Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1846-10-28
INTERNAL IMPRovEMENrs.-We mus

tHe poSitiOHs Hc idhes vi iiiC quCsloh va
Internal Improvements by the State; never
theless, We cannot fully recede from the
ground VIC took in our last. 1t S possible We
were somewhat too restrictive in our views,
but be we must think our posit ion in the
main correct. We hardly meant that
state should never encourage works Of
internal improvement We, nor no other
person, we imagine, would have any obiec.
ton TO state passing all necessary laws TO
protect and encourage individuals in enter.
prises of the kind, but we think state
should never be interes ed in works of in
lie NAL improvement, as party engaged in
| tn cir construction.
There my be times when it would
be polite IN every point of Jew to con-
siruct certain Improvements, as in the case
of the Erie Canal; but the principle is bad
one, and should not be tolerated or es'ub-
lished. AS we said before, when the cor
| struction of work is profitable, whatever
its magnitude, individuals will be found TO
do ii, and those who enjoy its tenefits will
pay for it, and remunerate the builders. Ii
! is possible that with our view of the case,
The country might not be intcrsected with
canals and railroads quite so rapidly as it
has been, but we do not think when we
look abroad over the face ofthe country and
take into account all the circumstances and
conditions CONNECTED with the works we
have, that the country would have been
worse off for the original establishment Of
the principle for which we Contend Nearly
every state in the Union is over head and
ears in debt, and som, without the hope or
prospect of paying. The people are not
only resting under the obloquy of unpaid
Indebtedness with their property mortgaged,
but their enterprise and industry are also
paralyzed by heavy taxation. If the princi-
pie we advocate had prevailed, there would
have been but few less works of profitable
improvement in the country than there now
| are land people would not have been oppre IS
ed and taxed 20 death 10 pay for foolish and
improbable ones. Our progress as ma
ton might be lille slower, blu. 1t would
be surer; and this lax condition of morals
which has its foundation in great measure
in the system Of credit and Indebtedness,
would not have existed. But without ar
guing these details, we think the principle
we started on is correct one; that govern
ments are not established for such purposes,
and that a state has no right TO take the
property of citizen TO pay for works
of improvement without his individual con.
sent. We do not think whatever motives
of policy may be urged in fa.or it, that the
people Of Racine will believe il right 10 tax
them TO construct rail road from Milwau-
kee TO the Mississippi, any more than the
people Of Milwaukee will 10 construct one
from this point to the Mississippi. The
most our new STATE ought 10 do, is 10 pass
general laws Oh the subject, by which in
dividuals can unite for these purposes.
THE SUFFRAGE QUESTION Mad-
son we learn that the report on Suffrage
| by Moses Nj Sroug, has been substantially
adopted by the Convention. There have
been amendments, requiring the fling Of "A
declaration, and residence of one year.
A propos iton to submit separately TO The
! people the question rs 10 whether negroes
should be entitled 10 the right of suffrage,
was rejected. This we do not like. There
is large class, if not majority ofthe peo-
pie OF the territory, who believe that all per-
sons who live under and are compelled to
abide by the laws and government Of the
land, and who are taxed 10 support such
laws and government should have a voice
in their formation. The Convention might
safely and properly, we think, have followed
the plan of the N. Y. Contention in this
respect, by embracing the separate sub
IN ssion proposition.
o. Rapid as was the progress of settles
ment in northern Wisconsin, Obat portion
included in the Green Bay Lind district.
in 1S45, it would seem TO have been small
in comparison with the progress Of AS,
| Judging from statements published in the
Green Bav Advocate, exhibiting the a
noun, Of public lands sold a, the land of
flee in that Place during the months of Ju-
ly, August, and September of the former