Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-01-22
GOVERNORS MESSAGE,
DELIVERED BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF INDIANA, JANUARY 9, 1857.
Concludedl

township or election precinct, of not less
than sixty days prior to the time Of voting.
and by the multiplying of election districts
thereby avoiding the collection of large
body of voters at one place, and lesseuing
the facilities for fraudulent voting. Where
few voters are congregated at a single pre-
cinct, there will be little danger Of angry
and excited feeling; the right of suffrage
will be exercised with more freedom and
delberation; and the voters will be more
generally known to each other and the Off
GERS of the election. The penalties for ile-
gal voting and for aiding and abettlng
thereto, either by solicitation. intimidation,
or transportation, should be largely in
creased.
The practice Of betting upon elections is
great and growing evil, tending. more
than any other cause to destroy the purity Of
the 5allot-box, and the practice should be
visited with the severest penalties. The
history of the past year has satisfied me
that, unless some effcctual means can be
adopted 10 project the elective franchise
from corruption. and desecraion, our in
stiiutions will soon be at the mercy of an
unlicensed mob
The Report of the Trustees of the Wa
bash and Erie Canal will be laid before YOU
1t will be seen that Tie Trustees have caus
ed the standing timber on the Birch Creel
Reservoir, in Clay county, to be removed
at very heavy expense; thus allaying all
cause Of complaint on the part Of tie in
habi.ants residing in the vicinity of tha
work. Though the best medical authori
Ties reported, under Il law of the Legislature
that this Standing timber would not prove
Injurious to the health of the surrounding
country, yet so completely did a contrar!
opinion take possession of Tie public mno
in that vicinity, that, on two several occa
sions, since the last meeting Of the Genera
Assembly. that necessary feeder to the ca
nal was destroyed by an armed assemblage
Of a portion of the Inhabitants of the coua-
try.
These outragcs were promptly reported
70 tits department, and lost no time II
adopting such measures as were, in my
opinion, best calculated 10 re-cstablish tht
supremacy OF the laws in that Lither,t
peaceful community. In the exercise oftte
power given by the Constitution. procla
nation was issued; and other outragcs be
ing committed. and threatened; not only up
on the Canal. but on private property, al
adequate force was Immediately despatch
ed 10 the scene OF lawlessness. De.ermin
ed TO sustain the law, restore order, and, i
possible. punish the aggressors. my duty
was plain. Some arrests were made, ant
trials had, which resulted in the dis hargt
of all the persons implicated. Peace anc
order, however, were restored and main
tanned
As the only cause of complaint is now
removed, may we not hope that the peo
pie in the vicinity of the Reservoir, as wei
as all other citizens, Will refrain from fur
her hostility and violence to the works
and structures of the Canal? The trustees
had perfect right to construct the Reser-
voir, and that they adopted the mode of its
construction from the original plans and
surveys of the State authorities, and by
the examples of other States, arc matters
which admits of no doubt That the per.
sons engaged in the destruction of THE Res
ervoir, were misled by the bel,f that the
health of the county was endangered BY
the timber submerged land, is equally clear
and undoubted; and ifarything could jus
tify their conduct, this mistaken conviction
would be a pallia;ion Of it.
IL will be seen by reference to the report
of the Trustees, that there is serious dim
mutton of the receipts of toll on the Canal
as compared with the income Of 1854, and
the receipts of the preceding year By
the report Of 1855, made to this depart
ment, it will be observed that the tolls for
that year fall short, more than forty lhous-
and dollars, Of The income Of the previous
year; and that the receipts for the year just
closed, show still further decrease OF
twehty-sIx thousand dollars below the rev.
enue OF ls55-making. in two years, an
aggregate decrease Of sixty-six thousand
dollars.
his decline in the revenues of the Ca
nal, seems quite extraordinary; and especi
allya it is believed that that the NAVIGATION
was maintained with fewer interruptions
than occurred in the year when the reve
nue. yielded the highest income. The re-
port of the Trustees will explain this extra
ordinary decrease; and to tha. report your
attention is respectfully directed.
1t is gratifying to have the assurance,
contained i'm the repOrt of the Trustees