Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1854-02-08

The Otta,ua and Kent Resolutions ON the Tao
La,os and the Scamp Lands.
The Grand Rapids Enquirer, of a late date,
contains "certain resolutons purporting to have
been adopted by the Board Of Supervisors" of
Kent county, at their sitting, January IL, 1854,
viz:
Resolced, That in the opinion of this Board, the
Tax Law of 1883, is sound In principle and detail
and that no material change is advisable.
Resolved, AS the sense of this Board, that the
acts of 1851 and 1883 providing for the disposition
of the Swamp Lands are ample and sufficient
for the purposes of the grant; thatwe wish to see
the nett avails of these lands in the Treasury of
the State, in the hope that the sum may ultimate
ly be disposed of for the use of common schools"
Did the Ottawa resolution, with regard to the
system Of returning all delinquent taxes to the
Auditor Generals office, give any ground for the
inference that they are opposed to the principle
of the tax law of 1853! Did our oracular
friends make any inquiry into the merits of the
proposed change? Our State taxes are already
of small amount and one of our best and wisest
statesmen assured us, some time since, that
" With economy and judicious legislation, n few
years will enable us to liqudate our public debt,
and reliere the people entirely from State tara
tiOn" When we arrive at this good time, which
is coming, where will be the necessity of send
ing our local taxes to Mr.. Swegles and his
clerks for collection? Wherein will be the Pc
cuar +" soundness in detail" in sending our
county and township taxes up to Lansing, and
bringing back the money at heavy expense I!
We can hardly expect our friends, of Kent
to take the same view of the Swamp Land
question which we do because it is not for their
pecuniary interest to do SO.
Congress designedthis grant 10 be a local ben
eft, to promote the sale of the government
lands in the vicinity of the Swamp Lands, and
TO remove the local evils which they produce.
We demand that their intention be faithfully
carried out, and that we have the local benefit
of the drainage Of the Swamp Lands as Con-
gress designed we should.
We have no objection whatever to the final
disposition of the nett proceeds, for the benefit
of the Primary School fund, provided the pri-
mary object of the grant is first fairly accom-
pished.
But there is large party, against whose pol
icy our resolution was aimed, who will consider
this as a consent on the part of Kent county to
their nefarious projects, who grudge us, and In
tend to rob us of the great local advantage to
be derived from the drainage Of our swamps.
They demand that they be sold as rapidly rs
possible, without any provision whatever for
their drainage, trusting to be able thus to blink
the main question entrely,by putting the lands
out of the reach of future legislation.
To show the bearing of this policy, we will
compare its effect upon the counties of Kent and
Ottawa.
There are probably four times as many acres
of Swamp Lands in Ottawa county as in Kent.
Ottawa, therefore,, suffers four times as much,
in the injury to the health, in the diminished re-
sources consequent upon having such large bod
les of unproductive lands in our midst, and in
the increased expenses of making roads and
bridges over them. Now, if we are cheated out
of their drainage, we are robbed of the only
benefit, which will bear any proportion to the
evil. If the avails are placed in the Primary
School fund, they will be apportioned to the
counties in the same manner as interest monies
now are.
In 1851, Kent county received from the
School fund, 81 1923 90, and Ottawa only s444
40. Kent county received more than four dol
lars to our one. Thus, if this party succeed in
defrauding us of all the local advantages, which
law and justice both give us, from this grant,
four-ffths of the avas of the Swamp Lands in
our country, are to be handed over to our mag
unanimous neighbors in Kent county, for the
support Of their schools! In view Of these
facts, we think the legislation which the Ottawa
resolution calls for proper and necessary, to
protect the rights of Ottawa county
VINDIcAToR.
To the Editor of the "Times"