Historic Highways of America Volume XIV Part 4

At Rome probably the first indication of ill-feeling was met; exercises had been held on the twenty-sixth to commemorate the opening of the ca.n.a.l, but dissatisfaction was felt over the fact that the Erie Ca.n.a.l did not follow the route of the old Western Inland Lock Navigation Company ca.n.a.l upon which the village of Rome had grown up. In consequence, at 11 A. M. on the twenty-sixth, a procession was formed bearing a black barrel filled with water from the old ca.n.a.l. Drums were m.u.f.fled and the procession moved slowly out of town to the Erie Ca.n.a.l into which the barrel was emptied. The return march was made at quick step and at the hotel an appropriate celebration was held. The present flotilla arrived on Sunday, the thirtieth, and remained only an hour.

Utica was reached at noon on this date; during the exercises held on the morrow, Governor Clinton took occasion to pay high tribute to Utica's citizen, Judge Platt, who had long befriended the ca.n.a.l movement.

Little Falls was reached Monday evening; here, too, a change of route displeased some; the old Lock Company ca.n.a.l was on the north side of the Mohawk, and the Erie Ca.n.a.l was on the south side; a banquet was served the guests at one of the hotels. At three o'clock Tuesday afternoon, Schenectady was reached--two hours ahead of scheduled time. Here a grave reception awaited the enthusiastic voyageurs; a local paper had mentioned "a project of a funeral procession, or some other demonstration of mourning." No preparation for the reception of the visitors had been made. The ca.n.a.l would, it was believed, be the ruin of Schenectady; as the terminus of the old overland portage of sixteen miles from Albany, the town had grown in size and wealth; a large part of all the freight from the south that pa.s.sed up the Mohawk came by wagon to Schenectady and was there loaded on boats. The village was, on one hand, a Mecca for wagon lines and wagons, and on the other the terminus of Mohawk shipping. The Erie Ca.n.a.l overturned everything. A waterway was now opened straight through to Albany; Cohoes Falls, which had been the making of Schenectady, was wiped out of existence by the Erie Ca.n.a.l and the Schenectady of the old days was a thing of the past.

The students of Union College, however, were cosmopolitan, and the "College Guards" did the honors of the rainy day; the guests took dinner at a hotel and were off at four o'clock. On the following morning, above the patroon mansion of General Stephen Van Rensselaer, the flotilla was met by the aldermen of Albany and the last lock in the long ca.n.a.l was entered at 10:30 A. M. Twenty-four cannon announced the flotilla's arrival. The procession that soon formed moved slowly to the capital; after a prayer and an ode, the address of the day was delivered by Philip Hone.

At nine o'clock on Thursday morning, November 3, the flotilla set sail from Albany on the broad Hudson; the ca.n.a.l boats were in tow of strong steamers, the "Chancellor Livingston" leading the way. Unfortunately "Noah's Ark" with its bears and Indians had not kept up with the main procession and did not arrive in time to start for New York. The steamers swept the boats rapidly onward; they were saluted at Catskill, West Point and Newburgh, and arrived at New York at daylight of November 4, anchoring near the state prison.

The steamer "Washington," magnificently decorated, came alongside the "Chancellor Livingston" bearing the committees of the Corporation and the officers of the Governor's Guard. Alderman Cowdrey made an address to which Clinton replied. At nine o'clock the fleet from Albany accompanied by a fleet bearing the Corporation set out for open sea. The spectacle was one to attract much attention. Salutes were fired from the Battery, from the forts on Governor's Island, and from Forts Lafayette and Tompkins. The destination of the pageant was indicated by the U. S.

schooner "Porpoise" which preceded the other craft and moored within the Hook, where the interesting ceremony of wedding the waters of the Atlantic and the Great Lakes was to be held. "... Never before," wrote an enraptured beholder, "was there such a fleet collected, and so superbly decorated; and it is very possible that a display so grand, so beautiful, and we may even add, sublime, will never again be witnessed.

We know of nothing with which it can be compared.... The orb of day darted his genial rays upon the bosom of the waters, where they played as tranquilly as upon the natural mirror of a secluded lake. Indeed the elements seemed to repose, as if to gaze upon each other, and partic.i.p.ate in the beauty and grandeur of the sublime spectacle."[40] At the auspicious moment the Governor of New York permitted the water from Lake Erie to fall into the ocean, saying: "This solemnity, at this place, on the first arrival of vessels from Lake Erie, is intended to indicate and commemorate the navigable communication, which has been accomplished between our Mediterranean Seas and the Atlantic Ocean, in about eight years, to the extent of more than four hundred and twenty-five miles, by the wisdom, public spirit, and energy of the people of the state of New York; and may the G.o.d of the Heavens and the Earth smile most propitiously on this work, and render it subservient to the best interests of the human race."[41] Whereupon the "Young Lion of the West" gave a brave salute from "a pair of brazen lungs" which he had provided for himself at Rochester, and a collation was served on the fleet.

While these inspiriting scenes were being enacted, the greatest procession, it was said, that ever had been formed in America to date, was preparing in the city under the direction of Major-general Fleming; all cla.s.ses were represented, the military and civil societies, educational inst.i.tutions, the city departments, state artillery and benevolent and mechanical organizations, the whole enlivened by the playing of many bands. At 10:30 o'clock the line, one mile and a half in length, began its march. From Greenwich Street, the route was through Ca.n.a.l to Broadway, up Broadway to Broome, up Broome to the Bowery, down the Bowery to Pearl, down Pearl to the Battery, and thence to Broadway and the City Hall. At night the illuminations were beautiful, the commonest being the letter "C" and "Grand Ca.n.a.l;" the New York Coffee House, the City Hotel, Peale's Museum, Scudder's Museum, Chatham and Park theaters had elaborate displays. The illuminations of the City Hall were "surpa.s.singly beautiful." The exhibition of fireworks in New York was said to be the greatest in its history. On Monday evening, November 7, the celebration was concluded by a grand ball at the Lafayette Amphitheatre in Laurens Street; in order to secure the necessary s.p.a.ce required, the floor of the amphitheater was connected with the floors of an adjacent circus building on one side and the floor of a riding school on the other; as a result the largest ball room in America was temporarily formed, measuring two hundred feet in length and from sixty to one hundred feet in width. Above the proscenium were emblazoned the names of the engineers of the "Grand Ca.n.a.l"--Briggs, White, Geddes, Wright, and Thomas; also the names of the past and present ca.n.a.l commissioners--Hart, Bouck, Holly, De Witt, Livingston, Fulton, Clinton, Van Rensselaer, Morris, Eddy, Young, Seymour, Porter, and Ellicott. In the ladies' banquet room a boat made of maple sugar--the gift of Colonel Hinman of Utica to Governor Clinton--floated proudly on Lake Erie water.

At the conclusion of the great celebration the committee from the West departed for Lake Erie, carrying with them a keg of Atlantic water, ornamented with the arms of the city of New York and the following words in letters of gold: "Neptune's return to Pan. New York, 4th Nov. 1825.

Water of the Atlantic."

And the last scene in this old pageant was enacted at Buffalo on November 23; at ten o'clock of the morning of that day the committee, accompanied by a band, were towed out into the basin of Lake Erie; the waters of the Atlantic were poured into the lake, Judge Wilkinson delivering an appropriate address. In the evening a concluding celebration was held at the Eagle Tavern. The waters of the ocean and the Great Lakes were at last united; how largely the celebration was inspired by political interests it is impossible to say. The fact remains that the pageant was one of the most significant in American history and marked a new era in the commercial awakening of America.

CHAPTER V

LOCAL INFLUENCES OF THE Ca.n.a.l

A careful study of the influence of the Erie Ca.n.a.l upon the great commonwealth which built it has been made by Mr. Julius Winden, and the results of his investigation, important and interesting, have been placed at the disposal of the present writer.[42] The entire region affected by the ca.n.a.l, from New York City to Buffalo, is divided by Mr.

Winden into three sections; the first covers the Hudson River valley from the mouth of the Mohawk to the sea; the second includes the Mohawk Valley from the Hudson to Utica where the ca.n.a.l left the valley; the third extends from the Mohawk to Lake Erie. The sections are designated, respectively, as Section A, Section B, and Section C. Again, each section is divided into three cla.s.ses; Cla.s.s I includes the land within six miles of the ca.n.a.l route; Cla.s.s II includes all land between six and twelve miles from the ca.n.a.l route; Cla.s.s III includes all land within the counties tapped by the ca.n.a.l lying at a greater distance than twelve miles from its course. Mr. Winden first discusses the effect of the ca.n.a.l on the population of the counties through which it ran, and thus summarizes his results:

"Of the three sections considered, we have found one, Section A, with a certain condition of the population due to the influence of an old waterway, the Hudson river. Population was concentrated along the banks of the river and decreased as the distance from the river increased. The extension of this waterway into new and broader fields resulted in a very great increase of the concentration of population on the banks of the stream, but had little or no influence on the population at a distance of six or more miles from it.

"The second region, Section B, presented conditions very similar to the one preceding. It was influenced by an old waterway, the Mohawk River, but this waterway was not very serviceable. The population was concentrated along the course of the waterway, but not as markedly as in Section A. An increase in the serviceability of the waterway and an extension into new fields had the effect of concentrating the population along the course of the waterway much greater than in Section A. The region six or more miles from the waterway was little affected or none at all.

"In the third region, Section C, we found a new region, having no waterway and having less population per square mile where a waterway was to be made than the region a short distance from the future course of the waterway. The effect of the waterway was to increase the population very rapidly along its course and produce a great concentration of population there. In the remote region the population was also greatly increased. We also notice that this concentration of population in Cla.s.s I along this watercourse tended to ma.s.s into cities."

The per capita valuation of property next engages attention and the result is thus outlined:

"As before mentioned Section A was an old well-settled region during this period, and although property had a tendency to ma.s.s along the banks of the Hudson and gradually to diminish as the distance from the river increased, still this increase of the valuation of property advanced much more slowly than the increase in population.

"Section B was an old and well settled region, but it was not as old as Section A. Here valuation ma.s.sed along the ca.n.a.l but it did not increase as rapidly as the population, still it increased more rapidly in proportion to the increase of population than did Section A.

"Section C was a new region where the increase in valuation kept pace with the increasing population and even exceeded it.

"A re-invigoration of an old region by increased commercial advantages such as the Erie ca.n.a.l provided for in Sections A and B results in an increase of property within about six miles of that commercial route, but it has little effect outside of that limit. This increase of property, however, does not keep pace with the increase in population, _i.e._ property in this case is more stable and unchangeable than population. On the other hand, in a new region never having felt the influence of a commercial route such as the Erie Ca.n.a.l, property within about six miles of the route increases as rapidly and even more rapidly than the population. This increase of property is not confined within the six mile limit, but extends much farther away from the route than it does in an old well-settled region having previously felt the influence of a commercial route. Thus the extension of a waterway into new fields is beneficial to the region along the banks of the old waterway, but affects the territory a distance from the route little or none at all; while a waterway extended into a new region is of very great benefit to the region immediately along the route and it is also beneficial, to a less degree, to the remote regions. It must be remembered that a waterway is different from a railroad, in that material can be shipped at almost any point, while a railroad has certain stations were material can be shipped; thus a waterway's influence is continuous along the line, while the influence of the railroad is at points where there are stations.

"In the distribution of real and personal property in 1835 very significant results are shown. In Cla.s.s I of Section A the real property per capita was $150.22 and the personal property was $49.11; in Cla.s.s II the real property was $195.96 and the personal $34.34; in Cla.s.s III the real property was $166.49 and the personal was $37.22. The least real property per capita and the least personal property per capita was in Cla.s.s II, and Cla.s.s III was second in both. In Cla.s.s I of Section B the real property was $133.81 per capita and the personal $49.71; in Cla.s.s II the real property was $108.92 and the personal $17.41; in Cla.s.s III the real property was $90.68 and the personal $13.34.

VALUATION PER CAPITA, 1835

_Real_ _Personal_ Section A Cla.s.s I $150.22 $49.11 Cla.s.s II 195.96 34.34 Cla.s.ses I and II 159.78 46.02 Cla.s.s III 166.49 37.22

Section B Cla.s.s I $133.81 $49.71 Cla.s.s II 108.92 17.41 Cla.s.ses I and II 124.61 37.78 Cla.s.s III 90.68 13.34

Section C Cla.s.s I 154.50 26.39 Cla.s.s II 131.19 15.49 Cla.s.ses I and II 146.94 22.85 Cla.s.s III 103.90 14.02

"Both real and personal property were greatest in Cla.s.s I, Cla.s.s II was second in both, and Cla.s.s III was third in both. Cla.s.s I of Section C was first in both real and personal property; Cla.s.s II was second and Cla.s.s III was third in both real and personal property. This section shows the same relations that we find in Section B.

"The location of the real and personal property in the three sections considered indicates very clearly that the personal property was ma.s.sed along the waterway; in Cla.s.s I and as the distance increased from the waterway the personal property diminished."

Of the improvement of land Mr. Winden remarks:

"It may be stated that there was a slight tendency for the improvement of land to increase concomitantly with the increase in population; but the topography of the country and other elements entered in to such an extent as to nearly destroy this parallel growth. The improvement of land is much more stable and less likely to sudden and great changes than is the population. For this reason we would not expect to find as large a per cent of improved land in proportion to the population in Section C as we would find in Section B, nor as large a per cent in Section B as in Section A; because Section A is the oldest in settlement, and Section C the youngest. The per cent of improved land as a whole in the three sections supports this conclusion. But in comparing the various cla.s.ses of each section with each other, however, we do not always find the greater per cent of improved land in the region of the most concentrated population. In Section A, in 1820 and 1825, a larger per cent of land was improved in Cla.s.s II than in Cla.s.s I, while the population in Cla.s.s I was much greater than in Cla.s.s II. In Section B in 1835 Cla.s.s II had a larger per cent of improved land than Cla.s.s I while the population was nearly twice as great per square mile in the latter as in the former. A somewhat similar condition also existed in Section C. In 1820 and 1825 both the population and the per cent of improved land were greater in Cla.s.s II than in Cla.s.s I; in 1835 the per cent of improved land was still greater in Cla.s.s II but the population was much less than in Cla.s.s I. The above conditions indicate that the population and also the wealth increased with such remarkable rapidity in Cla.s.s I along the entire watercourse independently of the topographical conditions and in spite of natural disadvantages. They also indicate that the concentration of population in Cla.s.s I was much greater than the population per square mile taken alone would seem to indicate. This is especially true of Cla.s.s I in 1835."

The effect of the ca.n.a.l on live stock is thus summed up:

"During this entire period Cla.s.ses II and III raised more stock in proportion to their population than did Cla.s.s I. At the beginning of the period in 1820, Cla.s.s II in Sections A and B and Cla.s.s III in Section C raised the greatest number of horses. Cla.s.s III in Sections B and C and Cla.s.s II in Section A raised the greatest number of cattle; Cla.s.s III of Sections A and C and Cla.s.s II of Section B raised the greatest number of sheep. At the close of the period in 1835, Cla.s.s II in all three sections raised the greatest number of horses, Cla.s.s III in Sections A and C and Cla.s.s II in Section B raised the greatest number of cattle. Cla.s.s III in all the sections raised the greatest number of sheep. It is thus clearly seen that the area of the least concentration of population was the region in which stock-raising was most extensively carried on. By this it is not meant that there is a smaller amount of stock raised in a given area, where the population is dense than in a spa.r.s.ely settled region, but that there is a smaller proportion raised to the population."

Mr. Winden's summary in connection with the study of aliens and foreigners is most interesting:

"It is thus clearly seen that if New York State received her just share of all the cla.s.ses of emigrants arriving in the United States during this period, she would have added to her population, a strong, useful and able-bodied cla.s.s of men who would aid her greatly in her development.

"Why this region of concentrated population, the towns along the Erie ca.n.a.l, should contain such a large part of the foreign element is probably due to numerous causes. This was a region of great activity and growth; a place where there was room for unskilled as well as skilled labor of all kinds; it was along a direct route of transportation and travel to the great and growing west and a foreigner knowing nothing about the country and having no definite destination would stop along the route wherever he could make a living. Although chance may have largely determined the location of the foreigners in this new country, his old environment was also an important factor in determining his place of settlement. He came from an old and well settled region in Europe where the population was concentrated and the country often overcrowded and in coming to America he would tend to seek a region of somewhat similar characteristics. He found these conditions with the exception of an overcrowded population in the densely settled country immediately along the Erie ca.n.a.l and the Hudson.

"In turning to the New Englander in New York we find a people of an entirely different education and character from that of the foreigner.

This is seen most strikingly in the choice of their location. They were shrewd, frugal, and hardworking farmers who left their New England homes because they failed to supply their wants. In seeking a new home in the west they naturally followed their old occupation and for this reason we find the larger part of them in the rural region. In Cla.s.s I of Section A, 4.1% was of New England birth; in Cla.s.s II 2.7%, and in Cla.s.s III, 5.2%; in Cla.s.s I of Section B, 5.7%, in Cla.s.s II, 9.7%, and in Cla.s.s III, 10.1%; in Cla.s.s I of Section C, 10.1%, in Cla.s.s II, 10.3% and in Cla.s.s III, 11.7%. The New Englander also tended to shun the large cities. In Albany 5.1% was of New England birth, and in Utica 7.8%, while in Cla.s.s I of Section B, in which these two cities were situated, 5.7% was of New England birth. In Buffalo 9.3% was of this origin and in Rochester 9.6% while in Cla.s.s I of Section C 10.1% originated in New England.

"The preceding discussion leads us to the conclusion that the foreigner was ma.s.sed in the region of concentrated population and especially in the cities, and as the concentration of population diminished, the per cent of foreigners decreased. In other words, along the Erie Ca.n.a.l lay the larger part of the foreign population. Of this foreign population in New York State, the larger per cent was born in Great Britain and her dependencies, and this cla.s.s was chiefly found where the population was thickest. The New Englander const.i.tuted a larger part of those born in other states of the Union and they were found chiefly in the rural regions."

In his study of politics as presented in the territory traversed by the Erie Ca.n.a.l Mr. Winden raises most interesting questions. We quote him in full, appending his notes:

"Turning now to the political aspect in New York State during this period we find a complicated problem. In the election of 1830 there were two important parties. Summing up the principles for which these two important political parties of New York stood in this election, we find that the Anti-Masonic or National Republican party opposed the Masonic order;[43] supported Clay's American policy of protection and the extension of the internal improvement system;[44] catered to the workingmen[45] and opposed the administration of both the national and state government. In other words it was like all new parties, gathering to its fold all the radical elements by adopting some of their ideas.[46] In the campaign which followed they made an aggressive canva.s.s, making the most of the Morgan outrage. The Republican, or Masonic party, as it was called by the Anti-Masons, tried to be indifferent to the Masonic order and disavowed all support of it;[47]

opposed the American system and did not advocate an extensive local improvement system[48] and supported the national and state administrations. They conducted a defensive campaign against the accusations of the Anti-Masons.

"Before considering the vote of the election it is necessary to take a hasty view of the social and economic conditions of the state at that time. Morgan had disappeared in western New York four years before and this had caused a great local opposition to the Masons which had spread throughout the state and even into neighboring states. The internal improvement movement had a.s.sumed stupendous proportions; the state had completed four ca.n.a.ls within the last seven years; the Champlain in 1823, the Erie in 1825, the Oswego in 1828, and the Cayuga and Seneca in 1829. And the people were clamoring for more. Just after the completion of the Erie ca.n.a.l in 1825, pet.i.tions for other ca.n.a.ls had poured in from almost every county in the west.[49] Thus it can be safely said that the entire western part of the state was in favor of internal improvements at public expense.

"Now considering the vote, we find that Section A gave a large majority to Mr. Throop, the Republican candidate. In Section B he also received a majority but not as great as in Section A. In this section an important fact is noticeable, Cla.s.ses II and III gave a smaller majority to Mr.

Throop than Cla.s.s I. These two cla.s.ses having no ca.n.a.ls thus expressed their desire for some means of communication. Section C cast a large majority in favor of Mr. Granger, the National Republican candidate. The result in Section C was just what we should expect. Cla.s.s III of this section which was in most need of some means of communication voted a much larger majority in favor of Mr. Granger than Cla.s.ses I and II. The cities, however, gave a majority to Mr. Throop, Utica casting a larger and Albany a smaller majority than the cla.s.s in which they are situated.

Buffalo also cast a majority in favor of Mr. Throop, although the cla.s.s in which it is situated cast a majority in favor of Mr. Granger. (See table.)

"Thus it is clearly shown that the people largely voted for the respective candidates because they stood for economic principles which were of direct interest to them.[50] The most densely populated east determined the election and Mr. Throop, the Republican candidate, was elected by a vote of 128,842. Mr. Granger received 120,361 votes, mostly from the west and rural regions which were demanding internal improvements, while Mr. Williams, the candidate of the dissatisfied Working Men's party, received 2,332 votes.[51]

ELECTION OF 1830

_Throop_ _Granger_ Section A Cla.s.s I 60% 40% Cla.s.s II 62 38 Cla.s.ses I and II 60 40 Cla.s.s III 60 40 Section B Cla.s.s I 58 42 Cla.s.s II 54 46 Cla.s.ses I and II 57 43 Cla.s.s III 55 45 Section C Cla.s.s I 44 56 Cla.s.s II 44 56 Cla.s.ses I and II 44 56 Cla.s.s III 39 61 Cities Albany 54 46 Buffalo 52- 48+ Utica 60+ 40-

"In the presidential election of 1840, strictly economic principles were not prominent. The Whig National convention met at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, December 4, 1839, and nominated William H. Harrison of Ohio and John Tyler of Virginia for President and Vice-president respectively. They conducted the campaign with unbounded enthusiasm, attacking Van Buren and his financial policy with great energy. Although they adopted no platform, they favored loose construction, the American system of protective tariff, and internal improvement by the national government.

"The Democratic national convention met at Baltimore, May 5, 1840, and adopted a strict constructionist platform, denying the power of Congress to carry on internal improvements,[52] to protect manufactures, to charter a National Bank, or to interfere with slavery in the states. It unanimously renominated President Van Buren, but left nominations for the Vice-presidency to be made by the various states. The simultaneous appearance of the 'Panic of 1837' and Van Buren in the presidential chair produced the belief in the popular mind that he was the cause of that unfortunate financial distress. The vote in New York is likely to indicate the two following facts: where the financial distress was greatest and the region most favorable to internal improvements. Van Buren carried Section A, with the largest majority in Cla.s.s III.

Recalling that this was a rural region, very stable in its population and valuation, we see that it would be least affected by financial distress. Cla.s.ses I and II of Section B were also carried by Van Buren, but the rural region, Cla.s.s III, was carried by Harrison. Section C was also carried by Harrison, with the largest majority in Cla.s.s III. The large cities also gave a majority to Harrison and although Albany and Utica are situated in a cla.s.s which cast a larger vote for Van Buren they gave a majority to Harrison; and even Buffalo gave a greater per cent of its vote to Harrison than the cla.s.s in which it is situated. The large majority in Cla.s.s III of Section C may be accounted for by the enthusiasm for internal improvements in this region and the majority in the cities by their opposition to Van Buren because of the great distress they were subject to during the Panic of 1837.