The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1852-12-07
saut Canal Prospects.


The time will soon arrive when our Legisla.
ture will be called upon to dispose OF the grams
of land. recently made to this State for the
construction of the most important public
work at the North West, and the success OF
this project for connecting Lake by means Oh
a Ship Canal depends entirely on the plan mat
shall bo adopted for its construction. we
have, from time to tire, attempted to snow
the impracticability and impossibility OF build
ing the canal speedily as State work; no one
has had the boldliness to advocate such poll
cy. and still we have marked its advocates
privately insinuating preferences ior TINS
course, which cannot be undertaken, IN QUE
opinions, without destroying all hopes OF nav
ing this work completed in the next ten years
There is an itching on the part Of some per-
sons fingers for the Slow handling of this land:
there is desire on the part Of Others that
may be mado State work, we'll knowing tnas
it will be an effectual way of staving it on
indefinitely. We have looked upon the select
ing of these lands at this time as tending 10
tho same end, and we have opposed it as iii-
advised, and uncaled for, and as calculated to
delay, if not to defeat, the proposed work.
And because we opposed this stop OF the Gov
ernor on the eve of an election, we are arraign-
ed by many partizen judges--men who weigh
all interests in party scales, and degrade the
most important measures to q level with tneif
preiudices. for overstepping what they choose
to call tho bounds of independence in politics.
Honestly believing this course of our Govern
or wrong. and calculated to defeat this great
measure, we opposed it then when it made its
first appearance. and We oppose 1t now. ana
will continue to do so, for the same reasons
We care not whether he be Democratic or Q
Whig Governor, who thus attempts to forestail
the action of the Legislature on this subject.
and, in our humble opinion, endanger the sue
cess of this important work.
AS TO the appointed Agents on Lake Superb
or for selecting these lands. we do not now,
| and we never have said aught against them
Messrs Douglass. Rathburn and Mitchell are
among tho most respectable men in tho coun-
try, and if the lands are to bc selected in this
way they would be good men and true for this
business; but our objection was and is against
the policy and not the men. We take the
ground that capitalists would not give over
half as much for these lands selected by the
| Governors Agent in this manner as they
would to have the privilege of selecting them.
selves. We have the testimony of several
parties, who are able and willing to take the
land and build the canal, to the truth of this
| position; and if we had not the common sense
| of every man who be sufficient TO determine
this question: and where is the objection to il,
| Who has heard real argument against this
reasonr BILE course:
One of tho Agents seems to think that this
would bo giving to the contractors to great
chance for making money-that half of the
donation of land in their hands would build
the canal, that it would be fostering great
and awful monopoly! What can we infer from
this but that the Governor can keep half n
dozen Agents employed in selecting lands
about the State, at the expense Of the Canal
donation, in order to deal out to the contract
ors such an average of poor and good land as
will prevent them from making too much
money out of the operation?
Such sage pulley viii be satisfactory 10
the worst enemy; it would justify the estab-
fishing of few land offices, the appointing Of
officers and surveyors to eat up the substance
of this donation. rs was done in similar case
with grant of land few years ago. We
look upon this manner of selecting the land as
involving unnecessary expense, that there 10
moro too much land with which to build such
canal as is contemplated by the Act and
such as is demanded by the commerce and
business of the lake. Let the building of tho
work be thrown open to competition and let
that party have the whole Of tho land who will
| give the best security for building it in the
shortest time and in this way the work will be
speedily commenced and speedily completed.
Lake Superior Journal.