The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-01-13


commend that some steps be taken by
you with q view of making a full and
complete geological survey of the
State. "A great portion Of the labor is
already completed. The annual re-
ports made to The Legislature, by DIR.
Houghton, during the time he acted as
estate Geologist," will aid very ma
terially in the consummation of such
a work. The expense attending it
will be mere trifie in comparison to
the great advantages yearly to be de-
rived from thorough knowledge of
of the geology of our State.
The policy of the elective franchise,
is another subject well worthy of your
consideration. The theory of our gov
eminent is. that the majority shall rule,
and when this theory is fairly and legiti-
mately put to practice, no man has Just
cause Of complaint. The constitution
of our State fixes the qualifications of
the elector, and declares, that no citizen
or inhabitant shall be entitled to vote
at any election, unless he shall be above
the age of twenty one years, and has
resided in this State three months, and
in the township or ward in which he
offers to vote, ten days next preceding
such election. Whoever casts his vote
in violation of this constitutional pro-
vision, strikes a blow at the rights Of
all. Our revolutionary fathers did not
hesitate to wage war with Great Bri-
tain, that we might govern ourselves,
and elect orr own rulers. This great
right of self-government, and of elect.
ing our rulers by majority of legal
votes, is right that should be sacredly
guarded. Whoever seeks to carry an
election by illegal votes, is an enemy to
your liberties, and yet Illegal votes are
polled at every election. The constitu-
ton provides "that laws may be passed
to preserve the purity of elections and
guard against abuses of the elective
| franchise. Every good citizen has an
interest in preserving the purity of the
the ballot box, no matter to what party
he may belong. Our laws upon this
subject are not, in my opinion, suffic-
-iently guarded. 1 ask you to enact a
law requiring every voter, as condi-
ton to his right Of voting, to cause his
name to be registered at least ten days
before an election, in a record to be
kept for that purpose by some proper
officer, under such rules and regulations
rs your good sense may dictate. / be-
lieve that such law is demanded by
great majority of the people of the
State, and would do much towards pre-
venting illegal voting. ol'
Congress, by an act approved upon
the Sd day of June, 1856, granted to
the State of Michigan, to aid IN the
construction of certain railroads, in
the aggregate not far from two millions,
two hundred thousand acres of land.
The act making this cession expressly
declares "that the lands hereby granted
shall be exclusively applied in the con-
struction of thatrOad for and on account
of which such lands are hereby granted
and shall be disposed of only as the
work progresses, and the same shall be
applied to no other purpose whatever u
The State, by an act of her Legislature
approved upon the 14th day of Febru.
airy, 1857, accepted of this grant, with
the restrictions and upon the terms and
conditions contained in the act of Con-
gress. The roads in aid of which this
grant was made, have all been located
and surveyed, excepting those located
in the Upper Peninsula,) and have an
aggregate length of over eleven hun
dred and fifty miles. The building of
them is of vital Importance to us. They
are chiefly located through the unsettled
portions of the State, and no one can
estimate the great advantages to be
derived from their construction. AT
least thirty millions of dollars will have
to be expended to fully complete and
equip them for business, and majority
of this vast amount of capital must be
brought here from foreign ports, and
distributed among our mechanics and
laboring men, thereby adding to the
individual wealth of our citizens and
to the wealth of our State. True policy
requires that you should be liberal with
these roads. Foster and encourage
them, and in so doing you will promote
the prosperity of the State. You should
claim nothing from them nthe strength
of the grant made by Congress. The
State bears to them the same relation
that the guardian bears to the ward
and faithfully in all things should she
perform the duties of that guardian
ship. 1t is claimed that the act of Feb
1857, places upon these roads a tax toe
burdensome to be borne, and one dis
proportional to the tax paid by the
roads now in operation. These new
roads Ito be built, as they must be
through an entire wilderness,) ought
not to be taxed too high, or at all events
no higher than the roads already con.
structed through the settled portions
of our State. / respectfully call your
attention to the different acts of legis
lation upon this subject, andrecommend
that they be SO amended that the bur
den of taxation will be equally borne
by all the different roads in proportion
to their several capacities. go
The subject of the swamp land grant
is one of no ordinary interest to the
people Of this State. Congress-, by an
act approved on the 2sth day of Sept.
1850, granted to the State of Michigan
the swamp lands within her limits, tc
enable her to construct the necessary
levees and drains to "reclaim the same.
This act of session expressly provides