The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-05

those nine years, controlled every depart
ment of State; that the internal improve
ment system was their pet measure, and that
they alone were responsible for its passage
and the heavy State debt now resting upon
the people.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
What party is responsible for the internal
improvement system and its ruinous conse-
quences answer, no party. 1t was
not a party measure; but was supported
alike by Wings and Democrats, without re-
ference to party. In every county through
out the State, where there was any proba-
bility of the people getting a public work,
so as to benefit them, they gave their votes
to the man who favored the system, without
reference to his politics. In fact the only
opposition to the system with one or two
honorable exceptions) came from those
counties where they could not be benefited
by any of the works. Before the system
was adopted, it was recommended alike by
Democratic az well as by Wing governors;
and was thoroughly discussed before the
people, by legislators and distinguished
private citizens of all parties, not as poll
teal question, but as a local one.
This is what Democratic governors said
of the system of internal Improvements,
before the passage of the bill of 1886:
Gov. Hendricks, in a message addressed
to the General Assembly of Indiana, in
1922, said: ave ought to leave free and
unshackled, as far as we can, our resources
for Improvements. Let
us not lose sight of those great objects to
which the means of the State should, at
some future day, be devoted; the navigation
of the Falls of the Ohio, the improvement oil
the Wabash, the White river and other
streams, and the construction of the Nation
al and other roads throughout the State"
Governor Ray, in his message delivered
before the Legislature, in 1926, on the sub
| ject of internal improvements said "On
| the construction OF roads and canals, then,
| we must rely, IA the safest and most certain
| State policy, 10 relieve our situation, place
us among the first States in the Union and
change the cry of 'hnrd times into an open
| acknowledgement of contentedness.
! We must strike at the internal improvement
of the State or form our minds to remain
poor and unacquainted with each other
Again, in his annual message, in 1927, Gov
Ray said. go at is believed that
the most sanguine politician will be unable
to point to any combination of circumstan
ces which will again place under the contro
of the State, in the same time, and perhaps
not for half century, perhaps never, suct
extensive and valuable resources for prose
cutting a general system of internal improve
ment to a successful termination, and fo
the ultimate production of a revenue tina
shall relieve our fellow citizens from taxa
ton" In a message delivered to the legis
iature in 1929, upon the same subject, Gov
Ray said & This subject Estate inteTpa
improvement though more than ono
,,raSoa1 haa ft Of tho Loo
can never grow irksome, since it must b,
the source of many of the blessings of civ.
ilized life to secure its benefits, is duty
enjoiued upon the legislature by the obi.
cations of the social compact"
Now let US see. what a Wing governo
said of the system. Gov Noble, in his in
augural address before the legislature, il
1881, said at is obvious, then, that Will
the general Government is preparing tn
great national thoroughfnres, and creating
consumption by fostering manufactures,
is our interest and duty, faithfully and eco
J nomically, to apply the means placed at GU
control by the national Government, t
their legitimate objects, and to exert our
selves to call into requisition the latent rt
sources and energies of the State, to i'm
prove our rivers, and, by making latere
roads and canals to facilitate the conveyanc
of the various commodities of our State
e In message to the General Assembly, /
r 1884 Gov Noble said: " Since the benef
i cial policy of engaging in public works fo
/ the advancement of the agricultural an
=; commercial interests of the country hs
n been SO frequently and clearly demonstrated
r, and while our credit is justly such as to con
e mand any amount of capital, at an intere
of five per cent, or less, no good reason ca
# be assigned why we should longer hesita
s to follow the successful examples of 9th,
: States.
md ndininirnrr