The Illinois free trader. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1840-1841, 1840-09-25
from such men as Ogden, Beaumont and
WILSON, as they have sentiments and feel.
ings more congenial to his own.
A DEMOCRAT
MesIs. Wearer d Hse-

MksIs. Wtarer d Hse-
consider it the privilege of any indi-
dividual, when he sees the public trust
ana iaith abused, the public money squan-
uered anu wasted, and the law of the land
uaringly violated, to show wherin and to
what extent the public have sustained
loss. shall speak of only one item at
present. VIZ: the water lime or Roman
cement, upon the Illinois and Michioan
canal. For furnishing this Messrs. Nor
ton and Steel have contract with the
Board of Commissioners at the rate of 80
cents per bushel, for all that may be re-
quired to complete the canal, which will
take some 100000 bushels, amounting to
100000. Now assert, and challenge
contradiction, that, had not that contract
been secretly let, it would have been taken
by practical and responsible men at 25
cents per bushel, which would have saved
100000 to the state. Is this any thing
more than flching money from the people
to fill the pockets of some wealthy Cana
dians and Scotchmen, who were so fortu-
nate as to flatter the pride and ambition
OF said commissioners and induce them TO
give them the above contract at their own
terms ! and is it not an imposition upon
the people, and gross violation of the
law that delegates to the Commissioners
the authority to let contracts By the 23d
section of the Act of 9th of January 1886,
authorizing the construction of the Illinois
and Michigan Canal, it is enacted that
'Publlc notice shall be given of the time
and place at which proposals will be re-
ceived for entering into contracts, which
notice shall be previously published for
at least six weeks in a newspaper printed
at Chicago, and in such other papers eli
Their in this state or elsewhere, as NAV be
deemed proper" 1t was, therefore, the
imperative duty of the Board of Commits
sioners to publish their intention of letting
TIE above contract.
But the manner i'll which this whole aE
fair is conducted is very singular. There
is no person on the part of the state to-
receive this cement, or to see wether it is
cement or not, or whether it holds out in
weight or measuse, or to attend to any
thing at all connected with this most I'M
portam item of the great work. Now it
is my opinion that the article furnished
by Mr.. Steel on the Western Division is
not cement. There never was more thar
one strata of cement on section 1877, the
place where Mr.. Steel pre,ends to get his,
and that was long since hauled away by
John Green, Esq. and burnt, ground, and
made use OF in building the guard lock OH
the Fox River feeder. 1t is true, Mr..
Steel finds 4 material there thrown out up
on the banks, composed of sand, earth,
and common lime stone, but it contains,
if any, the smallest quantity of water
lime.
On the Pcacamsungum there is any
quantity of waterlimc, which was tested by
VIM. Bcyrn and approved by the Board
of Commissioners OH the 9th of May
1898; but not being so handy, the con-
tractors have refused to get an article that
would be of service to the state, and, in
stead of it, they are furnishing material
that is no better than ashes. trust our
next legislature will investigate this mat
ter, together with the many Others that
the people demand, and appoint such men
to Office as will obey the laws aud dis
charge their duties with fidelity and i'm
partially. A CITIZEN ON THE CANAL.
....ft