Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1842-12-13


Lake Erie To the Ohio at CincinnaI.-
II must be apparent, that the Flushing Of
this link in that great chain Of communi.
cation, is necessary 10 render useful 10
the State, large amount of money al
ready expended, Ss we'll as TO render
the whole available to the citizens, for
the purpose originally designed, 1t is
also certain, that great loss is Justly ap-
pre- rehended from dilapidation, necessarily
incident 10 works of that kind, while they
remain unoccupied. Every motive Of in
teresl, therefore, rs we'll as laudabIe de-
sire 10 see the entire completion Of our
system Of internal improvement, unite in
demanding Of the Legislature a careful
consideration Of the subject.
In crisis like the present, when all
business is labOring under depression
unpre cedented in our history, the duty
Of the Legislature, in acting upon sub
iects which involve increased taxation
and further liabilities, is rendered 'X
tremelv arduous and dangerous. Impor
tant questions concerning currency, af-
fecung necessarily all pursuits and every
| class Of business, questions that hav"
been agitated for at least five years in the
National councils, still remained unset
tied. 1t is scarcely possible, in this state
of things, that such regularity and cer>
tainty can be attained in the aPproprla'
ton Of either labor or capital as are in
dispensable to condition of ordinary
prosperity. The lI-judged and ruinous
legislation, both State and National, on
these subjects, has exerted its bancful
influence upon the cuuntry so long, and
hy necessary consequence, so affected
the credit uf States, MS we'll as indvidu>
ais, that loans on the credit Of the Sta'e.
for the prosecution of the most laudab
enterprise, cannot now be made on terms
which, in better times, wero considered
reasonable and just.
With a view TO discharge existing debts
for work done on the Wabash and Erie
Canal and Miami Extension, and to push
them forward to completion, the Legis
lature, at the ST session, authorized the
Commissioners Of the Canal Fund to is
sue Bonds, receivable for lands ceded by
Congress to aid the State in the consiruc
ton of these works. The act provided
that Bonds to the amount Of three hun
dred thousand dollars should be issued
receivable for lands granted for the con
struction Of the Wabash and Erie Canal,
and like Bonds to the amount of two hun
dred thousand dollars receivable for lands
granted To aid the construction Of the
| Miami Extension. Under this act, the
Fund Commissioner have issued in Bonds
chargable on lands granted to the Miami
Extension, one hundred and twenty two
thousand six hundr and tive dollars
and nineteen cents, and on the Wabash
and Erie Canal lands, bonds TO the a
mount of eighty-three thousand and
twenty six dollars. These bonds were
intended TO be paid TO contractors. To
insure, as far as possible, the holders a.
gainst loss, the Legislature provided a
mode ofinvestmeut, by ordering The ca.
nal lands ON both lines to be offered for
sale, at times TO be fixed and advertised
by the Governor Of the State. In dis
charge Of the duties assigned me under
this law, procured from the General
Land Office at Washington, The requi.
site maps and evidences Of title, and ad
ysrtised sales at each of The Land Offices
Of the State; that at Maumee city, 10 be
held on the 25lh day oi May, ls42, and
that al Lima, on the lst day of June fol
10 wing. These lands were appraised by
authority of law, ana no tract could be
sold for less than its appraised vaIne, and
in no instance for less than two dollars
and fifty cents per acre,
The sales were kept open at each of.
fce for the term Of two weeks, and
large amount of Bonds receivable for
each class Of The lands and had been pre-.
viOuSly issued aud received by contract.
ors, yet the actual sales, as reported BY
The officers, were 80 small as to render
It certain that the Bonds of the State
were considered by holders in general as
more valuable than the lands at the min.
imum pliCe fixed by law. The sales of
the Wabash and Erie Canal lands amunn.
ted to only twelve thousand nine hundred
and seventy five dollars, ,&of hose belong
ing to the Miami Extension, to The sum
If sixteen thousand and sixty four dollars.
In all cases, the lands sold were paid for
in Bonds. From This attempt, | became ,
satisfied that further sales, in amount /
arge enough to justify the incidental ex>
,anses, could not be made. | therefor
ook no measures, after the sale in June
asst, to put these lands in market. sub.
nit to the Legislature the proprety of
educing the minimum price Of these
Ands, as at present established by law,
9 the only mode by which il seems prac.
icable 10 effect sales Of them at this time.
n determining this question, the neces
tiles of contractors who have rec eived
|onds, and value Ofland, will at once sug, {
est themselves as bearing directly upon
ny measure on this subject, which may
ecOme necessary to adopt. The Reports
the Board of Public Works, and the 8