Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-06-23
says, to sell and remove there, Such is enc !
of the eusiosities eff this region,

sss:sE -
says, to sell and remove there, Such is enc !
Of the eufiosiiies ef this region,
There is nothing in this country that
devours the verdue Of hill-very few stones
not one of the detached stones called Bould.-
ers, so common in Ohio and other States,
have | seen in Illinois Springfield, the
seat of the State government, is larger
town than | anticipated. | was there told
lha, it contained about 5000 people. 1t is
low and fiat. bat very rich soil. They
have q splendid Statehoase Of hewn stone,
building standing in the centre OF a pub.
lie square which is fenced and set to trees.
Their court house is good brick building.
But, as spent but short time there, lean
give but little of interest respecting the
place. The Editor of the State Register,
the Democratic paper, found very gen.
tlemanly, and obliging. The poliiic0 con.
test is now approaching here, not for the
election Of State officers, for there is none
10 be elected this ensuing fall-no legisla-
lure next winter-but the bank bill, passed
by the late legislature, is to be submitted,
in November, to vote OF the electors, TO
be by them sactioned or rejected, and the
discussion of i is going on in the papers
with some spirit thus early. 1t is call
Free Bank bill, by its friends. The State
Register, and most Of the Democrats, op-
pose it. think the vote Of the people will
sanction the enactment, so as TO make bank
ing monopoly free, as in Ohio. Free to
the rich, at least To me it appears plain,
that banking is to be free to all as other
business is. That has been the tendency OF
legislation for several years. To that it
must come after the legislatures of the
States have spent few more thousands
Of the peoples money to preserve the mon>
opoly of banking, to the rich and cunning,
as past legislatures have heretofore spent
millions for that object. The people want
the liberty to use bank bills, at leust q por-
lion of them think they do, and every at
tempt to restrict that liberty has recoiled on
its authors. We have enacted laws in Ohio
against the use of bank bills Of other States,
made their circulation highly, penal-haye
enacted laws against the circulation Of all
bank bills under FIVE dollars. But what
did those laws avail? They were not
needed. we democrats do not wish TO use
paper money ourselves, il is not quite cer-
tain that it is just or democratic to prohibit
others the use of it, in good faith and hon.
esiy. 1t strikes me, as it has Tor several
years, that the atiemps Of democratic legis-
lators in Ohio to furce their hard money
system on the people, has caused US several
defeats, though i. will finally come out right,
in free trade banking, to which legislation
is evidently verging, though not yet arrived
at, 'to that il must come al last after the
rate Of interest is reduced.
Think that party lines are not drawn as
tight in illinois as in Olio, and the relax
alton is perhaps, but Of the last few years,
giving the advantage 10 the wings, for in
several counties where | have been, no
democratic paper is printed now, though
some Of them have formerly supported one.
In Madison county including in ii The city OF
Alton, and numbering more than 10000
people, they have now but one paper
which is Wing and is published by Judge
Bailbache and son. I he Judge was form.
erly whig publisher at Columbus, Ohio.
In Jersey county, which joins Madison on
the north there is but one paper neutral
one. In Morgan county there is but one,
q whig paper, published at Jacksonville.
The soil and face of the country Of Iii.
nois are so peculiar, they strike the mind
of one not accustomed to prairie lands SO
strangely, that must devote some more
space to their description. From Chicago
TO the South and South West, along the
canal, the extensive level praires seen from
the boat and often apparently wet-even
fooled, did hot strike me very favor
ably; and as they were there not much
cultivated, much doubled whether they
are valuable. But the psaries OF the in
terior,as saw them in cultivation, travelled
over them, and observed their products,
and the soil as saw it dug from several
| feet below the surface, was most rare to
behold. They stelch off hundreds Of miles
between the Illinois and Wabash rivers,
and westword Of the Illinois, and their ap.
pearaDce, both the surface and the soil,
and their products, are like the best bottom
lands on the large rivers of Ohio, except
that they are not subject to overflow. The
manner Of cultivation too, is remarkable.
Scattered over those extensive praries are
| groves OF timber more or less abundant
in many parts quite too scarce for the con.
yenience of settlers; and oil of those
groves are entered years ago, so that those
who would locate land warrants or enter
land now, must be content 20 enter oil
prairie, and buy, if they can, few acres
Of timber Of some person owning the near.
est grove; and in some OF the groves tim
ber lands sell high. Where timber is
scarce, those who commence to cultivate,
fence their lands by ditching; the process
of which will try TO describe briefly
They dig ditch three fee, wide at top
and are four feet at bottom. The turf is
laid up edgewise inside of the field, the
grass side out, and leaning little from the
ditch, the under earth is laid back side OF,
and heaped against the turf thus making
ditch, 3 feet in depth, and turf barrier,
8 feet high, on the ditch which makes q
tolerable good fence AMI is made for 25
cents rod. And it looks well too when
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