Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1857-04-01

indisputably the most accessible point in the
whole county for the county seat. The con-
struction of these roads and the location OF
the county seat at Grand Haven has undoubt-
edly improved property in that town and
added to the wealth and prosperity of the
place. But now the electors, after bearing
this great expense and making Grand Haven
the county town, are called upon to do the
same for Eastmanvile. Remove the county
seat to Eastmanville, and what must be the
result? Why roads must be constructed and
various improvements made, at cost of
many thousand dollars, in order to make that
place accessible to the citizens of the county.
Heavy taxes must be raised for these purpos-
es, and why? Not to place the county seat
in the centerof the county, because Eastman
vile is not the center, but to improve dc
property of the Eastman family-to convert
respectable citizens into landed aristocrats.4
Yield to this scheme good citizens; pay your
increased taxes quietly and without grumb-
ling, as in such case you ought to do; build
your Court House, Jail, &C., and construct
your roads to your new county seat, and
when you have done all this, and paid for it,
another Spectator will arise, the owner of land
"exactly in the center of the county, He
will be as hospitable to Supervisors and as
generous to the county as DR.. Eastman is now,
and he will have the same arguments of geo
graphical center which the disinterested DR..
has, but with the additional force of truth; the
pride of Ottawa citizens will be appealed to,
not to be content with county seat away
from the center; an agitation will be got up;
decision of the Board will be secured by
the influence of capital, as it has been in this
case, but with more show of reason, and then
you will be again called upon to remove your
county seat and thus to repair the blunder
you are now called upon to commit by re-
moving it to Eastmanville. Similar expen-
ses will then have to be incurred in making
this new county seat accessible and in erect
ing your public buildings, and in this way
politicians and spectators work together for
their own benefit and at the cost of industri-
GUS citizens who are too attentive to their
daily pursuits and avocations to discover, be-
fore-haDd, the tricks by which they are ROB-
BED of their hard earnings.
Then our Holland fellow citizens are look
ing for a Railroad. They need Railroad,
and they ought to have one. But if they
vote for the removal of the county seat to
Eastmanvillc they will be throwing their in
fuence directly against the construction of
the Lake Shore Railroad. Commerce and
county business are now united as inducements
to construct that road, but remove the county
seat to Eastmanville and they are divided,
the inducement to construct the Lake Shore
road is proportionably lessened, and if that
work were not entirely defeated by such a
course, there is no doubt it would be deferred
until, by the growth of Grand Haven and
Holland, commerce of itself would be suf-
icient inducement. And then when it is
the Hollanders, to avoid travel |
ng on mud road, would take the cars to
Grand Haven and then the steamer to East
nanville, probably losing day Or staying a
hight at Grand Haven. in order to transac,
heir county business; whereas, if the county
'eat be allowed to remain at Grand Haven
t will have powerful influence in securing
he speedy construction of the Lake Shore
Railroad and when constructed would enable |
Iolanders to transact their county business
With but little expense either in time or mon
".
We know there arc many electors who are
Indifferent to this question, and who think,
because they do not happen to have much
ounty business, that it is matter Of but lit
lie consequence to them. But increase of tax
ton is a matter of consequence to all, wheth-
r they have county business or not, and
therefore, we say to all, exercise the preroga-
i've of citizenship and save yourselves from
dditional burdens for the benefit of ambi-
ous spectators and the encouragement of