Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1857-03-25
WHOLE NUMBER 2e2.


of the Comfy seat to the snug little, quiet
country place called Eastmanvile." The
very name, undersuch circumstances, possess
ed charm for the warmed up enthusiasm
Of the honorable Board. They we'll knew
that there, away from populations away from
any newspaper or printer, they could have .
"good time" at the county expence, and per-
form their wire pulling operations with but
little danger Of being exposed by the press o.
scrutinezed by the people, and self-interest OF
self-gratifcation, which is SO large an element
of most men, naturally led them to decide ac-
cordingly. Even supposing that after time
newspaper should be started at Eastman
vile, would become, necessarily more or less,
influenced by the county officers themselves.
and would not have the independence to ex-
pose their misdoings, whereas in Grand Haven
with democratic paper on one side and
republican paper on the other, whichever par
ty came into power in the county, the officers
would be subjected to the wholesome criticism
of the press and to the watchfulness of a larger
population than is ever likely to inhabit or
visit Eastmanville. 1t is the same in respect
to county seat as it is in the location of a
national capitol Had the capitol been at
New York instead of at Washington, the
more Independent press Of the former city,
sustained by commerce more than by politics,
would have better opportunity of reporting
the proceedings of Congress, and we should
not be dependent upon the telegraphic re-
ports OF one or two reporters who may have
partial views in politics, for ourreports Of Con-
gressional proceedings, but we should have
the accurate reports of disinterested Journals
which are competing with each other in the
correctness Of their statements, whilst the
structures of Independent editors would be far
more just and reliable than those of the host
of Washington correspondents, who, to make
up for the deficiency Of their income from
writing, not uncommonly resort to the practice
of lobby agency" and sometimes to those
corrupt practices of which recent exposures in
Congress afford examples Let us not then,
in the location of our county capitol or Court
House fall into the error of placing it where
corruption can most easily exist and where
practices could be carried on which proximity
to editors and to population would generally
prevent.
VII. Proximity to Lawyers and other
professional men, aOitnesses, jurors, de-, ne
cessarily required IN all cases of legal pro-
cess, to avoid expence to hgitants, and delay
IN the prosecution Of suits IN Cowt-Any
one who has had the privilege of paying a
Lawyers bill will appreciate the necessity or
advantage of having the Court House of
county near to where lawyers reside, as con-
siderably reducing the item of Expenses"
Lawyers necessarily reside where commerce
is carried on, and therefore they will be found
in Grand Haven when it is not likely that
they will reside at Eastmanville in sufficient
numbers to make fair competition, and Ii
tigants would either have to pay the expen-
ses of their lawyer in coming from some other
part of the county and living during the ses-
sion Of a court at Eastmanvile, or employ
men at their own price at Eastmanvle. Wit.
nesses jurors, and all engaged in Court busi-
ness would necessarily be moro easily obtained
at point like Grand Haven, where the rail.
roads will diverge East, North, and South,
and where navigation is so good West, than
they possibly could at Eastmanville. The
delay Of Courts, always attended with great
expence, as was the case with the trial last
spring of the criminal, Spanccr, would be far
more likely to take place at Eastmanville
than at Grand Haven, as must be evident
from all preceding considerations. Law is at
all times expensive enough, and why should
the county subject itself to such additional
expences when they can be avoided by al
lowing the county buildings to be erected,
according to the original intention, at the site
selected, many years since, by one of the most
eminent judges of the State, an inhabitant
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