Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1838-04-11
Frsm the Detroit Daily Free Press

hEMARhS OF NIX. LANCASTER,
in the House of Representatives., March
II, 1888, on the bill further to establish
the location Of the State Southern Rail.
road.
Mr.. SPEAKER: | have remained silent
in my place during this whole debate |
have paid strict attention TO all that has been
said on both sides of this question. My
anxiety is great, painfully so, when know
from personal knowledge that those who
have spoken arc wholly passes, wholly un-
informed and misinformed, blindly led on
by interested persons out of this House,
duped and deluded by intentional errors,
ignorant Of the true facts in the case, Who'll.
ly ignorant Of the country through which
the road sci forth in the report Of the ma
jority Of the committee, who have for six
weeks detained the Legislature under pre-.
tence of doing some great thing, some
mighty thing, for the benefit Of the people
Of the southern tier of counties in this state.
would not speak horshly of those who hon.
estly differ with me in opinion, neither would
| impugn their motives. But this palliating
language is not intended for all. No, sir !;
of those who are honest in their intentions,
Of those who can lay their hands upon their
breasts and say that they are actuated by
high and honorable motives in the great
and important decision which VIC are ab )ut
to make, would | crave an audience. |
would gladly lead them through the mazes
and network of contradictions, spun and
knit together by practical demagogues and
interested partizans; | would lead them to
the country and place to be affected by our
action, to the western division of the south.
ern railroad.
And though the question before the house
is upon trifing amendment, yet | would
be understood as opposed to the amend
mcnt and 10 the bill itself, and, if it be not
out OF order, will pass from the discussion
Of the amendment to the merits of the bill.
| am opposed to it. II contemplates a
change of the present location of the south.
ern railroad from Centreville to Niles, by
the way of Lockport and Cassopolis, thence
to New Buffalo.
And what do the honorable members who
have SO warmly and vchemen,ly advocated
tho propriety of this contemplated change
know, Of their own information, of their
own personal observation? They all say
that they discard the mass Of testimony
now lying in heaps upon the clerks desk,
as worthless trash, as SO much poison TO
Justice, as distorted statements of interested
individuals. on the issue of which they have
thousands and tens Of thousands depend.
ing-the quintessence and droppings of that
six weeks investigation. | ask, on what
do they base the ground Of their arguments,
on what do they dependl From what source
do they derive their convictions?
You well remember that proposed 10
read onl, such of that evidence as would
be received in court of Justice, and what
was the result Ii was this-;hat all the
disinterested evidence, when carefully ex-
tracted from that mass, went clearly to show
Eyes, sir, it carried its own powerful, con.
vincing truths, home to every unbiased
mind-that the present location is the one,
and the only one, which this state should a.
dept as her own great thoroughfarc.
Then | ask again, sir, on what do the
friends Of this bill lean for support Look
at their arguments, and what do we see and
hear What has the honorable chairman
Of that committee unblushingly said Sir
he has said that the committee did not rely
upon the testimony adduced before tha
committee that they resorted to their own
information, 10 their own knowledge of the
facts; that they spread out the map before
them, and on that they relied. And then
as il TO choke OFT ciisctually all further in.
yccss.;SSntion, he refers US TO their able report
the produce Of that six weeks traraii--tha
abortion.
Mr.. Speaker hope before | take my
seat, | shall be able to give my views upor
a part of that celebrated report, but vii
discuss but one thing at time, and as bu
two reasons are given for this bel!igeren
attack upon the road, viz (: the appearance,
Of the country, as shown by the map, AM
the "awful disclosures" contained in tn
report, ! will discuss each separately, an
then close my remarks by adding my view
upon the true policy to be pursued by tn
state in regard to this matter.
would ask, then, by what authority, an
in what manner was the southern railroa
} located ! Why did no; the legislature Q:
tablish the intermediate points Why di
she authorize her commissioners to loca'
the whole line from Monroe TO New Buff;