sup- ply the canal from Northport to Fort Wayne. The defi- ciency was to be orovided for by an additional series of reservoirs, located in the valleys of Weeks' branch

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and Black Creek, on a level about 60 feet below the summit level. From these it was intended to supply about 11 miles of the line next the junction with the W-^breh and Erie canal. Hence it will be seen that to obtain water from the Elkhart river by the Erie and Michigan canal, to feed the Wabash and Erie canal, is wholly Impracticable.

Very Respectfully, WM. J. BALL, Civil Engineer.

Monday, Dec. ^^7.

The minutes h^v^nr- teen re = d, a mesp'sre wsg rer-elved. f-pom the House, flnnourcinR the ppspape of se'^'erRl eng'^ossed bills of the Houi^e snd Sen=tp, penerplly of p local character.

The President laid before the Sen^^te a conmurlr- = tion from Jesgie L. WiHi^ns, in reference to the probably cost of ex- tension of the Wab^'^h and Frle canal.

On motion of Mr. Baird, laid on the t=ble, and 500 copies o^ de^^ed to be printed.

Petitions were offered by Mess:»"s. Harna , Burke, Har^ is, Chamb- lain, Watts, ^'^iller, and Bright; vhich vere referred to appropriate rcmnittees.

Mr. Baivd, from the Judiciary comrittee, rerrrted back the resolution reouiring that Jugment on a-oTDeal be rendered against the security and iDrircipal simultaneously, and recom- mended its indefinite postTDonement . agreed to.

Mr. Baird reported back from, the same committee the bill regulating all interests at i^ ppr cent, stating that the committee were tied on thir -ubject. Pisoharged from further consideration, and the bill made the o^^der of the day in com- mittee of the whole on ^'ednesday.

Daily Indiana Journal Mon. Dec. 27, 1841

wlIMICr^AL EXTLi^SION

. (s,'c)

All the work upon this canal that hfs been placed under contract, is now so ne£rl,^ comcleted, that, with the exception of two or three sections, it might "be prepared for navigation as early as the first of August nert.

The "Extension of the Miami canal" is thft part of the Miami canal which extends from Dayton to its interFection with the Wabash and Erie cajial, about eight miles west of Defiance. The distance from Dayton to the junction, is about II3 miles, exclusive of the Sidney feeder, which is fourteen miles in length. That portion which lies between Dayton and the mouth of Loramie's Creed, a distance of thirty- three miles, was placed under contrac in 1S33> ^ s'^*^. completed in 1237* All that nart between the month of the Loramie and the town of St. Marys, in eluding the Sidney feeder was put under contract in September 1S39' Twelve miles in addition, c-ntinuously north of St. M-rys, were placed und^r contract in the winter of lg39« These two la t portions of the line embrace all the contracts now in operation, and are by far the most expensive portions of the wort . No contracts have been made since the last named, in the winter of 1S39> except for abandoned work.

That portion of the line extending from the "Deep Cut" to the junction, about thirty-three miles in length, is all that now remains to be put under contracts This section consists of light work, and can be constructed vefy cheaply. There are no very heavy or expensive jobs upon it and when this shall have been completed, the communication between the Ohio River at Cincinnati, and Lake Erie, will be perfected in a manner which will have an important bearing upon the Interests of

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the whole western portion of the State.

Two regular payments, only, have been made upon this work during the past year; both of them occurring at periods long after the estimates were made upon which they were predicated. This manner of paying though unavoidable, is attended with much inconvenience to the contractor, inasmuch as he is compelled to pay his hands up to the time of the payment ; thereby laying out of the use of so much of their expenditures as may have accrued (sic) between the time of payment.

By the following extract it will be seen that, to furnish funds for the completion of the work, the Board recoiTimends the Canal Lands to be brought into market immediately, and scrip to be issued to the contractors, bearing interect, and receiveable for these lands.

"The difficulty of procuring money by ordinaly means, has become so great, that it is presumed that some other mode will have to be re sorted to for the ourpose of obtaining an amount sufficient for the completion of our present works. If the selling of State stocks, or the making of temporary loans, ba-ed upon anticipated sales, shell be found impracti- cable, some other plan should be adopted. There is one among the many that have been suggested, which, in the opinion of the Board, is worthy of the consideration of the legislature. The lands granted by congress to aid in the construction of the Wabash and Erie canal, may be put in market at a fair valuation, and it is confidently believed, that if they are properly man- aged, they will produce a sum sufficient to complete both these works. But as it Is not to be expected that the lands will sell so rapidly as to enable the Board to complete the works

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within a reasonable time it will become necessary to anti- cipate the sales, by an Issue from t'me to ^Ime, as — may become necessary, of bonds or pcr-p bearing interest, and payable periodically. --These bonds may be received in payment for lands, and, as the amount will be limited it is tho't their credit will be sufficient without making them receivable at the treasury in payment for other State dues."

Fort Wayne Sentinel Saturday, January 29, 18^2

iVAb^Sri ic iLRlE CANAL.

This work, since the last annual Report of the Board, has been prosecuted with as much industry as the situation and different kinds of works in progress would permit.

Seventy miles of different portions of the line are finish- ed, leaving about twenty miles to be completed.

From Manhattan the eastern termination of the asnal to the head of the Rapids, a distance of thirty one miles, the earth work end colverts are completed, and all the locks on the main line, consisting of S lift and one guard lock, are ne-r-iy 80, and will be finished at the ocening of navigation.

The two locks on the Toledo side cut and :ive on the Mau- mee side cut, are also finished, with the e->'ception of the gatesj which will be cmpleted this winter.

The outlet lock on the Maumee side-cut will be finished nixt May, an the aqueduct across Swan creek, w ich completes the canal communication with Mahattan, will not be finished be- fore the month of July next. It may, therefore, be confidently expectei that the coguexlon (sic) between the canal and Mau- mee river will be completed and ready for navigation, at Toledo, in the month of Aoril; at Maumee City in 'he month of May; and at Manhattan, not until the month of July next.

The water has been let in, and the canal used for the purposes of navigation, the pa^t season, from the head of the Rapids, to Maumee City, a distance of eighteen miles; and dur- ing the present month It is expected, the water will be let into the canal from Maumee City to the head of the locks at Toledo, an additional distance of nine miles.

From the head of the Rapids to the foot of Flat Rock, a

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distance of twenty-two miles, there are three locks and six culverts unfinished. They are in different stages of progress— some nearly comoleted, others partially so; ena it will take until the month or July next to prepare this portion of the canal for navigation. The r ason why the work on this portion of the canal is not in as forwara a state as the balance of the line, is on account of the delayin procuring stone for the mas- onry. This unavailable delay in procuring stone has prevented Its completion early next spring.

From the foot of Flat Rock to the Indiana State line, a distance of thirty-five miles the canal can be comoleted by the first of May next. There is no airficult or important work on this portion of the line, wnich will prevent its Deing used for navigation at that time.

On the six miles of Canal adjoining the Indiana line, the water was let in lest June; and since that time, it has in con- nection with the Indiana canal, been u.'^ea for the paroose or navigation, making at this time, thirtiy- three miles of canal prepared for use.

At the ooenlng of navigation next spring, and until the completion of the whole line In July, the inhabitants of Indiana can, with out much difficulty, avail themselves of that portion of this canal which will be in operation, and that portion of the Maumee Rapids and foot of Flat Rock, which is at all times of sufficient depth to float, to ship their pro- duce to an eastern market. For the purpose of having a sufficient supply of water for the canal, from the State line to Defiance, it was a part of the original olan of this im- provement to construct a reservoir. During the last summer, contracrs were let for constructing this reservoif of about

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twenty-five hundred acres in area. It is located six miles on this side of the State Line, and adjoining the canal. The est- imated cost of this reservoir was $1/0,000; but the contracts for constructing the same, have been let for the siim of $156,000. This work is now progressing and will be completed the ensuing summer.

With the necessary means provided for the completing this canal, it may be reasonably expected thatJits whole lingth may be Di-epared for navigation in the month of July nert; which wiH open a canal communication, in connexion (sic) with the Indiana canal, of two hundred and thirty-three miles.

There has been disbursed on this canal, for the year ending NqV. I5, 1S4-1, by Rodolphua Dickinson, acting commissioner- On contracts, 577,991.9^ For wages of engineers r-md

essistanis, 9,275.35

subsistence, 2,065.76

incidentals,. l,0gg.37

Total disbursements, for t e year, 590,^21.42

Former disbursements, 1,666,7^3.25

Total payments to Nov.

15.13^1, 12,257,164.67

Fort Wayne Sentinel Saturday, January 29, lg42

To the Editor of the Fort Wayne Sentinel: —

Dear Sir: — I will commence this letter by asi-lng your pardon for not writing to you oftener, we have been progressing so raoldly with business that we have hardly had time to sum up what we have done.

We have Just passed through a scene of some excitement in the Senate, on the passage of a bill of the House giving to companies the right to complete the unfinished portion of our public works. I supported the measure for the reason, th<5.t by one of its provision the offices of Fund Commissioner and Principal Engineer are abolished, and also for the still stronger reason thst the provisions thereof are more favorable to the Michigan and Erie Canal than to any other of our public works. I have not much doubt but that companies will be formed to complete that work and that they will be able to sustain themselves in the undertaking.

This bill met with considerable opposition which was not confined to either of the two politicpl rarties. A f'^'W Demo- crats opposed it on account of their uncompromising opposition to corporations, but the principal and most bitter op ositlon was made by the 'glorious system' men, and the devoted friends of Noah Noble and Jesse L. Williams, were mad enough to think that the State can yet go ahesd and complete all the worics c ntemplated or Included in our glorious system! and who had the sagacity to see thi t if this bill should pass the pensions of their dear friends would be stopped.

I will state that my course inrelation to this measure has been the opposite to that of some who represent the same interest, and as a wide difference of opinion seems to exist between us, I shall on my return hand you the bill for pub-

llcatlon in order thatthose who are Interested may examine the matter, and satisfy themselves as to the oroorlety or impro- orlety of my course. One thing I would say, th-t however indifferent a portion of my constituents may feel with reregard to this subject, it cannot be denied, and I dia not allow my- self to forget that a portion of them are deeply interested in one of the works the completion of which is contempla";ed by the Drovlslons of the act.

The investigating comaittee are anout to close their labor? their report will be made during the next we k, but will not be printed previous to our adjournment. As so.m as tlie Re- T^ort is made I will write to you, giving you as near the tenor of it as I amy be able to ao from hearing it read. It may not be .improper for me to state that it is generally under- stood here that the report will seal the fate of some individuals who have occu:ied our highest olaces. I am proud to be able to stete that those of our citizens who were called here to give an account of their stewardship, were honorably acquitted. I am informed by members of both committees that no exceptions could be taken to their oficial conduct.

I believe that we have got along with all local matters in which our section of the country Is concerned, except ans- werirg the prayer of petitioners to be exempt from the pay- ment of toll when going to or returning from mill or market with canoes or pirogue? on the St. Joseph feeder. This petition came to hand by the last mail, and the session is so near Its close that we may not be able to get it throught — the matter is now before the committee on canals and internal improvements.

I see by your paper that you get an account of our doings

without much delay from the papers here; that is one re&eon why I have not written more frequently, and at this time renders it unnecessary for me to give you a detailed statement of our proceedings.

We adjourn on the last Monday in this month without fail.

Respectfully yours,

J. SINCLiAR

Fort Wayne Sentinel February 5, 1S42

Wabash & Erie Csnal and Mlejnl Extension. — The select com- mittee of the Ohio Senate relative to the Wabash & Erie Canal and Miami Extension have reported in favor oi the immeaiate com- pletion of these works. To furnish means for this, without sacrificing the bonds of the state, by throwing them into mar- ket at this unfaverable cricls, the commit.ee recom end,-

The issuing of scri- bearing six per cent, interest.

To have the canal l£^ nds re-aporaised, and offered at pu';lc sale every six months, and receive the scrip in payment, allowing the interest due.

All money received for these lands to be applied to redeem- ing the scrip.

The work done to be estimated monthly b the engineers, and the amount paid in scrip.

All debts now due the contractors to be paid in scrip.

The report concludes with a resolution instructing the standing committee on canals to bring in a bill in accordance with the above plan.

Port Wayne Sentinel

Saturday, February 5, 1S42

WABASH &..EKIE CAIMiiL— Supply of Water— We have received a copj^ of the Report remittea to tne Legislature by James L. Williams, Esq., Chief Engineer, on the supply of water for the summit level of our cana. The report is highly satisfactory, and demonstrates thet the fe&rs entertained by many of the adequacy of the supply that can be obtained, are entirely groundless. Even if the present feeder shou d be found insuff- icient, reservoire could be constructed, at a moderate expense, which would furnish aay quantity that might be required — The reservoir on the Aboite, surveyed last summer, covers an area of about half a section, the depth varying from 5 to 30 feet, and qould afford a supply of 1,000 &ubic feet per minute; the estimated cost of its construction is $20,000. — No canal has ever been projected, connecting Lake Erie with the Ohio River, on whose su^nmit level so large a supply of water is available as on this line.

Another opinion prevalent throughout this region, that the Northern Canal, if finished from Fort Wayne to Northport, would bring in a considerable supply of water zo the Wabash and Erie Canal, is also stated to be without foundation. The meet careful and critical examinations have been made to ascertain the amount of the supply of w&ter for the former work, and the result ie, that so far from a surplus, there can be only a sufficiency of water obraineo. from the head branches of the Elkhart to feed that canal to a point 11^ miles north of Fort Wayne. To supply the remainder of the line, reservoire will have to be constructea in the valleys of Weeks' Branch and Black Creek. These reservoirs would afford an amply supply to feed the canal to Fort Wayne, tut no surplus. By these examinations, the practicability Of the Northern Canal Is clearly demonstrated,

and a sufficiency of water for Its supply proved to be easily attainable; but as the lo^er end of the line will h- ve to be fed entirely by the waters of Ced-^r C^eek, so f-r from any sur- plus being thus brought into the Wabash and Erie Canal, it will actually rather diminish the supply. As this subject is one in which our readers feel deeply interested, we shall ipublish the r port as soon as we can spare the room.

Fort Wayne Sentinel Saturday, February 5, 1S^2

Ohio Lr.ijISLAxuHE

^-1--- Payments. — Compl' tlon of Wabas'- & Erie Canal. — This body adjournea on the fXh Inst, after a session of 1;- weeks. They meet again In extra session on the 23th July next, to divide the state into Congressional districts, under the new apportionment. There were 313 laws and 53 joint resolutions parsed at this session. Amongst these, the law compelling the banks to resujne specie payments, and the one making appropiaticn s for paying the state debt end coraoleting the Wabash and Erie Canal, are the most interesting to us.

The resumption law went into force on the ^th Inst, and has already had a very beneficial effect on the commerce of the state. Exchange on the cost, which hrd been 12 to I5 per cent, against Ohio, thereby taxing her citizens that ajnount on all goods purchased at the east, is now down to 1 or 1- per cent.; wortnless shinplasters are banished from circulation, and in their place Is to be had specie, or what is as good, notes which can be converted into s ecie at any mement. So far as we have yet heard, all the bsnks have resumed, and continue to pay specie; and there has not been any great ''/xcitement or run on any of them. The fear expresed by many that tne banks would be immediately drained of specie, has proved to be without foundation. Let the people have specie enough to make con- venient change, and a veil-grounded confidence that tneir banks are good, and able and willing to redeem their promises to cay whenever on led upon, and there are few who would not as readily receive paper as specie.

On the last da- of the session, the bill providing for paying the temporary liabilities of the stete, and providing

means for the completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal, passed. Its previsions are —

Fort Wayne Sentinel Saturday, March 19, lSi^2

CANAL MLhTINU-S

A meeting of the citizens of Hamilton and Madison counties was held at ^^oblesville on the 3d inst, to take into consider- ation the subject of the competition of the Central Canal north of Indianapolis. From the report read at the meeting we learn that, from Indianapolis to the Broad Ripple, nine miles, the canal is completed; from thence to the Killbuck summit, ^6 3A miles, the work is partly done, but will require an outlay of |656,000 to complete It. This amount the meet- ing thought might be raised.

A committee was appointed to correspond with the citi- zens of Marion, Hamilton, Boon, Madison, G-rant, Miami, Wa- bash, Delaware, Huntington, Wells, ahd Allen Counties, invit- ing them to send delegates to a conven ion to meet at Ander- sontown on the 7th April next. If this work, and the Rail- road from Muncletown to Fort Wayne could be accomplished, thus making this city the outlet for the produce of the centre of the state, we would not change locations with any town In Indiana.

The proceedings of the meeting in Noble co. for the com- pletion of the Erie and Michigan canal will be found in a- nother column.

We should like to see our citizens take a little more interest in these matters than they do at present. Here

are the citizens of the north and of the south offering their trade to us, and anxious, '.f possible, to open a com- munication with U3. Can we do nothing to avail ourselves of their offers?

If the completion of the Northern Canal should be found impracticable, coald not something be done to improve the roads leading from here to the north? If we had good roads, all the flour and grain Elkhart, Lagrange, and the intervening counties, embracing a large body of the best wheat land in the Union, would be brought to Fort Wayne for shipment to the east. May we not reasonably expect that a large portion of the price of such produce would be invest- ed in the purchase of goods at Fort Wayne. — 'ffhen our canal is completed to Lake Erie, which we have every reason to expect will be the case the ensuing summer goods may be brought here from New York at a less expense than they can to Cincinnati. The number of teams that will be en- gaged in bringing produce would enable the citizens of the northern counties to transport their goods from Fort Wayne at a very trifling cost.

Some may perhaps smile at the idea of goods ever being sold in Fort Wayne at a lower rate than in Cin- cinnati; or think it visionary to talk about wholesale store here supplying our northern neighbors with goods. We do not see anything visionary in it; goods froiii New York for Cincinn&ti, after leaving the lake at Cleveland, are conveyed 3IO miles on the Ohio Canal to Portsmouth,

3 thence reahipped and taken down the Ohio River to Cincinnati. Goods coming to Fort Wayne, will leave the lake boats at Toledo or Maxomee, nd then 120 or I30 miles canal navigation will bring them here. Any person may see at a glance that this must be the o_uickest and cheapest route; and if our neighbors came here to sell their produce, why should they go elswhere to buy their goods? Depend upon it, as soon as our canal is fairly under way we shall witness a great revolution in business. It will not be long before some p ishing, enter- prising Eastern merchant will discover that this is the place to establish wholesale stores in, and that any amount of business may be done here, at a fair orofit, by those who are able and willing to undertake it.

Let our own farmers bear this in mind; — while persons at a distance are seeking to reach here, they will always hereafter have a market at their own doors, ^et those whose farms are cle red give more attention to the raising of wheat, which will always command cash and a fair price; those who live in the woods may find it profitable to get out staves, hoop-pole? , timber, or lumber, for exportation. We shall have a sure market and good prices; -^nd if we only try to turn every thing to account, and send off for sale every thing that will pay transportation, money will begin to come into the country again, and the comrjlalnts of hard times and scarcity of money will cease. Hitherto we have been sending all our money out of the county to buy Dro- vlsions and goods, and selling nothing to bring it back. Need we wonder, that b?/ always osying money out and never taking any in, we have at length found the bottom of our

■Dockets? Let us now try the other task, ^nd sell more than we buy — bring In more money than we pay out--cnd If times do not mend, end money become more olenty, we will scknowleage that we are no true crophet.

The Fort Wayne Dpily Sentinel March I9, 1^42

Extension of the Wabash and Erie Canal. — Proposals will be received at Covington, Fountain co. on Monday the Ibth May next, for the covistructlon of kS miles of the ►'abash and Erie Canal, below Lafayette. The letting (sic) includes four framed locks, three l- rge aqueducts, two feeders and dams, and a large amount of other heavy work.

The payments for this work will be made in canal land scrio, of the denomination of $5 and upwards, which will be receivable for the lands selected by the stc-^te, under the grant of Congress, for the continuance of the canal west of the Tip- pecanoe. These lands amount to nearly 3OO.OOO acres, said to be among the best in the ^tate. They will be divided into first, second, and third rate, and offered at the minimum prices of I5, $3.50, and $2 per acre.

Any moneys received for these lands will be gpplled to the redemption of the scrip; but the state will not be responsible for its redemption in any other way.

The editor of the Covington People's Friend says, he has seen a specimen of this scrip, "and indeed the execution is splendid — the engraving very fine." Query, --Will the splendor of its execution make the scrip circulate better; or will not cautions people think there is too much outward show, which generally betokens emptiners and rottenness withini All is not COLD that glitters. Fort Wsyne Sentinel Saturday, March 2b, 1842

WiibASrt ic in it CANAL

We are informed by a gentleman from Toledo that some merchants of that place have made arrangements to run a dally line of boats from Toledo to Lafjivette — one bo.:t to leave such rlace every dey. They have bought I3 boats on the New York canal, which they will have in readiness to put on the Wabash & Erie Can&l as soon as It is completed next summer. We presume the merchants of Meumee City will also attempt something of the same kind, to secure to their place a portion of the immense trade which will hereaf ';er be carried on on this canal. We may anticipate quite lively times along the line when boats commence running; trade must receive a gre? t impulse, and the faculties they will offer to emigrf'nts, will induce many to come this way and settle among us, who would otherwise take their course through the upper Lakes.

Messrs. i'almer & Co. of Toledo, whose advertisement ap- pears in another column, are the agents for the new line, and will be enabled by this arrangement, and by their connection with some of the "bept lines on the N. Y. canals, to forward goods to this region wirh great expedition, and on reason- able terms.

Fort Wayne Daily Sentinel April 2, 13^2

J. T,. '-'TT.TT^MS, FSO.

Bej.levlng th^t great In.luptice h^s been rione Mr. ¥illi=ms, in some r^ortions of the northern part of t'-ls "=^tpte, in con- se^uenoe of b f^^lse im-ression h==ving been cref'ted in regard to his opinion =s to the iiro:^t?ncp of ou"^ eanol; we deen it but Just th?t he should be placed in his true position. It has beer contended by some, that the construction of that portion of the Northern can?l to the Elkhart summit, wa'^ nec- essary to feed the Wabash fr Frie canal, =nd, such endeavored to induce Mr. 'flli.i-m?:, ;^p the Chief Engineer, to sustain them by his official OToinion. 'T'his he coul-^ not conscientiously do, because the fcct'^ woulr! not wt^rr^nt it. Then he wpb de- nounced ap an enem.y to our cnn^l. Mr. '»Jilli=ms wop called on last winter, to m^ke = report on the subject, and sustains his own orinion, b: th^t of other engineers, ''^e h^ve not room tbis week for his report, pnd must content ourselves by pub- lishing the following comments upon it by the Fort '-Jflyne Times:

"The report of J. I.,, ''■'illioms , Fsn., rhief Engineer, on the n-^cesslty of the Erie and Michigan can^l, from Fo"t ^"Jayne to North-oort, as a feeder for the W^bcph and Frie c^nal, will be found on the last page of this ^^aner. It ax>pears -nerfect- ly satisfactory upon th^t noint. Mr. Wii:'.i = ms ' views uiDon the subject h^-'^e been known for a long tim = , although never before embodied in •= formal reoort; ^nd he has been charge, (unjustly, we have g'jol reason to believe,) with histllity to the Erie and Michigan can^l. We feel much confidence in saying th-t Mr. Williams would at nil tim-^s with great satisfaction, have

2 urged forward t e Frip and Michi^i^n cpn^l upon Just ^nd tenable grounds; but th^t he coulr' not lend himself to that object upon those' he knew to be f=llscious. He shows cle°rly, th=t the idea of deioending upon the Northern can=l, 9? = feeder for the '.7abash and Er^e, is not to be entert^'ned for a roment ; =nd indeed, this Is th^ conclusion to which any candid rann would come ui:on - careful inspection of the country, - knowledge of the suppoy of xirater on e=ch svimnit, and the length of canal to be fed by e = ch. "

Indianf. Journal Ar>ril 8, 1842

HIGH WATER

The heavy rains we have experienced during the past week, have raised the rivers here to an unusual height, and much of the bottom lejid in this vicinity is now under water.

It would be hazardous, if not impracticable, at the present stage of water, to reach the St. Gary's bridge from this city. All communication with the north is consequently susrended until the water falls, ^^ir. Ed. H^nton, ~.ur enter- prising city milkman, yesterday brought his milk-wagon to town in a canoe, on the canal; o herwlse we might all have had to drink our coffee without either cream or milk. If this would not have raised the ladies' dander, as Major Dawson woiild say, against the improper loc&tion of the bridge, we have no knowledge of such matters.

A few weeks ago , we made some remarks on the improper site this bridge occupies, and any per so;-: who will now take a view of the river will see the truth of our observations. The road leading to the bridge is several feet under water, while the place where the bridge was originally intended to have been placed may be approached dry-shod.

Our suggestion that those Interested in the present lo- cation of the bridge should raise the road leading to i t above high water mark, having been neglected, we wo^jld recommend that a ferry be established from the city to the bridge to enable travellers to cross it. A bridge across the river is not of much use If travellers have to swim to reach it.

Fort Wayne Deily Sentinel Acril 9, lg^2

In our first oage will be found the Report of J. L. Williems, on tl-^ subject of the supply of water on the summit of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and the necessity of the Northern Canal as a feeder. This re'crt is deserv- ing the serious attention of our readers, as it shows conclusively that an abundant supcly of water can be ob- tained on the summit level of the Wabash and Erie Canal; that no water can be crought from the Elkhart to the C??nal, but on the contrary that the Northern Canal would have to be supplied for 11^ miles from the waters of Cedar Creek; and lastly, that Mr. Williams has a very favorable opin- ion as well of the practicability as of the iranortance of the Northern Canal.

In Justice to Mr». Williams, this report ought to have been published some weeks ago; we had it on file, but it was overlooked. Mj>. Williams has been severely and we believe unjustly censured for hostility to the Michigan and Erie Canal. This charge has been frequently urged a- gainst him, by the citizens of the North, and the demo- cratic party generally. Mr. W's political views and the share he may have had in bringing this State into its pre- sent embarrassed condition, may have rendered him obnoxious to many; and the disappointment of the citizens of the North at the stoppage of their great work may have induced them to complain, because he was never so enthusiastic in its favor as they could have wished. But we think it decidedly wrong

to charge him with hostility to this work, without some bet- ter grounds for the accusation. With regard to the ergu- mentthat the canal was necessary as a feeder to the Wa- bash and Erie, it was clearly demonstrated, by the last survey, to be unfounded. It was only by the construction of reservoirs, and saving all the wat-r that could be col- lected on the summit level of the Erie and Michigan canal, that a supply could be obtained to feed the canal to a point lis miles north of Fort Wayne. An abundant supply might be obrsined for the balance of the work, by form- ing reservoirs on the Dranches of Cedar creek; but it must be remembered that this would be cutting off a por- tion of the supply now obtained by the St. Joseph Feeder.

The editor of this paper was one of the party who made the last survey, and from what he there saw of the country, feels satisfied that no water could be brought from the Elkhart into the Wabash and Erie Canal. Mr. Williams visited the party during the survey, and took the livllest Interest in the success of the examinations.

We deem this much due to Mr. Willlejns. It Is enough for any pereon to bear the blf.me he is Justly entitled to, with- out having other charges made against him of which he is Innocent.

Fort Wayne Dpily Sentinel April 16, lgM-2

REPORT UV TH£ Cr.IEF EK^INLER

In relation to the r^resglty of the Erie end Michigan Canal as a Feeder to the Wabash and Erie C-^rrl.

Office of Chief Engineer Indianapolis. Dec, 27, IS^I

Hon. JOHN W. DAVIS,

SPEiiKEr- HOUSE OF RLPRESEWTATIVES:

SIR: — The undersigned has received a copy of a reso- lution of the House, adopted on the Igth Instant, together with a coioy of a preamble to a resolution, adopted on a previous day, the whole of which Is as follows:

"Resolved. That Jesse L. Williams, Chief Engineer, be furnished with a cooy of said preamble, and that he be directed to rerort to tMs House whether danger Is to be apprehended that the St. Joseph's feeder will fail to supply a sufficiency of water for so much of the Wabash and Erie Canal as depends uoon that feeder for supply. Whether the construction of that portion of the Erie and Michigan Canal, comtempleted In the preamble aforesaid, be requisite to remedy the deficiency, if 1 t exist In his opinion, and the estimated cost of such work."

The following is the preamble above referred to:

" Whereas. The State of Indiana has expended large sums S of money In the construction of that portion of the Wabash

and Erie Cs.n&l extending from Fort Wayne to the Ohio State line: and as It Is generally understood and be- lieved that the deficiency of water is such that the said canal will be valueless until a feeder be intro- duced by the construction of that portion of the Erie and Michigan Canal which diverts the waters of the Elk- hart river to the Maumee: And whereas, the Wabash and Erie Canal Is now about being completed, &c.

The leading enquiry contained in this resolution, is in relation, to the supply of water on the Canals, therein referred to. It has two branches: first, whether there will probably be a deficiency of ■ ater on the summit level of the Wabash and Erie Canal — and secondly. If such deficiency exist, whether the construction of the Erie and Michigan Canal from the Elkhart feeders to Fort Wayne, can be considered as necessary to remedy this deficiency.

In relation to the first branch of the enquiry, the views of the undersigned were fully communicated in hie late annual recort, which, however, hs.d not reached the House when the resolution was adopted, 'or the purpose of presenting a connected v lew of the subject, I beg leave to present here the substance of that report, in relation to the first branch of the inquiry.

The extreme drought of the last summer excited fears in the iplnds of some that the supply of water on the summit level of this canal would, on the future increase

3 of business, prove Inadquate. I'here Is no ground for

apprehending any Inconvenience from the want of water. The question, If any question, sho ad f^rlse, will not be whether an ample supply is at our command, but whether the low Wcter discharge of the St, Joseph alone is suf- ficient without any aid from an artificial reservoir. Should such aid become necessary, with the future increase of business, abundant resources are at hand of which the State can avail herself at any time, with a moderate ex- pense.

The summit level of this canal is located through a remarkable depression in the general level of the country, forming the head of Little river, into which depression the drainage flows from the surrounding table lands, embracing the whole country to the head of the St. Joseph on the North East, and of the St- Mary's on the South East, together with the several branches of Little river, all of which are available for reservoirs. So far from there being a deficiency In the av&ilable resources, it is certainly true the.t no canal has yet been projected, connecting Lake Erie with the ^hio river, on whose summit level it is practicable to Introduce so large a supply of water as might be collected on the summit level of this canal.

Should any a ditlonal supply be recuired, either now or hereafter, I wotild recommend the introduction of a feeder from the Aboite, which is one of the principal branches of Little river, and crosses the canal eleven

miles west of Fort Wayne. From the survey of this velley. It Is ascertained to be decidedly favorable for the form- ation of a reservoir of any size that the future wants of of the canal may require. The feeder would be one mile long, at which distance from the canal, a dam and embank- ment would be formed across the valley, In all, six chains long, raising the weter to a level thirty feet above the canal. This would forro a reservoir covering about 320 acres, to a depth varying from 5 to 30 feet — which, after allowing for the loss by evaporation and leakage from Its surface, would give e continued supply of 1,000 cubic feet per minute for a period of 100 days; which supply could be still further increased by adding to the height of the embanl'jnent. The cost of constructing this reser- voir and feeder is estimated at about $20,000, incluaing the expense of clearing the timber from the whole area; In addition to which some damage should be paid.

One Important advantage of this site over others that might be found in the valley of the St. Joseuh or Cedar creek, consists in its furnishing the additional water near the west end of the summit level, where it Is most needed. By introducing a feeder at this point, the level of the canal will be kept more uniform during the low stage of water, when Its oassage is so much impeded by the growth of grass in the canal. The whole division could also be filled much sooner after It became empty from any cause, than If the whole supply were introduced

5 at the east end. Another favorable circumstance is in the particular size of the stre&ci which flov/s into it, being of ample size to fill the reservoir, and yet not so large as to be uncontrollable, or dangerous in its flood. The position of the reservoir being so near the canal, places It always under the immediate notice of the Superinten- dent, b which the expense of its superintendence, as well as the danger of accidents, would be lessened. The fact that no artificial feeder is required to conduct the flood water to the reservoir, is likewise an advantage not always founa.

This plan of furnishing an edditional supply of water for the summit level, is here presented rather to show how groundless are all apprehensions as to the coaplete success of the Wabash and Erie canal as a thoroughfare of trade, than with a view of proposing Immediate adoption. The superintendent of this division of the canal, who has noticed the water at its lowest stage, expresses the be- lief tne belief that by reoalring the aqueducts and lock gates, where much water now wastes, the present supply will be made during the coming winter, and if after the trial of another season there should be reason to anti- cipate a scarcity of water, on the future Increase of frade, then the State should immediately construct the Abolte res^volr.

6

In regard to the second branch of the enquiry contain- ed in the resolution, I submit the following statement:

An opinion seems to have been entertained very general- ly in the counties of Elkhart, i^oble and Alien, that the construction of the Erie and Michigan canal, from the head branches of the Elkhart to Fort Wayne, would bring into the summit level of the Wabash and Erie Canal from those streams a large supply of water. This anticipa- tion would not be realized, and to rely upon it, might place in ieopardy the great Interests depending upon the uninterupted navigation of the Wabash and Erie Canal, should that Canal need more water.

The subject of supolying the summit level of the Erie and Michigan canal has heretofore engaged much of the attention of the Engineer Department, ana has received the most critical examination, the result of which as communicated in former reports, while it establishes beyond doubt the practicability of supplying the Erie and Michigan canal, furnishes no ground to expect a surplus from the Elkhart waters applicable to any other purpose, further than the lockage water, and the leak- age that will unsvoldably pass the last lock, which, with the probably business, may equal 200 cubic feet per minute.

It will be recollected by all who have paid any at- tetion to the subject, that the neturel flow of the streams on the Elkhart summit at low water. Is wholly inadequate.

7 and that the wole reliance for a suT)oly is that of col- lecting and retaining in reservoirs all the rain water which falls on, and flows off from the whole area of country laying higher than, and draining into the summit level. In 1^39, Mr. Ball made a survey of the whole district draining into the summit level, with much care, the result of which may be seen in his re ort of 30th December, IS39; (See Documentary Journal of lSJ^^-^0) The survey of Mr. Ball, so far from showing a surplus from the waters of the Elkhart, demonstrates that the whole available drainage of that stream is only sufficient to supply the Erie and Michigan canal to a point within ll-l miles of Fort Wayne, where another reservoir must be concentrated on a lower level, filled by the branches of the St. Jfyseph, in order to secure a sufficient supoly for the Erie and Michigan canal itself. In the computation of demand and supply, based upon Mr. Ball's surveys, some surplus is shown, yet this surplus in the summit reservoirs is not gre&ter than is necessary to insure a supply, where the elements of the calculacion, such as the quantity of rain, the amount of evaporation, &c., are so contingent in their nature. A surplus is shown in the Week's branch reservoir which would be available in the Wabash and Erie canal, but as these waters el- ready flow into the St. Joseph's feeder, this fact does not Influence the question under consideration.

It will be observed that while the summit of the

g

Wabash and Erie Canal is supplied with the natural low water flow of the streams without any aid from reser- voirs, for which the resources are so great, the summit level of the Erie and Michigan canals can be supplied only by introducing the whole available drainage. The drain- age, which is available for the summit of the Wabash and Erie canal is very extensive, enbrac'ng the country for near 100 miles in opposite directions, ejnounting to seventy or eii5:hty townships, while the area of country which it is practicable to drain into the Elkhart summit level is only about four townships. Viewing the question in the light of thlsstriking contrast, the idea of re- lying upon the Elkhart waters to make up a deficiency on the Wabash and Erie canal summit, appears exceedingly preposterous, especially wlien we consider that each of these summits has for its own purposes, an equal quantity

of lockage water to furnish, and same length

of line to supoly, before there would be a surplus. The supposition that the Erie and Michigan canal to North- port is necessary to the supply of the Wabash and Erie canal, must rest upon the Idea that there is as much or more available water on the summit level of the former than the latter. But how is thi? possible when the former summit level is 1^0 feet higher th&n the letter, and the extent of the country which drains into it, compared with that draining into the Wabash and Erie summit level, is only in the proportion of ^ to JO,

The strange uilsapprrhenslon which seems to have "be- come general in that seccion of the State, probably had Its origin in the published reoort of the Resident Engin- eer on that line, made on the gth of Dec, 1^36, in which he estimates the lowest discharge of the several branches of the Elkhart at 5>300 cubic feet per minute, and ex- presses the opinion that these stresjns, by constructing reservoirs, would furnish a supply of water for mach- inery, or for the supply of the Wabash end Erie canal. Subsequent examination, however, convinced him that in his first estim=^te he had been misled in regsrd to tne dis- charge; and on the Jtd. Oct. l.?3g, he reported these streams as discharging, from actual gusging, only 932 cubic feet per minute; but little over one- sixth of the amount stated in the first report. This discrepancy no doubt re-, suited from the fact that the streams when first guaged in IS36, were swollen by rains.

Let It not be inferred that there can be any scarcity of water on the Erie ^-nd Michigan canal for its own purposes. Upon the plsns heretofore proposed, the work is fully practicable and feasible; nor are arguments wanting in favor of its importance. The very large wheat crop of that region would olace the canal amongst the first works of the State. While I have been at all times reedy to urge considerations of this kind in favor of the construction of this cenal, I could not unite in the argument based urjon its importance of it value as a feeder to the Wabash and Erie canal, for the reason thst with all the branches of the Elkhart that are available.

10

no surplus of water woula be left pfter supolylng its own demands. The same view of this subject has heretofore been repeatedly expressed by the undersigned in his official reports.

The reservoir at Week's branch, 11 miles west of Fort Wayne, would furnish a large surplus for the W.and E. canal, as stated in my former reports.

With a view of furnishing the Hou?e all the Information at command, in relation to this important subject, I have submitted the question to ^r. Bgll, the engineer who made the survey of this summit in 1^39, and who is now at the seat of Government. His letter is herewith submitted.

I am requested to furnish an estimate of the cost of completing this division of the Erie and Michigrn canal. From Fort Wayne to Northport, a distance of 50 miles, was estimated in my report of Dec. 26th, Ig^O, at $350,000. The amount expended in construction on this division, is about $125,000, leaving the sura of S725,000 as the amount required to complete this division. Probably under the reduced o'lces of labor and provisions, a smaller sura than this might be aaequate.

Respectfully submitted, J. L. viLLIiiMS The Fort Wayne Sentinel April 16, lg42

¥e invite particular ^^ttention to the follovfing ^rtiole, tpken from tbe Northern Tndi=ni=n, published pt Goshen, the place of Senator Chsm'b'^-^'lpin' s residence..

The follo^rinr, , from the Fort Wayne Times, we think is 3 tolf^rably correct eyr^osition of the notives actu^tinp cer- tain men here?bouts in their conriuct tow^'^d Jesse L. Willioms, Fsn. Tf vituperation °nd nbuse from them were defamatory, Mr. Williams would certainly st^nd in °n unenviable iDOsition. But as it is, their slander is only °n evidence of his merit. J. ^. Williams

The 1ft Goshen "Hemocrpt m.!^kes another violent psspult UT>on this gentleman. It is sincular to witness the malignant perseverance with which th=t -onper, o.nd the cliaue which sur- rounds =>nd controls it, follow hin. "It is sorry to s^e the Ft. ^^ayne Sentinel," forsooth, doing him an ° ct of sheer Jus- ticerepeating merely the verdict of the committee of the Legislature, ar-ointed to investigate abuses in the management of our public vforks.

The Pern crat says: "It is a matter of notoriety, t ^t he always exhibited ^ deer hostility to the Northern canal, and by every -oossible m,eans op-posed its prosecution." It is a m^ttf^r of notoriety, th^t the riemocrofs assertion is without a shadow of foundation in f«ct. It is well known to all who are ocnncinted with Mr. ¥illirms, th^t he has uniformly rer^re- sented f'is canal s^-- s-^ong thof'e of the first ii:n;port=ince in the St=te; ^nd th^^t he always sustained it by pvery just and Ipgiti- raote argument th^t could be advanced. Particularly, =nd repeat-

2

edly has he, in convprsption, ^nd in hip rer>orts, rpf erred to the immense v-heat- crops of the north; =nd to the fpct th^^t cpnals ai-e i^lwpys profit^^ble where whest is the grept staple ortirle; th'^t next to q he=vy roal transportation, a hepvy vhe^t crop, such as is raised in western New York, pnd such es will be raised soon in the northern sections of Indipn!=, renders ?. cpn=l most vpluf'blp. These views were embodies in Mr. Williams' report to the Legislature; °nd yet the Editor of the r)emocr?t, in spe^^king of it, says: "Mr. Vfilllams has made a l=bored r^ro" t agpinst the Northern canal."

Mr. Chamberlain, too, the Senator from Flkh^-rt, in a letter to his consti "uents — a letter, by the way, which ap- pears to h-ve been dictated by a spirit of the lowest and vil- est persons! hatred — spys th°t Mr. Williams "singled out the Northern Canals as the speci?! object of his disTolepsure. " Noxir would it not be bett-r for those wholesale def^'mers to point out the particular acts of hostility on the p^rt of Mr. Willinm.s, of xvhich they comolain? In all th^t he ha'? ever written upon the subject, wh^t hcs he spid unfpvorable to the iirortonce of the Northern csnnl? ¥e defy the editor of the Ppmocrat , or pny one elpe, to roint out the first vford in op- position to th=t work.

"The head and fr«ont of Mr. Williams' offending," (next to being a whig) is the feet th=t he hps refused to countensnce the delusive idep , urged by the e^^itor of the ^^emocrpt, Mr. Chamberlain, ^-nd others, th^t the northern cannl w^'- necesBPry as a feeder for the Wa.bash ='nd Frie Can^l. At different times he ha.s been cplled upon b y resolutions of the Legislature, moved, if we recollect rigb , by Mr. Chpmberlain, for his views

3 In relation to this subject; ^nd has uniforml.y ^nd loroperly re- fused to sanction an opinion so pr'^'oost'^rous. In bis l°te rer-ort, touching this matter, he h? set it at rest forever in the minds of all resonctle men. Is he wrons in this? ¥e yield to no one — the TDPoplp of Fort Wayne yield not to the people of fioshen, or of any other T)lsce in friendship for that v/ork, °nd in anxiety to see it cor.rleted; hut they voijld never h=^'-e justified %. Willi^'mc in urgln g unon the Legislature a decet-tive pr-^ument

in its favor, knowing it to "be such. Had he done so, he TrT-uld hove dese-'-ved the erecr^tion? of all poo-^ men; =nd would have been "gnilty, not only of unjustifiable" partiality, "but of incompetency," =nd if he h=d consulted his own safety, would have h?d to travel inrog through th=t section," th^n he now has.

The fact is, th°t there is being made a combined, system- atic =nd vindictive effort, with Chamberlain of Goshen pt its head, and some gentlemen of Vis place at its tail, to destroy th e standing of Mr. Williams as a public officer and agent. We know of no cause for t'-is but the ones we h^ve given, and the additional one contpined in Chpmbe-lain' s letter, before al- luded to, in which he s^ys: "His, (Mr. l/illiams ' ) of all other chgracters , _is the one most pprticulprly odious to me. " Wh^t there is in the ch^rpcter of Mr. Willioms, that could be _odlous to any gentleman, it is difficult to conceive. The language of the letter is so exceedingly coarse pnd vituTDerptive, and dis-i^lays '= o strone a pvlrlt of -oersonal malignity, ps to preclude the Dossibiiity of a reiDl^ from Mr. .Williams, or pny

of i^is fripnds. '^he fact th^t four members of the investigating

4

committee, (incl.rKllng Mr. West, s bitter political ov-onent of Mr. Williams,) gave bin = full acouittal of the charger prefer- red, against him, ^nd said that "they think his vindication is conrolete and triumphant on =11 r»oints, and will be so found on examin-^tion. That he has mpde ruthless and bitter enemies in the TDublic service is creditable to him, for every m=n h=>s his enemies vho deserves them; " will counteract the effects of Mr. Chpmber Iain's scu-^rility, as far as the reioort is read. Mr. nhamb-rlaln alone dissented from the conclusions of a majority of the c-nrr.ittee. How f?r the "odium" with which he regards Mr. Williams operated in •oroducing thl^- dissent, Mr. Ch^mbprlaln must determ^ire for himself.

The testimony before the investigoting committee will soon be published, (if it has alre=>dy been we have not seen it,) and then let Mr. Williams' accusers sr)eclfy a single act of his th^t will cast a shade upon his integrity, or the cor- rectness of his intentions; or else forever hold their peace. After ninp years iDassed in the service of the State, and after such unprecedented efforts on the -o^^rt of some members of the committee, and others, to impeach his motives and his acts, if his mallgners fail to substantiate an item of their accu- sations— if he -oass the ordeal, like riure gold, unharmed — if he comes out of this furn^-ce, seven times heated with the r=g- ine fires of rerson^l m=llce and vengeance, not only unsc=>thed, but without the smell of fire u>^on his garments, ps he assuredly will — it m.ay well be a source of thankfulness to him, and of pride ■^nd congmtulotions to his numerous friends.

5

As P STDecimpn of the m-nnpr in T-'hich the lnvestle°tion wss ca^'""lecl on =g?nf5t him, we s'^e informed th=t g nunfcer of the comnlttee -olaced blank subpoenas in the h=nds of one of M-p. i-/illi=^ms' bitterest foes, with directions to fo''low the line of the Mpdison ro=>d and fill then with the n^roes of such perRons only as were krownto be hostile to him; while, on the contrary, he ^'ubr^oenaed not s_ singjle witness ; and yet Mr. Chprnberlain, in his letter, has the effrontery to speak of Mr. Willipras' triurph^nt aconitt^'i ps the result of "packed ar- rangement," "selected witnesses", "Rxirips gu-rds," &c. Poes Mr. Chambf^rlain expect to make even his locofoco brethren be- lieve th^t Mr. f'Jeet, (one of their leaders,) was a p-rty to a packed arrangement for the acnuit'^al of Mr. Williams? As to the selected witnesses , by referring to the report of the committee, it will be seen th^t the only rebutting witnesses were Messrs. Palmer. Bright , Morrison, and Noble, anr^ the three first of whom pre leading politicpl opr^onents of Mr. Williom.s.

Indian^ Journal May ir, 1842

Py the following remor-'k. from the Fort Xfayne Times of the Plst inst., it will be seen th=t ^.enntor Chamberlain of Flkh=rt county, is still =t vwrVi in endeavoring to as- ■perse the nhp-'='r»ter of Jesse L. Williams, Fsc, =nrl others. Ch?mber"'.?in ' s vindictive tenroer and want of consistency, are ^-.'en known ^nd aught (sir) to\B ful"iy eyi^s-d. If this wa^ done, bis attacks upon the above npmed gentleman would be entirely h=-'"mless, if t ey did not cease altogethe.

The Hon. F. m. cH^^/tbfptaIN, Sen='tor fro^i Flkh^rt, has a v^ry long comrunic=tion in the last Goshen T^er.ocr=t, conc'^'rning J. I,. '^H 1"' iams , the Northern Tndianian, the Fort Wayne Sentinel, =nd our hunblp self gener='lly; =nd in renly to a few expl^n^tiory remn-^ks of ours, touching J. L. wil"" ioms ■^ni'i tb- Northe^m can?l, mode on the ?Oth ult, in pprticul^r. The hon. gentleman threatens th^^t "neither Mr. Williams and bis hostility to our o=!n=l, nor the major- ity of the Investigating Committee and their erroneous con- clusions, nor bis flatterers and tbeir fulsome adulations, sh^n esca-ne m.e (him) till =mr)le j^^Ptire is done." If Mr. Cham'^erl^in h^s '-•omnpnced = w^-*^ of words, th=t is to con- tinue until he does " Justice" to pny one who ever op-oored his views, or ^goinst whom he has conceived a prejudice, we opine th=t the sky will fpll before it closes.

Indiana Journal May ?1, 184S

To the Fditor of the Fort vgyne Sentinel: —

Fort Wayne, M=y 70, 1642 SIP — The extraordinary effort^ of Seng.tor Ch^pberlain to Injure me, by his reioe^ted "-'u'b''-ic = tions in the Goshen ■Dem- ocrat, seem to c=^ll for some n;"tice pt my h=nds. But T know not hov; to get r cress to th=t inortion of the cnnmunity who hsve re^ci the attc'cks, unless you v/ill do me the Justice to Dubli^h my defence in your rnper. I therefore respect- fully reauest you to publish the following conru^'-ic^tions :

Very resiO'^^ctfully,

J. I,. ^^riLlJiMS

For "I: he Fort Weyne Sentinel To the Editor: —

It is with very gre=t reluct ='nce th?t I ob^rude upon the attention of the comrau'^ity in refutation of some of the statements in the recent pub^ic-tion of "'-r. Chamberlgin, =nd more esTjecially in his lett r to his const itutpnts , ^pub- lished in Morch last. My apology --^ill be found in the er- ceeding malignity end injustice of the assault, in the po- sition of the ?sspil=nt =s 9 member of the State Senate, pnd in the un^iup weight with wh'' i^h he seeks to invest his glaring m.isrepresentptinns by connectinR th-m with his 'oo- sitlon °s a membpr of the invpstig = ting comf^dttee. Th? de- lay in -rinting the testimony =ccom-ocnying the re-oort of th committee, to which I sh^l"' make referenre, hps prevented an earlier n-ti<"e of tbis letter.

2

For several yep^^s p°st, but more esiDeci^^lly during the last winter, as the members of the Senate will =tt© t, the Senator f-om E"kh?rt, has m=a.e ne the object of his embittered, persevering, and, so far as I 1-no^', umDi-ovd'^ied attacks. Of these ntt^-cks during all this time, I have founo it vholly unnecessary to take any notice. His as- saults, according to his o-^jvi showing, h?ve not been very effective, inesruch ^^s I have still continued to fill the responsible station to vhich sir yenrp ago I v^s appointed. Just so long as °ny such officer as Chief Fneinee^ w-s re- ouire.^ in the State, the continued efforts of this Senator to the contrary notvithstand ' ng.

The ciuties of the station which I have filled bro't the incumbent in frenuent collision with the individual interests of contractors sm^ others, ci^eating unavoidably in many instances, if the public treasury was loroperly guarded, that strong prejudice and ill will tow^^rd^ the officer, which naturally arises f:^om disallowed claims for evtra pay. In some part^' of the State, I may have cme in conflict with the strong current of public sentiment by declining to unite in the extravagant zeal for the rapid prop.ecutlon of their fs^vorlte vrork, regardless of its cost or evoediency; end on other lines by refusing to endorse ev ry argument in f^vor of the xfork, however dece tlve it r.ieht be. It was in the conscientious loerfo mance of duty in the'=e respects, th^t T have in => few instances made "ruthless and bitter enemies in the public service" of

3 which the committee of investigation speak in the conclusion of their report. The appointment of Mr. Chamberlain on that committee, clothed ps he w^s vrith the hiph^st innuis itorial pov^ers, afforcied an opioortunity , b;- pv^ilin^ himself of these prejudices, to -olpce u^^on record in the most unfavor?=ble light, everr pct of mine, through an official service of nine years. The result of this investig='tion is nov among the -oublic rercrds of the State, and to th^t report and the evidence, ir.?de up under these circumv<5tances--Mr. Chamber- lain himself acting in my case as both prosecutor and judge. — (sic) my friends have already had occasion to refer with ju^tp-ide, rather than with any fear of reproach.

T'he frivollus nature of the misconduct sought to be im.- TDUted, furnishing as it does, a virtual admission that nothing of more consenuenre could be alleged, after the mo^-t diligent search, will probably itself break the force of Mr. Chamberlain's letter. I trunt the reader will notice that even by the aid of a blank -Dub^oena, (sic) T)laced in the hands of a prejudiced individual, no suspicion could be r^ilsed, either of improper I'-cations for sinister ends, or of over estimates to contractors, nor of any im- proper use of the public funds, or of my public st«;tion in any way vrhatever, for personpl advantage. But a dishonest Engineer (Beckwith) had crept into the service, having most effectually deceiver^ the community among whom, he lived, and for a tim^ the public officers aieo. although myself the first to ascertain and exDose the over estimates of this

4 t'-is Engineer, by arrestinp; him on the ch?rge of a neniten- tiary offence, °t p time vhen his ^tending with the oublic t-enerally, was as fair ps th^it of the Senator, (although wholly undeserving' of such standing hod his true chpr=cter been knovn; / ^nd though my most zealous efforts \<;e^-e con- tinued in riroving his frpuds, until = heavy Judgment was obtained ■-gclnst hi'^ in fcvor of the State — fpcts well known to Mr. Ohpmberlpin — yet the unv.'orthy thought wps conceived by hirrs^^lf and others of excitinp p suspicion thpt there hpd been some degree of rerissness in not soon- er detecting his misconduct. To the comsummation of this contemptible nlot, so unbpcoming the station he filled the best energies of t is ^enptor were directed for a length of tii9e, a? the numerous interrogptories on the files of of the comm'ttee in hip hpnd writing v^ill pbundpntly prove. AS the Judgment of the com^m^ttee upon every im- Dutption xvhich the ingenuity of t'-is '^.en=--tor and his pc- coraplices could raise, I refer to their report, signed by Messrs. Fgcleson, Pprker, Baird, pnd West, which hps here- tofore been published in the newspapers.

The dissent of Mr. Chpmbprlpin wps of course anticii^pted by ev^ry one acnuainted with the bi^s of his feelings pnd the strength of his prejuriices. It was no mptter of suriorise. esneciplly to those who h.pd noticed a memorpble occurrence in the Senpte chprnb^r at the com.mencement of the session, in which he labored so eprneftly to plpce uioon the Journpl of the =!enpte, in adypnce of the Investigption, p vote of

5 conderin^tion ^gninst me, in violptlon of the long settled notions of rr.snkind, that the tri^^l should plw=)ys i^reoede the sentence; v,-hich unjust ptte'-^pt =t ^rejudginp; the case was signally rebuked by a vote of tv/o to one In the Senate. (See Journal of the Senate of the l^^st session, p^ge 196. )

If this dissent we- e all, or even if his late scurri- lous letter to his constituents had been made a loart of the re-port, ^nd thus been accompanied by the evidence to dis- prove it, this defence would have been unnecps<^^ry . But although his abusive puclinct i^-n is wholly disconnected from the official re-'Ort, and is so opposite to the general tenor of the teFtinony, that Mr. Chamberlain would rot have ventured its ■nub"' i ration in connection therewith; yet he Duts it forth under such n guise as to Pive it currency with the nevs-oarier reader, °s n p^rt of the official rerort; and and is so orDosite to the general tenor of the testimony, that M-^. Ch°mberlain would not have ventured its publica- tion in connection therewith; yet he ruts it forth under such a guise as to give it currency with the nev.'sraper reader, as a p=rt of the official report; and as if to aggravate the vrrong it is afterwards published in the State Sentinel, and thus sent to every -onrt of the State, "as a sort of supplFment to the report of the investigating com- mittee." In the m^^nner of giving th=t connunicj^tion to the public, ^s xifell as well ^s in the matter of it, I ^sk the reader to m.^rk the peculi-r injustice of t is "Senator's course; °nd then ""et him say. If ever before in the history

6

of sinil^r r,vooeedings , the gre=t ririnciples of right ^nd Jus- tice, 0- fven the rules of honorable -•:-olltic°l w^rfpre, wer<- so g:^-eatl3'- outrosed.

With = view of breaking th^ force of the verdict of 9C- ouittpl rendered by the TnvePtigpting Conrttee, Mr. rhpmber- laln -^'rites '^nd -nublished the following sentence: "Thus he has hod s> ST3Pci=l c^^^e to keep himself cormoletely environed by his supple cringing depencients, who during the investiga- tion, = s on =-11 other occasions, h'^ve stood ready to Justify and apiDrove wh=tever nay have been s^id or done by th"^ Chief Engineer. The vhitewpshing "DronesB followed almost as a mp.t- ter of cou:*''pe. "

Who were these "supple c:^inging deriendents? " By ref- erence to the report of the cormlttee, it will be seen that the essential rebutting witnesses — the onl- witnesses whose statenents had sufficient bearing u-^on the case to be men- tif^ned by the commttee in recspitul°ting the testimony — were lles-^r^.i. N. B- Palmer, M. G. Bright , Judge Morrison, N. Noble, and T. A. ^'^orris; three out of the five ranking very J stly anongst the leading and influential members of that political t)=rty to which I have ever been ov^osedi, and filling ^t thi- time, b^- the choice of that loarty, stations of the highest trust. A. close inspection of the printed reioort and evidence will <='bow that it wap mainly the statenents of the three resrectable gentlemen fir^t named, that so effectually foiled the Senator ana bis ac- complices. Are the learie'^s of the o-D"oosite political "oarty

7 In Indiana in Tnfll=np my "s'lDiole drinplng dependents?" Wh^-t nonsense h3<^ diss.-o-nointed -"-evenee n-'orrited Mr. Gb9rnhe^= lain to ^^7rite.

In --^ursiiing hi? object — th^t of lessening, tjne just weight of tbe vppdiot of triunnh^nt pcoiiittpl ^-endened "by the com- mittee— Mr. rhamb^rlain pd^s the following:

Such has been bis conduct. ^-nd tbis from the focts gs detailed in the testimony, strir^ped of =^11 the g^^rnnture by vhich ppigpted w:' tnesses , packed arrrnge^^nts , °nd forced conclusions h=ve been m=de tc ■D!=tch him. up a rerut^^tion is the only conclusion =t wbich nny umo-^eju-^if^ed mind can 3r-ive."

The flagrant injustice of tbis insinuation th=t the fsilui-e of Mr. Chamberlain in his efforts to injure me was in any degree the result of "selected witnesses , " or "pq eked arrangements , " wi"^ 1 be confessed by every one who sh^ll exam'ne the record of the com.m.'ttee. A ■D^'r^igrn'oh co'ild not e="^ily h^vp been po written as to eive ^n iiiDressicn ^^o" e ne=>rly the re-^'-^rse of the truth, th=n the one Just nuoted. So f^r frommaking any "pp eked pyT^gngements , " not = single witness w?s subnoenj^eri from the line=, c reoii.er^ted to at- tend at the se°t of Government in ry behalf. T sub-itted no teptiionjr other t' ^n wh°t I conld gather f- om -oersons residing at the CoToitol, or accidentally there on business of their own, e^oe-^t in the ca^e of M. G. Bright, to whom a single interrogatory waS transmitted by mall. That there

were "s^elected witnesses" ^nri "-pgcked p.- rpngprnents " in the case is true, but thej'- were on the Dprt of the prosecution, not for the defence. The "packed arrpngenents , " were all for the purpose of def^m=tion — of destroying, if possible, my eoorl n°ne; nnri were probably mcde °t the in'^t^nce or by the J'id of Mr. Chombf^rlain hlrnsplf, who pcted so efficient- ly the p^rt of p^^osecntor =p veil =p JudPe, as vrill bp at- tested by every one who attended the meetin s of the com- mittee. The re=der will be much ^ided in determin'nng the decree of ci-edit due to the statements of my assoilnnt, bj^ bearing in mind the f»ct tbe f p ct th=t the foregoing extract must have been written with a full ^^nox^^ledge on the p=rt of the writer, th^t the reverse of the iipression which he seeks to convey was true, pccordinp to the ve^^y record which he himself assisted in mpking up, as q member of the committee. He knew th=t me^ns entirely unp"r^ecedented in the history of such investigations were resorted to, not to erculp^te, but for the purpose of casting e sha^-'e rf suspicion upon my public conduct. ^ blank subpoena, signed by thp chai-'^man, wc<3 placed in the h^nr^s of = disaffected contractor, whose prejudices against me were known to be of the bitterest kind, in whose power it w=s thus placed to pass along the lines of the public works, end fill in the names of such persons, ^n'^ such only ?s witnesses, who were found, upon inmiiry, to pntert^in ^ prejudice pgpinst me, growing: ovt of dissstisfpction with t' elr estim^ es, or from othei- causes. Lest this statement should be deemed

increcircle, ^ give fron the •orinter' Journal of the Senate comnittee the follOT^'inp tep.tinony: — ("ee p^re 450.)

"Thom!=p Hp'vb retiirnerf the fnl~ owing answers: Answei-^ _to No. 1. "In t^nsw^-r to the first interrogatory, Mr. Hendricks sent me word by ry br "''^her th = t he wished to see me =>t Mr. Jones' tavern, ^t Columbus. F^^^ly in the morning I called to see him; his first inquiry of ne w^^-s, if I knew of sny thing agpinst J. I,, 'filli^ns, No=h Noble, or John Woodburn. He said he h-'^d - bl^nJk subpoena from the investigating com- mittee, ^'nd wss puthorized by them to fill it nv v/ith vrh^t- ever n^mes he rle=sed, but first wished to Vnow wh^t the vjitness wo'ild testify to, ps he did not wont to subpoen^' any person bu>-- such os ^-new of some imp^- oper conduct in the above nam.ed persons; m.y answer to him was such as did not suit him to subiDoenc me. He enoui-^ed particularly of me if T knew of any ■c^rson th=t did, and n^med several nc- nuaint-^nces, and =sked if I thought they, being nut to their oath, would not disclope something. I told him I dl^ not know. I tol^d him t =t Mr. F. F=r-^°11 =nd Mr. Thompson W. Graham might, as I h=d he=-^d them, comr^l^ining . I travelled most of the v:sy 'n cc~rpny vath him to M==dison. it SciDio I heard him interrogate Fdward Far""»ll m.uch the s^me = s he did me. Ou.r ccnve'^a.tion was considerable, ^nd I cannot under- take to give it p11 =s i^ em.brac^d other subj^^cts. By his conversation he appeared very anxious to find witnesses.

10

Ansver t^o No. 2

"From the conversation h^d with Mr*. Hendricl'-S, pnd that overhe?rd with hin ^nd other?, I cannot tut bplieve th^t he certainly was, ^nd does entertain very unfriendly feelinp;s towards th^ above n^med gentlemen and particul=3rly towards Jespe !:. Willipms.

The testinony of J. P. Farrel, pIso on record, in re^prd to Mr. Hendricks ' interview with him, is similar to th^t of Mr. Hpys. (See pnsre 489 of reioort. )

I hpve stpted thpt the blanl' subpoena was confided to the discretion of ^ disaffected cntrpctor whose rreju- dices were of the '-'ost vindictive npture. This statenent is su-^tained by the testimony of tT-^o vritnesses in p'^ition to Mr. Hays, whose pnsv/ers UDon o^th here follow. (See Jour- nal of Senpte committee, nape 451. )

"Willipn Griffin returned his answer to the following interrogptory :

Interrogatory No._l. "State whether you hpve heard ibrpm Hendricks sriepk of J. L. Willipms in snch terms as would show a vindictive feeling or a strong prejudice againet thpt individual? Answer. "I answer this in the pf f irmptive. " "D.B. Begrss returned his answer to the following interrogptory :

Interrogptory No. 1 "Stpte whether you hpv heard a.brpm Hendricks spepk of J. L. Willipms in ST"^h t^rns as would shovi a vindictl'"-e feeling or p strong nrejudice against th^t indivldupl.

11

Arrswer

"T have so he-^vr^ Mr. Hendricks s^-e=>k of Mr. J. T,. VJilli?ras freniiently. "

The rtrej'^'dlce of Mr. Hendricks, the witness on vhom Mr. Ch-'^nberlain mainly relied, prose chiefly from a difference of ODinion In regard to his extr^ claims. On -D^f p [^'^3 of the testimony, he eyoresses the opinion th^t he lA/ould h^ve been *10,000 better off h^d I ^lone ray duty. It is well understood th-t his cle?r nrofit on his Job, (the Madison hill) PS it VI? 9 settled, will not be less th=n tT-'enty to thirty thousand dollprs. I en not sensible th-t T neglect any duty in declifting to ad-'' "^^l 0,000 rno-''-e in the way of e^tr^ ='l"i ownnces, 5-c. , especially as the ■''.eglsl^ture to v/horn he aprepled, also refused further allow^^nr'e. I refer to this only to show the probable origin of those prejudices entertained by a few of the contr^cto-^s , of which Mr. Cham- berlain so eogprly availed himself for the nuriDOse of in- jiiring me.

T leave the •Dublin to form their otm conclusions as to the Ju-'^tice =nd fairness of one xirho, with = full knowledge of these e^tr^ordin-ry effort^, m^^e by himself ^nd others to crim'n^^te a public officer, h=s thus sought to mislead the -oublic by -Dublish'ng the forego ng ertr-ct, charging the fcilu-'-e of the -olot to "selected witnesses" pnd"n°cked arrangements. " It will be recollected th=t it is not the investigation Itself nor even these extraordinary efforts of my accuser, th~t is here the subject of complaint. The investigation ^hich I invited to the fullest extent, ^nd

12

the nanner in vhloh it sho'ld he conducted w?s for the compittee to determine. The outrp^e in the cape is in the utter disregard of p11 the f?cts elicited by the investi- gation in ? steteiTient thus e-^tensively cir'^ul='ted with the sanction of - n^nber of the conmittee un- ccorrponied vjith the evidence by v/hich its m' srepresentpt imp night h^^ve been corrected, to b^ re?d by thousands who v^ill never ex- arrine the testimony.

Mr. Oh^mb-rlain also writes ?nd rubliphes the following sentence :

"yith the evre^tion of our Northern n^n^l, on which he bp'^ never '^estowed any c=:"e of attention, other to single it out 5=s the special object of his displeasure, he h^s been c=reful th-^t no Fneineer who was s^'spected of beinp, a demo- cr^^t shorlci be ret^'ned in the njblic service."

For the single ru-pose of exhibit 'np, still further his totf.l disr=f'rre of the evidence, from w'-^ich in all this he ■')rofessed to s-oeak, the following extr-'^t from myown testimony is appended, (see page 47:6;) f-e tenor of vrhich no attempt vtqs mode to controvert:

"So far as I am able to understand ny own motives, I have never employed or discharged any "ngineer on account of his politics, nor h^ve I ever awarded any contract UTDon this -Drincirjle. A large mpjority, I think two-f-i^^ds or more, of the nontrpcto-'^s on the Wsbash and Frie r^n^l from the Stste line to Lafayette line have been Van Buren m-^n. Th' person who h=s been cl'^rk in the l^nd o'f'fice for the last two years, is orrosed to r^ in -oolitics. T atj^'^ointed

13 him in the -olace of a Whii?. Of the t'-^o sn-oprintenr'ents of ren=>irs on the ^'^sb^cih ojyd Erie fpn-l, one is opposed to me in -Dolitics, pnd ro w=s the loerf^on x-'ho iD'e ceded hi^ in th-t station. Th° n=)Jority of the Fngine--rs in thlP St=te h^ve been ''/hifrs, bu.t this think vt^s owing to the fpct th°t => majority of th^^t -oi-ofes^ion in th° west, so far ps my ^-now- ledf?e ertends, ^re of ^-^hif?, Dolitios.

"In the s-orlng of 18?6, the ^o^rd directed me to visit the Eastern =;t = tep, for the ru^-DO'^e of engpging the service of Engineers; three gentlemen, we:^e then engaged, to-wit: Gen. Mitchell, Ool. Torbert, s>nd llr. Coryell; 9nd at ? subsequent riprlod I emt)10yed i'-J-r. Moore. These '^re 9 11 the Enf^inee'-'s th^t I h=ve invited into the service of the Rtate from cbro'^d, so f^r a s I repollect since 1836. Three out of the four were ODDosed to me in politics."

The brief notice of the charge of political lo^^oscrip- tion is m^de not f- on -ny inherent impo"' t-nce in the nues- tion, but p. s 9nother nrcof of the wilful perversion of fact, which characterizes his letter.

As the charge of unfairn'=ss in the reioort of the coramit- te, bears mo:"e uoon bis colle-cues th=n ur)on myself, I shall not take un that looint further than to say, that if there is one member of the Senate agai^n^t vxhom the imputation of favoritism towards an officer connected with the system, will not rest, that one is Mr. '^ggleson, the writer of the reoort. Always himself OTD^oosed to the system, and so far as T am concerned, having no personal intimacy or even acquaintance, to influence him, the charge of partiality falls harmless. In fact the whole tenor of the re-oort, indicates

14

that wh^te-"-er m?y te the •DPcnllnr r-rpitp of his ch=ir=cter, 3 dipposition to p^ss too lifbtly over the errors of men in 1)1:1.13110 office, of whatever p^rtj'', 1p not onp of thpiii. Fven Mr. Chpmberlain himself In his? l^^tter adrnits the peneial of Mr. Fggleson's re-ort. The free ^n'^ entire npsent of Mr. "''eBt Fgplnf't all his TDolltiopl -orejucllnes ^ncl f eelin.-::'? , well known to be strong, would of Itself be =)m -le refutation of the ch^rae of f^voritisn in the report.

Not content with the misrepresentations contained in his letter to his constituents, Mr. Chamberlain has recently -oub- lished five ^edition 1. polunnn in the '-'oshen Deraocr-t, m-de up of p'prbled ertr^cts pnd rierverted inferences from the testi- mony which be?^s upon the frpuds of Beckwith. It cannot be necessary th^t I should notice this In det^'ll. Formerly a man was considered innocent until -oroved guilty. This modern jurist reverses the rule, =nd renn iree me to Drove my? elf Innocent of ev-^ry v^pup insinu tion th^t he nay choose to er- ■oress, whether he believe it himsf^lf or not, or be considered guilty, t^ven this sinpul^^r renuirement I hpve com-olied with to the satisfpction of the committee, and probably of every- one Pise but himself.

It will be sufficient to st^te as I h=ve heretofore done under opth, thpt from p11 th'=t cpme under my notice ^nd all th?t I heprrl from others, no suppicion th=t Beckwith hpd acted fraudulently wa=? excited in m.y mind until some fpcts viere commuric=ted to me by the assistant engineer about the 1st Mpy, 1S39: from which moment I set about the necesspry investigations, which were diligently iDursued until, pt the

15 •Dron-^r tile, he was sfrrested on my pffid^vit. Mr. Chamberlain thinlcs the repeated choree? m=d,e aglnst Beckv.-ith, of under estin=tes, ^should have excited suspicion th=t he was rn=>king overestii^tes. Sage reasoning this 1 A sufficient reason, hov^ever, if any c^n be reruired, why no S"ch sus-oi'-'ion w^s ex- cited is foun-'l in the fact th^t the underestimates, though ch-'rge'l were not riroved. Mr. k- T. Morris, ? competent engineer, after h='Ving tvi-^e mea^'ured Mr. Hendricks' section at hi? reouest, S'^ys: "From t'-e investig^-tions th=t T m=de, I was not convinced that Beckwith's estii=ites were wrong." (See P?i^p "?8 of printed testimony. ) '^h.p frauds upon the ?tate of this engineer wa^ ortuplly guilty, I vras th"- first to make public, by ^n affidavit before the Mayor of Madison. If any of Mr. Chamberlain's p^^rticulqr friends ot Madison knew of these frpuds and overestimates, which he seems to intii^^te, they certainly did very wrong in not giving the mattpr the greatest publicity. If Mr. Char.berlain ' s course was dictated by any thing else t --n political or personal prejudice, why did he not hold the local Comm ssioner also censurable for not sooner discovering the misconduct, of B^ckwith: Mr. Woodburn, it is well knoxirn, spent his whole time upon that line, ^^nd vas in dally association with Beckwith; while I wap there but once in two or three months. Every monthly estimate was reported to, nnd paid by him, while f ^- om the n^^ture of the service and my extended duties, the estimates did not come =t all under my revision or particular notice. I have evidence, which to my mind is conclusive, th^t Mr". Woodburn had no suspicion nor any ground for s aspic ion (sic) of Beckwith's frauds,

16

and his n=me is introduced only to illustr^^te with more point the obstinate unfairness of Mr. Chamberlain's course.

Tndi-'^na Journal June 17, 1842

J.L. Wllllamg and Senator Chamberlain V/e invite public attention to the defence of Mr. Williams against the asaualts made upon him by ^^^r. Senator Chamberlain, the comnenceiiient of which will be found in our columns to-day. Mr. ''Jllllam.s has been for years a faithful public officer, and deserves to be heard in defence of his character and conduct. He passed through a most severe ordeal last winter and came out unpcathed. Not content v/ith the decision of the lnve<^tlgating committee of the Senate, which, after giving the widest latitude for the admission of testimony, triumphantly acquitted Mr. Will- iams of any even the sUghest impropriety of conduct, Mr. Chamber- lain has chosen to renew hig attacks through the public press. No man was ever, in our opinion, more causelessly assailed, and, if we ever in the perusal of Mr, Williams' defence, that in this instance, as well as in the attacks which had preceded it, the cause of offence may be obviously traced to his strict integrity as a public officer, and to his unshrinking devotion to the inter- est of the State. The defence will be continued and completed in succeeding Nos.

Indiana Journal June 22, 1842 ^age I

J. L. WIT.LTAM'S r)EFENCE (continued)

Having thus, from the ^^ecord, defined for ny accuser his true position in ^-egara to the system of Inte-'^nal Improvement, I shall now In continuation of my defence, submit to the public a candid statement of the p?rt t'hlch I have t = ken In the orif5;in and prose- cution of the system, both In the capacity of an officer and as a citizen of the State. Mr. Chamberlain In one of the paragraphs last ou.oted, alludln,-^ to the disastrous results of our Internal Im.rtrovement policy, s?ys he holds m.e "responsible for nore rls- chlef than all the est of them nut together." He elves no facts pnd refers to no psrtlcul?r act of mine x-'hich has made me this prodi- gy In mischief. A total absence of facts to sustain his assumptions, It will be seen, is n characteristic in I'r. Cham-be^'laln' s letter, so far 9S respects rayse^'f. T'^is Im.portant defect in the narration I shall endeavo^' to supply; and after haviniT fairly stated the facts of the case, I shall beg leave to appeal from the sentence thus passed, to the less prejudiced tribunal of nublic opinion. The specimens of his skill and fairne-s in v^eighing testimony, as exhibi- ted in the -Dreceding part of this com.munlcatlon, a^'e not such as will command for his onini^ri^ns the gre==test weight.

Let me, in entering upon this -o^rt of my defence, repudiate the ide=> th?t I would cast from m.yself unon others sny DOrtlon of responsibility justly orisin'? from the Dn.rt I may have acted in the affairs of the State, either offlcai or unofficigl. So far from this I might even be wllline-, In m.y good nature, to bear without a mur- mur, as I have heretofore borne, considerable sh^re of the sins of others-perhars , even of Mr. Chamberlain hlm.s elf , especially as this Is rieemed by hir^ of so much --■onseauence to his future popularity.

2

since t e systen has berome odious. But vhen he seeks from nev- pona.l dislike to cast upon rae, not onlj'- the T-'hole f'f his turden, but prOT'Oses to hold me accountable for "no-'^e mischief than all of then put together, " forbearance not only "ceases to be 9 virtue," but becones reprehensible.

The TDresent disastrous condition of the St^te, so far ?s it is attributable to the system of internal imt)rovement , has resulted, as every one knows, fron tvjo prominent causes:

First-The failure of those to whom the '^tate Bonds we-e sold on credit to meet their ene:agements v:ith the =tate, by which a sus- pended debt of neprly four millions has been created.

^>econdly-The er-^or of a sim.ultaneous prosecuticn of all the works and making in some instances detached lettings on the same ] ine , by which the money ^-eveived by the State has been so widely dif- fused in its ey-oendltu.re that but little has been finished.

With the selling of Bonas, or the management of the rublic funds in any ^-^ay, it is well known I hpve had nothing whatever to do, dir- er-tly or indirectly.

The er-^or of p sim.ultaneous prosecution of the works has been laid, probgbly too hastily, entirely to the charge of the Bond of Inte-^-nal IrTO-.^ovement. This er- or, as is now gene^-ally conceded, resulted necessar ly from the renresentative plan unon which the scattered operations upon the public works, now so much condemned by all, resulted from the error of the law for vrhich Mr. Chamberlain voted, and to which he adhered against all proposed modifications through the ixmoyt^nt session of i337-8, more than from any improp-

e,, erevcise nf discretion on t e T^°rt of the Board. However this m=y be, it will Burely Tdp- conceapd th^t there is m==ni- fest injustice in =ttenotinc to fir ur-on the office of the Chief Engineer any peculiar res-ponsibility fo-^the detached or "•D^tch vork" letting? . Not being = nemb^r of the Bo^rd =t the tile, th?t officer had nothing to do, officially, with ordering lettings. It is true he located all the lines, attended ?11 t'e lettingB, and gs-^re designs for the nechpnical structures, but this wa in the line of his rrof essionpl duty, pnd did not involve the nuestion of gp^jrov^l or dis- ar»Drov!=l of those lettings.

From this vievr of the responsibilities legitimately belonging to the station I held, the injiistice of M-p. Oham- be-'- loin's r'^'m^rks will be seen. I do not however claim to be Judged only the the standard of off icia_^ resr)onsibi'' ity , but hold r^ys^lf rea- y to answer for any pdvire given unof- f icigllv, in respect to the manarenent of the system. Even when tested by this broad t)rinciple, it will be found th^t my unofficial opinions and ^dvice, so far as they were sought by the Boprd or the members of the legislature, during the iinortant crisis of 18?7-8, were of p conservative character, and adverse to the detach'^d lettings; while the action of Mr. Chamberlain, my accuser, official ?n(i unofficial, as I have already Piven it from the record, V/AF5 FOR "t^HE ENTIRE SYSTEM, " and jji perfect unison with the most ultr° system men of that period.

The following te.«;timony of Gen. Long, a nemtpr of the Board, given before the inveatigotlne committee of the H. of Representatives, is conclusive upon this point. (See printed Journal of connittee, p. 196. )

"I cannot say th^t in ordering "he detpchpd lettings commonly called the "patch work," the Board were influenced in rny way by any Engineer in the service of the State. The Board were divided in opinion among themselves as to the propriety of the lettines on the line of several vrorks. Mr. Jesse ■^.•. '•fil-iams v:? called uvon by the Board to pive his oi-inion, v/hich was unfavorable to the lettines ap pfterwnrds ordered. I have no knowledge of any other instance in which any EnRineer in the service of the State, exercised or attempt- ed to ere-pcise any irfluence with the board on the subject of the detached lettings.

"F. LONG."

Gen. Long is sustained in .^is testimony by the follovr- ing statement of Mr. Johnson, also a mem.ber of the Board, which is taken from a letter -nublished in a Lafayette parser of Sep. 1st, 1841;

"^■■Jith the sale of our Bonds, the Chief Engineer we all know, had no more to do th^^n any other citizen, and in the ordering of the lettings he had nothing- to do only as an adviser when called upon by the Board. He h^^d no vote in the matter, not then being a mem.ber; and '=t all times when called on for his opinion on f is subject, he gave it in f=vor of concentr^^ting in puch way as to m°ke the greatest amount of work soonest available for ■o'-'blic use."

5

T Rubnlt also the following, letter from Mr. C^ren, whose efficient efforts in the House of Rer)resent=-tives , in fsvor of => ch^nre in the manner of r^rogressine with the Bystem are probably f?inili=r to p11. Mr. Cn^'en's inauirles upon the sub- ject of nur internal improvements, were most vigilant and minute, n.nd with him, I was therefore brought more lrimedi = tely in cont^'C'^ uToon t' is ouestion tifn with any other member:

"New Kprnony, Inrl . , Jpn. P3, 1842. "Jesse L. Williams, Esq.

"De?r Sir: — T h?.ve jiJst returned from a jnurney to the South, ^nd find your letter of the ?5th "nec'r. l^^^t, awaiting mj/- prriv^l.

"/\fter statins -^h^t, at this T>articular time, public attention is strongly di-^ected to the original manner of -oro- grese of the system of internal iinrovements , and that, in the politicp/i. scramble you are in danger of being loaded with a greater degree of blame than you thin'- belongs to you; you submit, V7hether it is just that certain public men who in 18*^7-8 and 9 were the ultra opronents of classification should now fir on the Engineer the whole burden of scattered lettings, and escape themselves; and you a-ope^^l to my sense of righ- and Justice to e ive you ° statement of your course and advice in re- lation to the manner of progressing with the system, in the winters of ie?7-8 and 1838-9; when, a you remind me, we had many cnversations and consultations on the subject; you add, that, after giving the Legislature such information ag they m.ay desire, you purpose to retire, probably for ever, from all "Dub lie e m-Q 1 o vm e n t .

6 "Under the-e circuinst=>nopB , I conoelve th^t you are entitled to the pxplan=tionB you renuept; =nd I nroceed to furniph them pcco-pcilnF to the be^t recollections of those exciting ti'ps. "The first winter I w^p; => member of the I.eelslpture v^s that succeerling the session airing which the rre^t internal ii"orovenent bill was -oossed. Fvery observant loolitician x■^79S at th^t tine aw^re th=t the system, whether for pood or for evil, wa fastened on the State. The nue<^tion was not of its existence; that already w=p disr^osed of, it seemed irrevocab- ly; but only of its management. Hence arose the two, and but two, parties in the Legislature; fpmillnrly known °s "classi- fiers" a.nd "system, men." Every member r^inked himself in one rank orthe other. \ gre-t struggle commenced, and was continued

during three sessions. The "system men" upheld things as they were; a Board of nine, with the rer)resentative princiTole; the simultaneous Torogression of the different works, without Dreference; ^nd even the simultaneous prosecution of distant portions of the s^me work. The "classifiers," on the con- trary, sought to restrict the lettlngs, for the time, to one 0-" mo-e works, to be considered of the first class, and to be com/oToleted before the others were comnenced; and with t'^is view, they sought to reduce the number of the Board and de- prive it of its representative princiT)le. ^fter sustaining re"De=ted 'defeats through two sessions, the "oolicy of the clas- sifiers ''ucceeded. at last, and w^s embodied in the Modifica- tion Bill of 1838-9, then passed and still rem.aining in force.

7 "Throughout this protracted strup;gle, those who took p le^rl on -ither side vere troright into frenuent cont^'ct with the erecntive officers of the systen. I nyself was usually in the h=lDit, tpfore I subrritted pny detpile(^ rl?n of classification or nodification to the Hou<?e, o consult with you in regard to its -DroviPions, during the two last sessions I served. This was esr^ecially the c^se with the Modification Bill which fin- ally -Dassed and which was drafte^"" by me. On th^t, aa on -orevious occasions, I found you o-onosed to the system of scattered let- tings; opposed to the representative system on the Board, ^nd = friend to concentration =>nd classification. Had i not been convinced th=t the^e were your sentiments, I should certainly not have introduced a motion, as I dir' in 18Z8-P, th=t you should be, ey-officio p member of the Board. As regarded the past, I wos vrell aw^re (as every one conversant with rublic business must be ) th^t, as ^n eyecutive officer, you had no OToinlon but to c^rry nut that t)lan of man^gem.ent which the Board hs>d dopted, and the Legislature arsDroved ^nd sustained. "T shpll be glad if this brief statement of facts, known to hundreds beside myself, can be of use or satisfaction to you. I know not who are the individuals of whope represen- tations you com-"laln; and am actuated in what I have said sole- ly by a desire to render that justice to your official conduct whir^h, had my ovn m.otives and -oublic acts been im ugned, I should have frit myself Justified in demand inp of those who served and=>cted with me, pt that -oeriod.

I am, Pe^r Sir, truly yours, P OBF^T 'DATE OVJEN . "

8

I mpy ^dd tvo or three extracts from my unofficipl cor- respondence with members of the Board of Internal Improvement, durln,q th'^t period. In a let" pr to J. B. Johneon, dsted July 5, 1838. (See report of Sen^-te committee, page 391. I used the follov/ing language:

"This scattered operation was never contemplated by the origin? 1 projectors onri advocates of a general system of inter- nal improvement. A reference to the writings of th=t d?y will prove this. "

And again:

"It h9s been suggesteri th='t the intprior counties would demand a continuation of the poi'ioy of making riet^^hed lettings — that they xirould claim ?n immediate narticipation in the advan- tages resijlting from the erpenditure of '^oney, &c. I trust this is not the case. '^here is a decree of eagerness in the •"ublic mind to have every gre=t object accom.plished at once, which must be restrained or the Dublic interest will suffer."

From a letter to another mem.ber of the Board, Col. Blake, dated Nov. 22, 1838, I make the following extract. (See re- port of cor.nittee, page 393.)

" I suppose you will draw vv an outline of your reoort before you reach this. I think the friends of the system throughout the State, or a majority ot them, will favor = more connected operation, for the future, so far as to finish t^e more pz'-ofitable rortions of the work fir-^t. The success- ful outcome of the system seems to renuire thin. Would it not be better for the Board to take the lead, and indicate that this sh.i^uld be the nolicy hereafter.

10

With n^ny other gentlemen, in the Legipi^ture (sic) ^nd o out of it, v;ho were suT^posed capable of exerting an influence in restraining the wild extremes to which the t)ubllc m.ind tending, I freely comr-unicated the same general views, as op- portunity offered. Ml «uch suggestions, howeve--, tothe mem- bers of the Board, were extra-of f lci=l, given as from « citizen and not as ^n officer. Viewed in f?ny other light they would h^ve been indecorous. The -f'ice of Chief Fngine^r was created pnd the incn.mbent ap-^ointed by the Bo='rd, for professional duties, an to e^rry out their orders; not to dictate as to their general -Dolicy. The Board, I am -croud to say, ^'t all tiips t^e^ted m.y o-olnlonr with the utmost respect, on sll questions within the proper sphere of m.y cutles. But the nuestion of simultaneous nroseoutinn of ^11 the works or of making the v-^-riou.s lettings urged by the people, it will be admitted ^reve of this n ture; ^nd any official recommendation from me wo\?ld have been erceedingl.y indecorous besides wholly unf'vpiling.

In g'iving a full ^nr" candid statement, as this rjrof esses to be, of the part I have t-^ken in public =ff=irs, I shoi.ild state that I have ever advocated the policy of internal Im- Torovpment , judiciously prosecuted. In this r)srticul=r my views pT-e still the s^^me. It is as true now as it ever was that a Canj^l or T?cilro=d f---om the nhio river or the laJce to the interior of the St^te, wo'iM save hund-^eds of thousands of dollars annually to thp npople, b:' reducing the cost of trsnsoorting their produce and their supTolips, ^-nd giving

11

p. market for n=ny articles now voIupIpss. The failu-^e nf the ■oollcy in this pnd mpny other St=!tes by sttennting too nuoh at once, dO'^'P, not affects its soundness when kept within proTDer linits.

nuring the =utiinn of 1835, T vote for the ^-t-pss sex'ergl nunbers n-oon thi?: subject, In which I pr'voc^'ted the -oroDriety of enbqrkinf in f_ system of improveinents , though I did not pdvocflte the system, as =f tei'f''=^rds pdoT)ted by the T^egislpture. I h?d just witnessed in Ohio, the beneficial results flowing from the o-oening of tvro im-oortant canals in th°t State, !=nd in recommending the s^me policy here, T had in view something like the Ohio system, in which only two works had been commenced simultaneously. A few leading works, embr=^cing e'=ch gr^-nd diversion of the State, formed the system h=d in view in loen- ning thore articles, =ind althoucrh the total cost was not named yet T distinctly recollect th^t seven or eight millions in the aggrep-ote cost was the full extent of the undert^'-ine; which forme'^ the basis of those prticl^s, less than h^lf the extent of the system afterwards ado-oted by the Tegislature , with the vote of 'Tr. •Ihamberloin in its favor. Th^t the m^^nner of Dro- gressing with the imnrovem.ents then suggested, differs essential- ly from th^t afterwards -nursued, the following eytr=^cts from those conmunic='tion'=' will ='bun'-''antly lorove:

"To go f!=r enough to meet the dressing wants of every section of the State, without undertaking s_o much as to burden our citizens and endanger our credit , is a task which will renuire much disinterestedness and devotion to the r)ublic good

12

and which c?nnot be j^ncomrilished without sorne sporif Ice of sectional interest to the p'^ner^l welfare.

knd. again:

"The OT)inion has been advance^ that more than one work should not be carried on in the State at the same tine, but it i^ difficult the nerceix'-e the necessity of thl<^ rpstrir'- tion. T^here can be nothing lost by the simultaneous commence- ment pnd ■■-^r OS e cut ion of TWO or TFPFF different imnrovements , provided they are situated remotely from e=!ch other, so =s to pvoid competition in the ■nrocurement of li'bor ^nd supplies.

"Should the state engape so largely in internal improve- ments, it oecones highly important that the very best system of conduct int'; public works be qdo^ted; th^t the nopt rigid and uniform economy be enforced; and th°t the diffei-'-ent works be commpnced ?nd c-rried on with reference to the earli-^st receipt of tolls . The State of Pennsylvania^, for the want, it is believed, of Proper attention tothese polntp, found herself several millions in debt before any public benefits on tolls "••ere received. "

ii\nd again:

"Per>haps under erlstinp' circumstances, mo'^e than sir or

eight hundred thousand dollars cannot be economically expended

within the State in any one year."

Had the system been prosecuted as I then proposed,

with strict "reference to the e°rllent receipt of tolls , "

and only "two or three ^•■^or'k.s "progressing sim.ultaneously , the

volley would unouestion^bly h^ve proved as beneficial, as by a

different course, it has proved disastrous.

13

In thp fin^-1 =rl_ option of the pyptpn by the Leeislotnre the rilfflculty of colng f?r enour;h without undertaking too nvch, WPP found to be even grepter th^n T had ° '-prehended. That "dlsinte-^estedness" ==nd th=t "wlllingnesp to m=Ve « sacrifice as (sic) sectional intprest? to the general welfpre," vr^p not found amongst the different interest?. i. union of all the various int^^rests seems therefore to h=ve been formed, by a process, I "oresurae, sometimes termed "log rolling." The re-oresentfltive principle wp s p':'o-Dted in orgpnislng the Board; and as the result of this, nine works were simult'^neously commenced, instead of "two jor three," as -Dro-nosed by m.e; a million ^nd a ho If erpended pnnuplly instppd of "siy or eight hu.nd-^ed thousand. " pnd a l=rge portion of this e^n^end- itiire vpS n-de without reference to "the earliest receipt of tolls."

While these thin£?s were taking place In Indianp, the other States, with p few exceptions , were runnin? to poupI ertremes in the policy of inte^npl improvement, until in 183$^, the is- sue of State stocks h=vinp- reached two hu.ndred millions, money could no longer be borrowed, even to complete the works begun, pnd h^nce their present unproductive condition in ^11 Parts of the country--^ mem.orpble i^roof of the tendency in communities ^nd States, as well as individuals, to overlook the proper mediun =nd run into ruinous extremes.

The strength =^nd binding force of the union formed ^'mongst t'ne va7''iou.=' lnte:'^p^?ts represented in the ■'.eeislcturp in the passage of the bill of 18?6, Is well set forth in a resolution

14 offered by Mr. 'vhltman of Floyd, during the session of 1837-8, as follows: —

"Resolved, by the House of T^e-oresentptlves, th-t the union of the friends of our General Systen of Internal I lorovements, like the Hnion of the TTnited States, wps formed by a mutual concession of interest; ^nd th^t to give =ny one or r^ore works a preference over the rest, in their progress or completion, would '^nd-nger the whole. "

Notwithstanding this inplied compact v/gs so inviol-ble as to be likened to the s^crpd union of the States, yet Mr. Ch^mb'^rlain, himself one of the contracting parties, denounces the Engineer for =11 the evils of th^t com.part, which could have been prevented only by b-re^king up this strong alliance Itself, to which Mr. (1. vfps then adhering with the strongest pertinacity by every vote he s=ve.

The -oerlod of which I have written, .ioarticul^rly from 1876 to 1839, was remarkable for extravag-^nt views, not so much of the advantsge of r-ublic works, s>s of the resources of the c'Trntry for their constructions. From Maine to Georgia, in private =^nd public ^ffpirs, the enterprise of the country very far outstripped its ability. Individuals whose means were well ^danted to = comfort--ble cottage residence, cor.- menced. the erection of a palace; and States, xirhinh could have constructed a few lea'-'^ing thoroughfares without enbprr=ssment , and with great propriety, were induced by the ardour of sec- tion-1 interests, to authorize a can=>l o:^ -ro^.c^ through almost every country, (sic) Fven the South, hitherto proverbially

15

slow in ^-Dp-f^ecinting the v^lue of riubllo worke, now seemed to d?sh forward of ^11, in vislon='ry schemes; ^nr) in 1837, we find the Southern St=teB, through their lending men, very generally enlisted in the rirojent of constructing an artifical railvray fron the Ohio river to Chprleston, ^ distance of near 700 miles, crossing mountains ond barren w^'^tes; which, nt a cost of some twenty-five pillions, was to h^ve been constructed through the =.gency of a mammoth southern Bank; and which in the strange delusion of the times, was ex-oected to supercede, in ^ gre^t measure, the free and unfailing current of the Ohio and Misslssipr)! as a channel of trans-nortation to the ocean for the -oroducts of the we^t. Th=t the statesmen of the South, should h-ve embarked in thip extrova£?=>nt measure, is nroof of the universal hallucination which r^'ssessed the --ublic mind at th=t d^y, the remote and efficient causes of which, hove-yrev, lie deeper ^nd further back in the policy of the country then the syptems of policy adopted by the States in 1836.

The for^egoing reference to the n^rt I have t^ken in the subject of int-^rnal improvement^^, which I have shown to h^ve been conserv^f^tive or ^-estraining in its tendency, is not made with the view of i^roving myself entirely free f^-om this general delusion of the tiies; but to illustr^'te, by comparison with the more ultra and reckless course of '-^ accuser, Mr. Cham.ber- lain, the injustice of his effort to single rae out as the chief author of the present embarrassment — =n effort, which I doubt not, in view of the fact? given, will be viewed by all high-mAnded men as more discrec'.itable to the ass=il=nt th^n

16

to the person gsspiled. I =m billing to assume al proper responsibility; I am vllling to =>c':nowler'ge , th^t in the general mania th=t has perv-ded. the country, I m==y h^ve fallen into error. But I am not vjilling to "be m^de the scai-^e-goat of all the sins of nuch men aB Mr. fih^mhe^' lain, and th-t too hy the gentleman himself. My chief error was in not taking a bolder and stronger stand againpit the ultra measures of ny =^8sailant.

Is it in the iDerformance of ry -orof essional dutj'' =s En- gineer, that Mr. Ch°mbprlain would -^e t thp charge of having contributed to the "oresent emb=rr='ssnent? Let him snerify the act. Has the State sustained any unusual loss by the careless or unskillfiil construction of the numerous d^ms or other in-oortant structures? In ou'^ s-'tcppss in erecting ^^nd sustaining the numerous d^ns in eve^y iD^rt of the State, we night challenre conr)-rison with the Dublic v-oT-ks of any other State. Has the State through my professional advire been urgpd into any imt)ractic=ble canal or other work? On t is point I have been consir!e:"ed too cautious , by Bome of the ardent frienvis of certain works. In the gre^t oueetion whether a Railroad or Turnpike should be constructed from New Albany to Crawf ordsville, the decision of which w^s made to der^end very much upon my r)rof essional advice, with th^t of the tvro ens'ineers associated with me, the cheaper work (a turn"oike) was recom- mended, though in opriosition to => strong current of -nublic feeling on th=t line, =nd p^rticulnrly to the views of the leading Senators and P.ersresent^tives . (See report of investi- gating committee, pagp 384. ) Had the Pailro-d been adopted,

17 in cecord'^'nre with the r>o-'-^ul-r voir-e on th-t llrr^, five millions nore wo^ld h=ve been ^•dded to the cost of the systen, and the present un-^roductive e:^pendlture would have teen nuch larger. 'Jill he -ttrrcute the -^repent er^.b^rrassment in ^ny way to the too free use of the public funds, in the T-ay of alllvroncps to contr=^ ^to^s-'' 'T-hpt I h=ve gu-rded the rublic Treasury too closely in this respect, =s some supposed, h^s been m^de the ground -f ccmpl-int and bitter denunciation by Mr. Ch=nberlain himself, as the leglsl^^tive proceedings will show.

In evr-osinp th^ fallacy of Mr. Chamber^lain ' s ^rcuse th=t he v/as deceived in his su-OT^oi^t of the system by the lov es- timates of the Engineers , it h=s already been stated th=t as early as J=nua-'-j'- 1837 — less th=n a year after the passage of the bill of lf?6, I m^^de out =nd ^ubniitt'^d an estimate =mount- ing to over "?0, 000,000, only five -opr cent less t'^an the cost of the systf^-m as afterv-^rds ascertained, upon the b^sis of the high contracts of 1838. But as thi- charge of deceiving the Legislature I'itb low estimates has been so often reiterated, I x-fi'-h to sny here, once for all, referring to the public records for the truth of the statement, th==t I have never at any time, before or since the adoption of the system., sub- m'tted =n entim^^te of the vrorks embraced in the bill of 1836, and including the Wabash =nd Erie C^n^l, at a less sum. th?n TWENTY I'^Tj IONS.

Of the original ^-stij^^^tes ur^on which thp bill of 1836 was b^sed, it will be recollected th=t I had no controlling charge j

18

erce-Dt in the sinp.le Inptpnce of the White V/pter Cpn^l. Un- til sftpr the ppssase of th^t bill my ■o-cull='r charge was con- fined to the Wphash pnd Frie Oanpl. "^he surveys ?nd estimates of all the roads erbraced in the bill of 1836, were mp^e by a corps of Engineers fu.rni^hed by the Fngineer ■Dep^rtnent of the Hnited Stptes, and who we'-e as inde-opndent of me ^s they were of Mr. Chpmbe^lpin himself, w^ntevei- pu-pervision I mpy have h^d of the Canp.l surveys of 1835, was confined to oues- tions of prpcticability, such ps guaging the streams and as- certaining by random levels the heights of the summits to be crossed, ^-c. The ^ctiicl surveys =nd estimates of cost were m.ade by eroerienced Fnpinee-^s a-onointed by the Boprd, and who acted in subordination to no one, but reported directly to the Board; =11 of which vrill be seen by refp- pnce to the reriorts of thpt ye^ , to be found in the Doc. Journal (sic) of 1835 and 6. There is, however, nothing essentially er- roneous in the estira2.tes of 1835, whoever may h?ve m^de them, unless it may be in the estimate of the Madison Fallro=d, vjV'ich was m.uch too low. They amounted in the pggregpte to near si-^'teen millions, erclusive of the Wabash and Frie Canal, and between th-t sum =nd the pntupl cost, there is no material di<=cre^ancy further than vroiild naturally =rise from the un- foreseen advance in labor and lorovisions. In Justice, there- fore to the ^neinee-'-'S who made the estimates of 1835, who have not since been in the sprvire of this ''tate, as well as to myself, I submit to the public, in view of all the facts

19

given, if dem?gopues pnd politiopl spirants like ry pccuser, hpve not long enough "bpen -DFrritted to divert the attention of the Tporle in some me=Pure from the improvlrient legislation in which Gome of them h^ve Bh<='ved, by dwelling sdpuch upon the allegpd false eptimptes of the TTngineers.

Indipn'^. Joiirnal June SS, 1842

J. L. "ITT.IAMS' DFFFNCE. (Concluded)

I h=ve often been psked for the p?rtlculpr c?use of Mr. Ch^raberlpin's m=r-ked bitternesp of feelinr towprd? me, so fre^^i.iently manifested in the Senate, ss \jeH ps in his recent unjustifiable P.tt=ok. as to any p^-evioup difficulty of a personal nature, I know of none Kh-tever. His politlcpl enmities a-'-'e known to be inveterate, but this fe^linp; vrould scarcely be so exclusively concentroted uron one indivic'u='l. I may be able to throw some lip-ht uron the subject by stat- ing some incidents connected with the iDerformance of my official duties on the Fi'ie and Mlchiean ^anal.

Tn the winter of 1838, Gen. Mitchell, the resicient Fngi- neer, returned to me his estimates of the entire co-^t of the Frie and Michigan o^nal. T^-oon eramination I found t e -orices af fired , riarticular-ly on the heaver work, much low^r than I had sdo--^teci U'Don other lines. I coulrl rot consent to submit his rerjort until he had at my re'-uest added to his estimate about three huni-"'.red thousand dollars, (the "orecise sum not ^-ecollected without reference to the books. This act of m ne, as some of the then m'^r.i';e--s of the Legislature from the north will recol- lect, vfaS made the subject of bitt'^r complaint and censure by Mr. Chamberlain himself, of which fact I have documentary proof in my possession should it be ouestioned. Now the desire on the Dart of the northern delegation to have their canal favorably reported to the Legislature is reasonable enoug'h, but in what attitude does this fact exhibit Mr. Cham- be-rlain, v;ho four years afterwards, rises in the Senate r'haraber

2

and chprpes the Fnginee- s with having beguiled him into the support of the system by too low estin^teg of its cost?

Let it be observrd th=t I-r. Chamberlain himself d^tes the ronmencenent of his w^r u-on n^ , of four years duration, =t the ver-y -oeriod when I enlarged the estim^^tes of Gen. Mitchell, on the Forthevn Can=l. SDe^king of th^t very session he s^ys, "T thin rror^oppd an innuiry into the eTDediency of discharging him from the public service." How far this addition to the estimates of Gen. '\tchell m=y h^ve influenced Mr. rhomberlain in m='kina thip nro-:osition, T le^.ve the -oublic to form their ovn c on c lu s i on s .

T hpve h-^d the misfortune alpo, in the disch^^rge of ^y officii-' 1 f'uty to cov^.e in conflict with the views of Mr. Cham- berlain ■^n another roint , which he deemed of gre°t imrort?nce to the Erie and Michig==n Canal. The Journal of the P'en'^te ^"ill show th^t for two years past he has ent rt^ined the ide= of inducing a belief in the Legislature, th^^t the construction of the Erie and '^ichig^n canal fr-om Fort ¥?yne, as far as the head branches of the Flkh^rt, ne^^r the centre of his Senatorial district , was essentially necessary in order to -nrovide a sufficient GurToly of water for the Wabash and Erie Can=l. This fact admitted, and the immediate construction of this rortion of the Erie =nd 'I' chir^pn C°nal woulcl follov; of course, as p matter of necessity, even if it could be accomplished in no other vray th=n by a diversion of the ^"'.^E. C^npl Ipnds to this ■ou:''-"oope. H^nce the gre=t anriety on this roint. Mr. nh^mbe- Iain's first ef'fort to give reality ond shaDe to this delisive ide^ , (for it w= p f-'-om the first wholly unfounded.

whether Mr. '::'. vri'^x- It to "be po, or not,) m^'V be peen in the Journal of the =!en?te of 1839 snd '40 TD^se 24P, ?s follows:

"On motion of Mr. r'hambprlnin the follovinr ■nreamble ond resolution we^e =dor)ted:"

^'fhereps, it Is bplieve^ th=t it will be neress^^ry to sn-o-oly the Wj^b^sh pnd Erie C^^n^l e^st of Fort Wayne, during' neve'^'al nonths of the po«t business r^'rt of the ye^^r with w water from the Feeders on the Elkhart summit of the Erie and Michi='=n Cpnal: Therefore

Pesolved, Th?t a select comnittee consisting of all the Sen'^toT-s, on the line of the Erie and Michie'^n C^nsl, innuite into the necessity and eynediency of finishing the Frie and Michigan C^-nal from the Elkhart Feede- s to Fort Wayne simul- taneously with the Wabash and E'^'ie ranal E^^.st of Fort Wayne," &c.

At the next session the subject was still further- riressed by Mr. Chamberlain. 5 call was made by him on the nhief Fneineer v.'ith a view, a? wcn^d seem by the character of the resolution, of drawing from him, by an indirect mode, an orin- ion favorable to this decertive scheme, which seems to have been u.-o-oprmost in his mind for two years rast. In answer to t'-is innuiry, T f en used the following rlain and unenui- vocal l^-'nrniage. (See t^oc. Jour. 1840 and '41, page IP.B.

'It wonld not be safe to rely upon draining any water from, the summit feede-s of the Erie and ^lichi^an Canal for the sup^^ly of the Wabash and Erie ranal.n (sic)

The Goshen Democrat, a -Darer ■onblishec' at the rlace of Mr. Chambe:'-lain' s residence, and understood to be under his

4 control, in ?n editorial article mbllehec' in J^^lj 1341, uses the follov/inp longu^ee;

"Thie fpr-t (pllu^ins' to the suvviosed. utility of the F-f^ie and Michigan O^^n^l for the surply of the '-rpbash ^-nd Erie can^l) w^.s ascertained by Gen. Mitchell in 183'~, on his purvpy of the Northern '^anal, =nd urned upon the attention of Je.qse L. 'Jilli^nE-, Chief Fneineer, whose stupidity or ohstin?cy however, prevented him from noticing, it. Mr. nhgmberlain pucc-'^eded in getting several resolutions of in- Quiry thro' the Senate on this subject, all of vrhlch were treated with dignified contenrt. He felt too much chargined to own Gen. J-iitchell's surjerio:^' foresight =nd competency ^s sn Fncineer, until e^'ery bc^y is com.r^elled to ^dmit the truth of the observation. ^ trust the Legislature vrlll seethe neces- sity, ond take immediate steps for the completion ^t least of a navigable feeder to Northpo:^t . T'Je shall r^f er to his su.bj ^ct pgp in. "

Here we have evidence ,'of a dellberpte attempt to mislead the ublic and the Legislature, in a matter where near three auai-ters of a m.ili. ion v^as involved. The object seem^ to h?ve been to der-reciate the Wabash and Erie C?nal, by reporting th=t It coulr^ not be su-oplied v^ith water f^^om its own resources, and further to represent th^^t the de^-^iciency coulri be made up by constructing the Erie and M; chiran cpn^^l to Northport, which rep-r's^sentation, in both its bmnch^?, whb without any foundation in fact. This attem.iDt to mislead the Legislature and the public v/as commenced by Mr. Cham.berlaln, in the Senate at the session of 18?9 =nd ' 40, as alrea^^y shoxim, and has been

5

continued by him ^nr' those under bis immediate Influence to the -nresent time.

In a re-Dort submitted in pnsv^er to a rail of the House dur- ing' the last session, T presented ali the facts having a bear- ing on the subject, and shoTi-ilng conclusively to any unpre.indic- ed m^nd who will erar.lne it, whether he h=ve any knowledge of engineering or not, th-t the idea, of deriving any surplus of wpter fron the Erie ^nd M'chi-'an can^-l, for the supply of the ''a.bash and Erie n?n°l, so long urg^d by Mr. Charnberlpin, is wholly delusive, ^r^his view of the subject is so obviously correct from the ve:^y nature bf (sic) things, as now to com- mand the assent even of those most deeply interested in that work, judging from the tone of the two news-oapers at Fort Wayne, and one =t South Bend. One of there napers, the Fort Wayne Times of the I'^th of February last, in olluding to my re^^iort u-oon the nuestion, s^-ys:

"He shows clearly, th = t the ides of der^endinp- unon the Northern con^l, as p feeder for the Wabash ond ^rle, is not to be entertained for ^ nompnt; °nd indeed this is the con- clusion to which any candid n=n won Id come u-pon p careful insr:>°ction of the country, a knowledge of the supply of water on e^ch sumnlt, =nd length of can°l to be fed by each."

The Fort ^.''ayne Sentinel, = -oprier onposed to ne in Dolitlcs, of the 16th of A.prll, uses the following language:

T'^lth regsrd to the argument th=t the can-l w^s necessary as a feeder to the W=bash and Erie, it was clearly demonstrat- ed by the last survey to be unfounded.

6

"The editor of this ^-ip-cer w^s one of the p?rty vho m=de the last survey =nd fror. vh^t he then s^v of the country, feeli^ .c^-tisfied that no water eoulri be brought from the Elkh?rt into the Wabssh ^nd Erie cj^nal."

The following is an extract from r.y report just alluded to: ;

"Let i"-. not be inferred th = t there c^n be any scarcity of w^ter on the Erie =nd Llichigpn c?n=l for its own puriooses. TT-oon the ■r;lanR hi^retofore "oro-c-ped, the work is fully ■or^cti- cable pnd feasible; nor are prgum.ents w^ntinp in f=vor of its irm^ortonce. "^h^ very l=rge whe-t crr-ov of th°t region would place this c^n^l =!'"ong the first works of the Ptate . vr-jle I. have been p_t all times re^r^y to urge cons Jder^tions of t'-^is kind in favor of the construction of this c^n^l, !_ coi.-'ld not unite in the -argument bpsed UT)on its jn-portpnce or its volue f_s p feeder to the ^'Jabpsh pnd Erie Qpn^ 1, for thF reason that with =11 the b:^-pnches of the F"'>hprt, th^t are pyp liable, no ^u- plus of wpte:^- would be left f f ter su -dying its own denpnds. The spme view of this subject has hereto- fore been repepted'^y expressed by the undersigned in his official ---eDorts."

T hpve ■ iven the fpcts in this case no-^e in detail, for the reason that I am charged in Mr. Chamberlain's letter v/ith having singled out the Northern "^an^l a^ the special nb,1ect of my ^isnlepsure. snd I cheerfully submit the nuestion to the con'^i'"'' repder, evpn to the constituents of the Senptor, to the honest fprmers of ^Ikhprt county — to spy whether my refusal

to unite with hin In urglne ut)on the T.esisl^'ture, reasons for the construction of this C-nal wMoh I Vnew to be d-cer)- tive; or even the ==^clitlon m^de toGen. Mitchell's estimates of the work, when I knew the"^ to be lower th^n the contract prlcpp thpn being p=id for sucb work on other lines; furnishes any Just fround for sucb rlenuncia-^ion ^^pin^t ^n officer unon whom the T^episl- ture relied for correct Information.

Whether or not my refusal to second the views of Mr. Chamberlain in regard to the E^'ie and Michigan can?l, in the tv,'o r)prticul='^s Just mentioned, h?ve had any agency in en- gende" ing in his min(? this unparalleled bitterness of feel- ine, is not for me to determine. Of this the r>ubllc wil] Judge. T vTO'il'l not willingly d^- him injustice. Inview of all the f=cts, however, ^ cannot resist the conclusion th-t, had I united in representing the Frie and Michig='n 9S essential to the Wabash md Frie f^n^l, =nd thus enabled Mr. Chamberlain, by- procuring its ■ onstruction through this favorite idea of his ov/n, to ride nore succes --fully the c^nal hobby in the North, I wo'0.d have been siDared much of this out-onuring of his bitterness.

It is worthy of remark, th^^t while denuncl?tions have thus looured UDon me in the North for su-onosed hostllitv to their favorite can^l, in other •D=rt'=^ of the State, ot the same time, I ha.ve been ch=reed with too strong partiality for th=t work, and se^-erely censured for ry "^n-D-oosed agency in Toress- ing it fo-n-fc^rd 9t too e^^^-ly 9 pe-io''. ^^trictures of this kind m='y be seen in the columns of the Jeff er^'oni-^n, nub-

8

liphed in Wa- ne oo-inty, jupt -orevlous to the August election in 1833. This historical incident is alluded to me ely as furn- ishing, in connpc-^ion v'ith Mr. rhpnlDerl^^in ' s charges of hos- tility to th=t work, r°ther an °nusing illustration of the fac- ility with which s Touhlic pp,ent, who m?y h=^ve teen engaged in c^-rr^ying out the Internal Iraprovenent Ipws of the Ptate, may "be converted by peevish politicians into a sort of com- mon "o^ek horse, on vhose shcilders m=y be thrown from oto-do- site directions, ^11 the burdens, the ills, anathe discontent, real or imaginary, which afflict ^he community.

Having eng = g'=cl ^n n-^ivat^ bu^sines^, ^-^er-ui^^ing ny un'^i- vided ^ttpntion, with no desire to participate again in

u.blic life, newsToaioer controve^-^sy is eroeedingly irksome, and I cannot be drawn into it further th^'n seems neces^^ary for my defense. Aft^-^r hav'n^ eyhibited so fully the injus- tice of Mr. ':'ham.berlain ' s course, and t-is habit of disre- garding the facts, even when they are embodies in the record of his awn comnittee, ■'' cannot suTOOse that any further notice wii;' be railed for, either of what he has w:- it ten for the siT months -oast, o^- of wh^t he m.ay wr-jte, for the sir months to come.

J. T,. VTTJ.T^MS.

Fo-t Yayne, May 30, 184?

Indian? Journ^^'l July 5, 1342

Tilt. Wabash ai^jj j^kil c^i^iAL —

Its Influence on the commerce end travel of the west..

We regard the completion of this gref.t work as aestined to exert a most imr-ortant influence over the commerce and travel of s large portion of the Western St£tes, Connecting, as it does, the navigable wrters of the Wabash, which flow into the Ontario end Mississippi, with the great thoroughfares of our northern Lakes, at this point, it opens a direct and unbrolien chain of inland com- munic-tions from the cities of Ne" York, Boston, i^bntresl, and Quebec, to the extensive and fertile Vglleys of the Ohio, Wabash, and Mlssissirri Rivers, and thence to New Orleans and the G-ulf of Mexico. Wh? t will be the ultimate resuls(sic), both to the East and the West, of the completion of thi '^ gre&t thoroughfare, which is now about to teke place, is, of course .nore than we can at present say; but, judging from a glance st the geography of the country, and 'che relation which this can^l bears to it, think we are fully Justified in saying that It will work a greater revolution in the course of the trg.vel and trade of the States affected by it, and of the British cossessions bordering upon the Lekes and the St. Lawrence River, than any similar work ever before projected on the continent. Thet it will, Ina very few ye^rs after its completion, double the commerce of the Lgkes and of the E^ie canal, no one can doubt who will take the tr uble to i' quire into the nature and extent of the exhaustive agricultural resources of the vast re- gion which has hitherto, either been entirely shut out from mar- ket, or sent its surplus productions through the I'.iississippi and its tributaries, to New Orleans and other sou hern cities.

2

In the lest number of the Register we announced thet the water h hsd Plready been let into the canal from Lefeyette, Indiana, to Indeoendence, in this state; and that from thence to Providence, a distance of only twenty miles, where the cansl is again in operati'->n as far down as this olace, the wiaamee River can be used at all seasons of the year. Tbus have we already, with the exce^otion of a short portage between the canal and the river, at Independence, (the boat-lock into and out of the river, at Providence,) an unbroken line of water communication from the navigable waters of Lake Erie to those of the Wabash. xhe t venty miles below Inderendence, will undoubtedly be completed in season for the fall business, when boats can pass without interruction throughoulathe whole length of the canal.

Although this canal has been built under the direc ion of the individual states through which it passes; yet it is not merely in the light of a state work that it sho ild be regarded; for Con- gress foreseeing the vast benefits tha-.t would result f ro q its completion, many years since, granted to the state of Indiana, which tool: the lead in the jccomrlishment of this important work, a liberal portion of the loublic domain through which it passes, to aid in its construction. The terms of this grant were afterwards so modified by Congress, by and wi;,h the consent of Indiana, as to confer upon Ohio a ratable riroportion of the lands so granted for the completion of that portion of the canal lying within her own borders.

3 One of the 'nost iraioortant resulte tothe G-enerfl G-overnment, as well as to the reoole of a If rge ortion of Ohio snci Indiana, which will flow from thp comnletlon of this canal, ie the fac- ilities it will afford for the transportation of thp malls through a region of country, hitherto, alnioet entirely 8hu3 out from intercourse with the northern and eastern cortions of the Union, by the great delays to which they have been subjected, from the difficulty of find'ng roade overthe most direct routes suitable for the transcortation of the mails. As the ample deoth and width of the canal are calculated to secure speed in the passage of boats 2^0 miles, the distance from here to Lafayette, will be readily accomclished by Packet Boats in from k-S to 50 hours. This will be an important desideratum for the region of the country through which the canal passes, and will addd gre?tly to the mail facilities upon the different routes that diverge in various directions from the Valley of the Ms.umee and Wabash Rivers.

Toledo l^egister.

The Fort Wayne Sentinel July 30, lg^2

WABASH AND FFIF CAlUh,

This m^p.nif Icent vork is now completed, fvon the n^ivlgable vaters of the Wpbssh to Independence, 4 n/ les belov Defi^moe. From Indeppndence to Providence, » distance of twenty-eight --^iles, the Mpunee river cen "be novig^ted. by c&n^l bo^.ts most of the yesr. The cpn=l is finished from Providence to Toledo, 9 dif^t^nce of twenty-eight r'les. So th^t there is now w?ter conmimi cation, with but little interrtiDtion, from L^ke Erie to Lafnyette, Indian^. The M?umee Vplley, with Northern i^nd Western Indian^' , are most hap-oily situated, in reference to their s?gric-ltural interests, a. direct channel being orened, for the tr°nsr)ortption of their nroductions, either to the Atlantic Cities or to New Orleans, mri^t confer extensive benefits, not only to this region, but to the commerce of the vjhole Western Country. The prosperity of Ohio is inserierably connected with the completion of the remaining portions of her mammoth system of internal improvement. It wil" open to the enter- prising citizens of other States, a section of country unsur- passed in the fertility of its soil, value of its mineral productions and adaptation to manufacturing purposes, -'ith a well regulated currency her -Decuniary r)rospects will be with- out parallel.

Indiana Journal August P,, 1642

Wa.BASH kV.T) EFIE CANAL

This RTest work is so fpr conr.leted, th^t l>p,t Monday, boats -opssed at the "T^oledo side-cut, into L?ke Erie. The anuerluct > cross Swan creek, i? not m.iite finished, that pre- vents n=5vig?tlcn being cprrie '^ nuite to it? terninp.tion; although for p11 practical -urnoses, the eastern termination mpy bp s=id to b^ completed, ^nd it is navigable in its whole ertent, by using the Maumee 2?? rniles, =nd a f?hort ^-ort?ge. The whole length is ?30 miles, 56 of which are in Ohio, ^nd tiie remainder in Indiana. Lafayette snd ^-^ab^sh is the western termination, and Toledo ^nd Manhattpn on Take Erie.

The first idea of this canal, was sugf/ested in 1817, and a or^nt of land by the Ttnited States to the st^te of Ind- iana to aid in the work. Gov. Jennings, first first (sic) Gov. of the state of Indiana, °nd who was one of the first, and most active individuals in obtaining the p.rant, and in the incip-' lent (sic) arrnnge^.ents of commencing the work. Gov. Clinton of Fevj York took an active n^rt, by correspondence and otherwiFe, in iDromoting the project. The St°te of Ohio very reluctantly came into the arrangement, with the state of Indiana, to make the v^r^t within t'-is State; ^nd has "bpen very t°rdy in the execution, althouP:h Ohio h^s the most Drof- it^ble -o^^rt of the c^nal, in nronortion to lenp'th, ^nd the value of the lands she received for making the c^npl.

This canal is the main trunk; it h^s been the c=use of projecting other canals as feeders, of greater extent than the trunk. The Miami canal is far ar'vpnced tov/ards completion. The most ex-nensive D^rt of the vrork is finished. More than

two millions of '\oll=rs h^ve been exioencled; and lesi=; than h?3lf a million would comiolete the work. The c=n=l from L^^ke Michigan to form its J^r.nction st Fort ¥aynp, is now in -orogress; also the Whitewater can^l, ?nd several railroads.

I'fhen we take into consideration the uninhabited state of this country when this system of canals and r?ilro=ds was under- taken, = nd their vast eytent, it is the most daring enteriDrise of the v/orld.

The V7abash and Frie i^anal, ip but one of the links of p vast chain of inland wptei^ communication, of more th^n three thousand riles in extent. Fast it h^R two noints of termin?- tinn, the city of New York is one =^nd Montre^^l is the other. New 0-"lpans is the Western terr in-tion. It is the connection by vrster, of the Gnlf of Meyico, and the Gulf of St. I.pvrrence; and at Nev/ YOrk, the broad atlantic. (sic)

Indiana Journal August 5, 1842

Wabash and Erie Canal

This great work, ip so far completed, that la?t i^ionday, boats passed at the Toledo side-cut, into Lake Erie. The aqueduct ac- ross Swan creek, is not quite finished, thft prevents the navi- gation being carried quite to its termination ; although for all practical purposes, the eastern termination may be said to be completed, and it is navigable in its whole e-i^tent, by using the Maumee 22 miles, and a short portage. The whole length is 230 m.iles, 66 of which are in Ohio, and the remainder in Indiana. Lafayette on the V^abash is the western term. .nation, and Toledo and ^ianhattan on Lake Erie.

The firsu idea of this canal, was suggested in 1817, and a grant of land by the United States to the State of Indiana, to aid in the work. ^ov. Jennings, first G-ov . of the State of Ind- iana, and who was one of t-^e first, and nr.ost active individuals in obtaining the grant, and in the incippient arrangements for commencing the work. Gov. Clinton of New York, took an active part, by corre-pondence and otherwise, in promoting the project. The State of Ohio very reluctantly c^me Into the arrangement, with the State of Indiana, to make the p?rt within this State; and has been very tardy in the e^^ecution, although Ohio has the most profitable part of the canal, in proportion to length, and the value of the lands ^he received, for making the canal.

This canal is the main trunk; it has been the cause of projecting other canals as feeders, of greater ertent than the trunk. The Klami canal is far advanced towards completion. The most expensive part of the work is finished. More than two mill-

Ottl

Ions of dollars have been expended; and lesp th&n half a million would complete the work. The canal from Lake Michigan, to form its Junction at Fort Wayne, is now in progress; also the White- water canal, and several railroads.

When we .ake into consideration the uninhabited state of this country when this system of canals and railroads was under- taken, and their vast extent, it is the most daring enterprise of the world .

The Wabash and Erie Canal, is but one of the links of a vast chain of inland water comnunicstion, of more than three thou- sand miles in extent. East it has two point'^ of termination, the city of New York is one, and Montreal the other. Nevj Orleans is the We'^tern termlnati n. ■'■t is the connection by water, of the Gulf of Nexico and the Gulf of St. Lawrenck; and at New York, the broad atlantic.

Indiana "^ournal Aug. 10, 1842 Page I

BOATS FKUlvi f UnT WAiWxi: TO N-.W OnbEANS

We last week noticed the sUlpment of a lot of lumber for Boston. This week a fl=?t boet left here for New v^rleans, freighted with i|-5,000 hoop poles and 25O barrels of cr-nb-rries. At Logans- port whe will take in about 200 barrels more erf. nberries. She is o owned b ' Messrs. B. Smith, T. J. Lewis, and N. D. Stewart. An- other boat will start for New o^^ieans in a few days, with about 50,000 hooiD poles. She is owned by some enterprising G-ermaas whose namees we have not he&rd. The-e boats will -oroceea down the canal to its intersection with the Wtbash above D-lphl, end then down that stream and the Ohio end Missiscirni. i^ enj proof were neeaed of the enterprise of our citizens or our advan- tageous locstion for trade, it might be found in the fact that within two weeks shipments have been made here for two most ooiDOslte end distant DOints--one at the extreme north eastern, end the other at the extreme southwestern part of the Union.

Fort Wayne Sentinel Nov. ^, 13^2

Correspondence of the Rochester Daily Democrat. THE WABASH AfD ERIE CANAL.

Toledo, January 18, 1843.

The Wabash and Erie Canal will be opened its entire length in the spring. Boats conmenced running late this fall from Lafayette, Indiana, a distance of 250 miles tothis place. From this city to the junction alone, 66 miles, the canal is 60 feet wide and 6 feet deep. From thence to Fort Wayne, 44 miles, it is 50 feet wide and from the Fort to Lafayette, 122 miles, 49 feet wide. Next spring our Boston or New York friends can reach Aogansport Indiana, by way of the Canal in five days after leaving home, or Springfield, the capital of Illinois io 6^ days.

The tolls are so reduced by the agreement of the State, Ohio and Indiana through which the canal passes, as to send the productions of the valley of the Wabash to New York by way of the Lakes, as few as it can be done in New Orleans, by way of the Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

The opening of the Wabash and Erie Canal adds another link to that great chain of Internal Improvement which will, ere long, connect our Com- mercial Emporium with the remotest regions of the West. By means of this Canal the water communication with the Atlantic cities is extended, 250 miles further inland. This new avenue of commerce may be regarded as an extension of our own Erie Canal; nor can it be doubted that it will contribute largely to the tolls and trade on tils great conraercial artery. The enlargement of the Erie Canal was undertaken with a view to accommodate the increased trade which the opening of these new channels was expected to create. But the progress of the Enlargement has not kept pace with the progress of these auxiliary works. A suicidal policy has arrested this great undertaking in raid career. After an expenditure of twelve millions of dollars in carrying on the work the State is now called upon to suspend operations.* And the

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People are to be taxed year after to meet the principal and interest of this debt when, if the work was prosecnted to its completion, the increased revenue from the Enlarged Canal would speedily pay off all the liabilities incurred in its construction.

(Albany Eve. Jour. New York Daily Tribune January 25, 1843. (pg)

i, vt i-

TIE WABASH AND EFIE CANAL.

Correspondence of The Tribune.

MAUMEE CITY, May 22, 1843. MESSPS. EDITORS: The celebration of the completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal will probably take place on the 4th of July next, at Fort Wayne. This is an event which, iii our opinion, well deserves to be celebrated by a high festival on the anniversary of our independence. We shall meet, not to celebrate a victory won in bloody strife, nor to exult in the triumph of one political party over another, but to exchange congratulations on an event which promises to confer benefits and bless- ings withoit any alloy of evil. When we contemplate the ample dimensions of this Canal, and its extended length of hundreds of miles, connecting State with State and the great Lakes oi the North with the noble Rivers 01 the South, it looms up into a magnificence and grandeur that can scarcely fail to inflame the coldest imagination. But it is only in a moral point of view that its importance can be duly appreciated. It will in a few years be the beneficent means of converting the wild forests and plains of the Maumee and Wabash vallies into cultivated and happy abodes of freemen. It will connect the great States borderi , on the Ohio with the States rising to greatness on the borders of the Lakes. That arm of it which reaches down the Wtbash connects us with the richest river valley of North America; while that which is to extend south down the populous and rich valley of the Miami, will bring us into intimate relations with the great City oi the Ohio. Another branch, to be of later construction, will bring to our doors the rich wheat fields of Northern Indiana and Illinois. In nearly all its aspects, it is a work of beneficence, binding, with the strong cords of interest and habitual intercourse, great

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districts of country, soon to be peopled with an inmense number of enlightened freemen, and soon to have built up within their borders numerous great marts of commerce. It will not alone create beauty and happiness, but it will sustain and perpetuate them. It is not a monument reared by the present generation to perish with those who have made it. Our successors will be benefitted far more than those of us who witness its completion; and farther than the strongest imagination can penetrate into the vista of the future, its blessings will be increasing and ex- tending with every succeeding generation. The opening of such a work is especially deserving the liveliest demonstrations of joy from those living at and near its northern termination, where its benefits will be more than elsewhere concentrated. From this point to the place of its exit from the river as a feeder, it is not only a great channel for commerce, but it is also a great hydraulic construction — placing on the elevated plateau on which out city is laid out a great mechanical power, which for generations to come will be unexhausted, and standing always ready to throw the weight of its power, or rather the power of its weight, into every branch of industry which the interests of the country may call into being. It is competent to perform the labor of thousands — aye, tens of thousands of men; and while it never tires in the race of industry, it never feels the enervating influence of autumnal fevers. It requires little but capital, and the skillful direction of a few human hands, to produce an immense supply of human comforts. But my pen is running away with me. Our celebration, we hope, will draw together the enlightened triends of internal improvements from every section of our extended country. Invitations will be sent to many, but they will not embrace one in a thou- sand of those that should be there. It is expected that one of our great statesmen will be there, prepared to deliver a discourse worthy the occasion.

Webster, Clay, Calhoun, J. Q. Adams and Gen. Cass have been spoken of. On account of the latter having numerous friends through this region, it is most likely he will be called on by the Central Committee. We should be glad, Messrs. Editors, to welcome you among those who come to exchange congratulations with the Buckeyes and Hoosiers.

Yours, &c.

THE NBV YOPK WIBUNE, JUNE 6, 1843. (Jma)

THE MAUMEE TOWNS— THE LAFD OIL OF THE WES:, &C.

Correspondence of The York "ribune. CLEVELAND, July 21, 1843.

In my last T iniormed you that 1 should look in upon Lhe Haumee '/alley as far from the seaboard as Perrysburg and Mauraee City, directly opposite. These two beautiful villages are situated upon tlie Mauraee Fiver, twelve miles from its mouth, at the Rapids, on a fine elevated table land, which must be healthy. Tlie river is navigable tor Lake crait Oi seven leet drait to the xoot o^ the Kapids. There is only one obstruction in the river, which is a narrow rock bar. Were ihis re- moved, any vessel entering the Mauraee bay could navigate the river. The water on the bar of the bay is seldom less than nine feet, although the winds have great iniluence in raising and lowering the Lake at its extremities. The IVabash and Erie Canal commences at Manhattan, on the Maumee bay, and ^-ollows re course o^ the river to Fori Wayne, thence across the country to the ^sbash at Lafayette, and thence it is to be completed to the Ohio, entering that river at Evansville. It runs through the Garden o. the State of Indiana. '« he immense products oi this great part of that *'tate must corae to i-ake Erie, and the anticipation oi the benciits o be us-rived from tiie trade oi this Canal, gave Toledo, Manhattan, and some paper cities, their existence. The water power along the line o the Canal is sufficient to grind all i.he grain that will be floated upon it. At Maumee they now use it, and it will soon be brought in requisition at "oledo ana Manhr^ttan. Toledo seems to be the point which, by general consent, is to be .tie city. The water to the t»n is good, but to my notion, some other point ma\ be lound where the re- quisites o-i health, surrounding country, &c. , vaU make a more desirable location.

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With Cleveland your readers are as well acquainted as I can possibly be, for the siiort time I've been in it. li is one of the prominent places of tiie Union tor its exports of bread-stuffs, pro- visions, &c. '^Ue town does not contaii as many inhabitants as I supposed, but ihey are a busy hive, and on the Hill it is a perfect yem Oj. a city. Alter concluding my business calls, I went lo see the wonders. Without much trouble, I found the Lard Oil tactory of Mr. Stafford, who very politely showed me over his esiablishmeni. The specimen I wrote you about in my last is a sample, and nothing more than a fair one. When I say that I had no idea of wliat I saw, I would re- mark. Who has any idea of tlie wonders oi Chemistry? To explain to you the process is what I cannot do, for that is a secret ijuarded with the most jealous care— the effects of the cause I can only jive. The Lard is first taken in quantities of about five thousand pounds, (which is the amount worked daily.) melted and purified; then by some means he judges of its exact component parts; then ingredients are added, which in a short time (the time I cannot say) separates the parts so that each is by itself — the one a perfect transparent fluid, void of all foreign matter, and tiit other in beautiful large crystals. The oil is all good alike, both bottom and top; every body seems to prefer it to the sperm, it is so clean. The keeper of the Americcu House, which is a structure that would not discredit our own Broadway, informed rae that for more than a year past he had used this oil and no other in all the lamps in his house, and that during that time not a lamp had been cleaned out, and that the oil in his Astrals was as pur as when first put in. The light is very white and strong, and the consumption not so much as the bleached sperm; and what is better, it burns without smoke or smell. As to its standing extreme cold, the people differ on this point as well as many

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other essential points in other affairs of equal importance. Mr. S., however, assures me that the oil can be made to stand a low temperature, and referred me to Mr. Butts, the landlord oi the American. He, as I said before, used it the year round without inconvenience. The Government are now giving it a trail in the light houses at tliis port. They commenced upon the opening oi navigation, and have used no other since. It gives them, I am told, entire satisfaction, affording a stronger light with less oil consumed. Now, friend Greeley, what is to be the result of this when the business shall be as well understood elsewhere as it is here? Take up the map oi this almost boundless West — look at its broad valleys; these virgin soils will not grow any other grain as well as the Indian corn. Tliis corn, which was formerly distilled to carry ruin to the whole of our blessed land, is now converted into a source oi wealth to the West, o.. which it is impossible to deprive it. In tl.e West can be produced an animal from which a belter oil than any other known can be procured at a c >aper rate than in any pan of the world, consequently the West will supply the world. One great good has already, I am told, been effected with even the imperfect Lard Oil now in market. It is the suspension of the importation of the cask Olive for greasing wool; but wha. is to become of our noble race of sperm ulialers? Must those Jack tars resort to the woods of the West, lodge in a tree and patiently await the coming oi the Porker, and from their giddy hights dart the murderous lasce? Alas, poor Jack.'

Mr. S. has a cooper imported from one of our dismantled spermers; poor fellow! he would occasionally draw a long breath, but he could not catch the sea breeze from the fogs of the Cuyahoga, He says ii is much more difficult to hold this oil in casks than the sperm.

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The speculators could not keep the price of wheat or flour up beyond yesterday, when it took the worst tumble it has known for years. The day before wheat sold at 93 cents; yesterday an equally good article only brought 80 cents, and the harbor full of vessels. The country about this city is very fine; tlie roads are c |ual to macadamized. There are many country seass, which could not have cost less than from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars each. The entire Lake shore is celebrated for it fine fruits of all descriptions. The reason assigned is, that the spring keeps them back until the frosts ore over. From this I shall return homeward, making a few business calls, and shall visit Niagara and Saratoga; till then, adieu. Yours, £c., J. G.

THE NEW YOPK TFIBUNE, AUGUST 3, 1843. (jma)

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THE WABASH COUNTFY AND CANAL.

Correspondence of The Tribune.

DEFIANCE, OHIO, July 15. 1843.

1 have just returned from attendance at the celebration of the completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal, at Fort Wayne, on the ever glorious 4th, and a visit to Lafayette, the western terminus of the Canal. The celebration was what the day and the importance of the occasion called for. A beautiful, patriotic and classical, although somewhat desultory address was delivered by Gen. Cass, who was the Orator of ihe day, which with extemporaneous addresses from the two U. S. Senators, White and Hannegan, and tiie worthy commissioner of Patents, Hon. H. L. Ellsworth, together with several line bands of music, and the attendance of between two and three thousand ladies and the un- bounded and courteous hospitality of the people ox this litriving young city of the wilderness, united with the good feeling that , sie event was so well calculated to inspire, made it one of the most joyous and pleasant gatherings that I have ever witnessed.

The Hoosiers and Buckeyes met each other on the summit level oi their common Canal, with right hearty good will.

From Fori Wayne I proceeded west, per canal, through a country of unsurpassed beauty and fertility to Lafayette. This town is situated at ihe head of steamboat navigation on the Wabash, and contains a population of 2,500 or 3,000 inhabitants; and, in consequence of the high price ox wheat and flour at this time, is a place of great commercial activity. Two hundred large covered wagons, known here as "prairie schooners," came in of a day, loaded with wheat and other grain, some a distance of 80 miles. Wheat, when I was there, was selling for 82 cents; flour $4.25.

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Before I took leave of this place, I paid a visit, in company with my esteemed friend oi the "Free Press," to the far famed and ever memorable Tippecanoe Battle-Ground. It has been so often graphically described that you need not a often graphically described that you need not a description of it here. After viewing the ground and leaving the particular disposition of the troops and the cautious measures taken to guard againstsurprise, and the bravery and firmness raanilested by both officers and soldiers in sustaining for iwo hours a murderous attack in the darkness oj night, by a powerful and vir^dictive enemy, one hardly knows which most to admire, the caution and skill oi the Commander or the valor of the troops.

The ground is covered with oak trees, scarcely one of wliich is not hacked lor the purpose of extracting ihe balls that were lodged in them during tlie fight. It is denuded oi shrubs — almost everything in that shape having been carried off as mementos during the ever-memorable 1840.

The wheat crop throughout the Maumee and Wabash valley is a full average one.

In speaking of Laiayette I should have stated that the Hon. H. L. Ellsworth is about to make that his future home. The people of the West are already under great obliga ion to liim, on account of the deep interest that he has taken in introducing improvements and disseminating information on the subject of agriculture. From his residence among us we shall look for a continuance of the same advantages.

H. S.

^HE NEW YOFK TFIBUNE, AUGUST 9, 1843. (jma)

BRIDGES, — The canal bridges in this city are in so dila- pidated a condition that it is dangerous to cross them. i^ould it not be advisable to have them repaired or rebuilt forthwith. Or is it thought best to wait till some lamentaole acciaent happens, and some lives or limbs are sacrificed? The policy of locking the staole door after tne horse is stolen is much advired, or at least practised in this part of the country.

The St. Mary's Bridge is also much decayed, ana is consid- ered unsafe ana not worth repairing. It will probably be carried off by the next fresh — . It is time some steps were taken to build a new one; ana we would suggest the policy of having a subscrip- tion immediately set on foot for that purpose. If tl\e citizens would contribute liberally, we presume the county board would make an appropriation to assist in the erection of a work of such great public convenience ana necessity.

V/e hope tne new bridge will be placed where the present on« ought to nave been — at the ford a few rods above the present site. This would make the G-oshen road perfectly straight to its en- trance into our city and the bridge^could then be safely approached at high water, when it is most needed; this is decidedly the best and most fitting location for tne bridge. So much difficulty and danger nave been encountered at the present bridge, that we be- lieve all ar ^ convinced that a new bridge ought not to be erected on tne same site.

Fort Wayne Sentinel i^ovember 4, 1843

COii/iPLETION OF Ttih. WABASH ..iW LrJ.c. Cin-AL I'O Tn^ OHI^^ RIVi^ Ai EViii^SVILLE.

Robert Dale Owen has written a long and able letter, vhich is published in the New H rmony St.<- t.esmen, giving his reasons for sup- porting the application to Congress for ? grant of the public lands in the Vincennes district to eid in completing our canal to Evans- ville, in preference to similar applications for aid to improve the Webash, and maJke it navigable st ell seasons from the present term- ination of the cenal to the Ohio. Like every thing which emanates from thet distinguished man, this letter is cleer and exolicit in iti details, end candid and courteous in its style. Wp give a few ex- tracts :

"If it be a legitimate object of federal legislation to grant lands in aid of the completion oi' the thoroughfare et all, (as I believe it is) the mode of com^-^ le tion, so It be efficient, cannot influence the question of c-nstitutionality.

"This being so, considerations of expedienc./, economy and in- cidental advantages to the finances of our State, properly come up, to influence and control a selection between the two plans.

"The letter consideration has much weigh 'c with me. vVhen a man, or a State, is in debt, it is their first and bounden duty, by every honorable means, to endeavor to get out of it. We flatter ourselves in vain, that we may ultimately escape the payment of our state debt. It may not be done. Indiana's fair name is worth more than twenty millions of dollars. Scandalously squandered as have been the suras we borrowed, the days are coming

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when they must be repaid. Thr.t we have thu:^ cree.tfd - h-iraen which may weigh heavily on the labor of our children, is one of the bitter- est thoughts connected with the flagrant maladmini'^tr^ation, which for ye?rp characterized our State affirs. The honor of our State, then, and the welfare of those who are coming after us, alike imperatively call our atten ion to every just expedient thet may lessen the future burdens in store for ourselves end oar off soring.

In this view, the canal s-'emF to me very preferable to the river. I have, on several public occasions, exrressei my willingness (if no better plan of paving off part of our debt pres-nted itself) to see our Wabash and Erie Canal sold for Sts^ ;.e bonds, to aid in diminishing

on State indebtedness; the terms of sale being properly ru~rded to secure to the G-overnment her free thoroughfare ana to her citizens protection against extrav8<:'-nt tolls. Whether this plan were adopt- ed, or that we trusted to the rents and toils to pay part of the interest on our public debt, the completion of the canal to Evans- ville is eaually imoortant. It woald add much to its vslue, if we found opportunity to sell it; or ir.uch to its probably rent and tolls if we decided to retain it in our own hands. But the im- provement of tlie river, though of vast importance to those residing on its banks, could not, that I see, be rendered available in fur- nishing means (to any considerable extent, at least) towards the payment of our State debt.

You observe, that i^-r. Ficklln has incorporated in his

river bill e provision that after the oublic auction sale.

(to be held within two years after the passage of t^-ie grant) the

.3 lands are to remain for sale &t govrnment rrlce. It has been in- timated to m- from some quarters, though your letter does not say so, that Buch s provision is deemed by m^ny impolitic, and calculat- ed to impair the value of the grant. Yet after the mstareet reflec- tion I am unable to agree in this O' inion. "hen '^ut up at auction, the lands may bring any price above the land office rate, no matter how high. And, as to the lands which shall remain unsold after that public offer. Congress will not permit triem to be offered lower than pimlllr lands ^^roand them, and the interest of the set- tler snd of our section of country generally, appears to me to de- mand thst they should not be held for sale hi£her. If, after being offered for sale at auction at governTient price and no buyer found, they are still held uc above thst orice, the effect would clearly be, to tax the future settler, when in search of a home amjng us, and to retard the settlement of the country. Land monopolists have errrossed the best lands of -Illinois: th^v hold them up at five or six dollars an acre; and thst circumstance retards, perhaps, more than any other, the prosperity of that node State. Large districts, in consequence, lie as it were deserted, without a settler; where if the lands had remained open to the emigrant at government orice, ft^^ ling farms snd rich cultivation would long since have spread out , on every side. To prevent - similar evil growing up among ourselves, I tiinic a provision similar to th t abov- al- luded to, should be incorporated in the canal bill, when re^ ort- ed. Nor do I see that we coald reasonably expect, after the close of the auction sale, to obtain more than the government price, within any reasonable time, for the remaining lands."

"P.S. Since writing the above, Senator 'Vhite he s informed me, that the Senate Committee on Public Lande. have instructed their chairman to report a bill, granting one half of the lands in the Vincennes land district, to complete the canal."

Fort Wayne Sentinel Acril 13, 1&^^

THE TOWNS ON THE WABASH.— It is with great pleasure we learn that all the main towns on the line of our Wabash and Erie Canal are in the most flourishing state. An intelligent resident of Ft. Wayne informs us that more than one hundred houses and stores, many of them fine build- ings, are now in progress of construction in that fine yong City. Ke estimates the present population at over three thousand. The Lafayette paper speaks in glowing terms of the growth and business of that town, every house and room of which is flowing over with immigrants. He claims for Lafayette the first place in importancs, of the Wabash towns.— Covington, Logansport, Delphi, and the numerous other villages are said to be flourislaig.

Toledo Blade.

THE NEW YOPK TRIBUNE. JUNE 15, 1844. (jma)

OHIO-MIAMI CANAL-TT5ADE OF IHE WEST, GC.

Correspondence of The rribune.

CINCINNAll. June 22. 1844.

The completion of the Miami Canal from its present terminus to Defiance, its point of conjuction with the Wabash and Erie Canal, on the first day of Noverrber next, will mark a most important era in the history of internal improvements both in this State and in the State of New York. So far as I have been able to learn, the probability is that the entire work will be opened for navi«j:«*)n during the latter part of the coming Autumn — at all events, that it will be in perfect order in the Spring of *45. This canal will afford a direct channel of coninunication from this city to Toledo on the Maumee River. It passes through a region unsurpassed in fertility, and the greater portion of which is comparatively densely peopled. The entire length of the work from Cincinnati to Toledo, which for all practical purposes may be legarded as the northern terminus of the K'abash and Erie Canal, is two hundred and forty-four miles; or six- ty five miles less than that of the "Ohio Canal." By avoiding the dividing ridge of this State, the Miami Canal passes, in the main, through a level region, so that the amount of lockage, as I am informed, .ill be but about half as great as it is on the Ohio Canal, extending from Cleveland to Portsmouth.

For some years past, three several routes have entered into competition for the carrying trade of the central portion of the valley of the Ohio, to wit; the Ohio Canal, Lake Sie and the Erie Canal — The Pennsylvania Canal, and the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Within the last eighteeo months, a new rival has presented itself, viz. the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.— The States of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, have looked

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upon this contest with widely dissimilar degrees of interest. While tte first has manifested a stolid apathy as to the result, the remaining States have put forth their best efforts to secure the prize; and the consequence has been that both Pennsylvania and Maijland, but especially the former, have strengthened themselves at the expense of New York. Will the Emprie State suffer the sceptre to be wrested from her grasp? Is she willing that her great Commercial Emporium shall assume a secondary place among the cities of America? It not, let her "shake the poppy from her brow" and at once go forward to the completion of her great canal. The vast prospective increase of business, from the opening of the Miami Canal, together with the paramount facilities which will thus be placed within the reach of New York, for a farther unlimited extension of her trade with this section of the country, would seem to render the present a peculiarly appropriate occasion for an appeal to the People in behalf of the enlargement of the Erie Canal. It does indeed appear as if the Freemen of New York cannot Isnger be imposed upon by the shallow sophistries of such sen a Senator Dennision. Take her example the following specimen of his logic: —

"When the project of enlarging the Erie Canal was first advanced to the public mind, what was understood by the idea of enlarging? When an individual speaks ef enlarging his house, he means adding a wing to it, or erecting an additional story, or some similar increase of his tee- «<siaiBiedations. The idea of ineirring an expense greater than the cost of a new house of the same size, would scarcely enter ».is mind."

And this stiff is put forth in grave argument upon a great question of public policy. Will not an intelligent people spurn such torn foolers as as (sic) an insult .i) their understanding? What must be thought by any man who will give hifflst:iif the trouble of a moment's reflection of ?

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"The enlargement of the Erie Canal, therefore, can only be pressed for the purpose of accommodating the business of the far West. It may be an object of great importance to secure that business, in a commercial point of view; but it is very evident, that while we are enlarging the canal for that purpose, we are bringing the cheap lands of the far West in direct competition with the hqh-priced lands in our own State," &c.

Now I beg leave in all humility to ask this Solon in legislation, whether he expects to destroy the productiveness of the Great West, by refusing an outlet through the Erie Canal for her surplus products, and thus to secure a monc^joly to 'the "high priced lands in our own State?" Does the man actually believe that such a policy will have any other effect than to build up rival works and to turn a siteam of wealth into the lap of other States? At some other time I may return to the honorable gentleman's Report, but enough for the present.

It may be said that the existing Canal possesses sufficient capacity for all the business that presents itself; and consequently tbat there is no necessity for the enlargement of its dimensions . In answer to this reasoning, the fact may be stated that at <;ertain seasons of the year when the press of business is greatest, and despatch becomes an object of the first importance to shippers, the capacity of the present channel is totally insufficient for the proper transmission of merchandize; and that other routes are on this account frequently peferred. But another argument in favor of the enlargement, and one which it would seem ought to be conclusive with an enlightened and enterprising people, is the advantage it would give the State of New York incompeting with other States for the illimitable trade of the valley of the Ohio. With a canal extending from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, seventy feet in width by seven in depth, boats* of improved construction, carrying from

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150 to 200 tons of merchandize, destined for this section of the Great West, would be loaded in the port of New York, and by means of steam power they would be towed to Albany and thence by horses to Buffalo . By then furnishing these boats with tempoery bulwarks, it is the opinion of intelligent practical men with whom I have conversed, that they may be towed with entire safety, by steamboats, druing a considerable portion of the year, from Buffalo to Cleveland, Sandusky City and Toledo — thus securing increased expedition in the transportation of merchandise, be- side avoiding both the expense and the wear and tear of twice transhipp- ing it. The chief advantage would, however, be derived from the diminution in the cost of carriage upon the Canal, which would amount, it is believed, to nearly fifty per cent, from the present rates— experience having shown that a ton of merchandise may be transported by means of horse power upon a canal at certain dimensions as cheaply as it can be by the aid a steam upon a river.

Faithfully yours,

AMERICANCE.

THE NEW YORK IBIBUNE, JULY 4, 1844. (jma)

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HECKMAN BINDERY INC. |B|

JUL 91