The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-09-19

ment." for the benefit of party jobbers and con-
tractors, by which the State became burdened
with an enormous public debt, and from which
not a particle Of benefit was ever derived; in
untold sums stolen from the treasury by partizan
favorites or given awav TO them upon iraudu-
lent claims or upon the most paltry pretexts; IN
appropriat;ng TO private or party purposes taxes
levied expressly 10 pay the interest upon the
State debt and suffering the interest thereon to
remain unpaid: in permitting large cash balances
10 lie in the treasury of the State aluos, without
interest, that State officials might grow rich from
their loan 10 banks and other corporations; in
squa1derins the proceeds Of the Tru>, Funds,
while the building OF necessary State institutions
was utterly neglected; in creating scores OF
wildcat Banks that drove healthy currency
out of every artery Of trade and commerce, and
supplied its place with worthless rags; and in
the general policy OF the democratic party, of
which these are but instances-a policy stub
bornly persisted in through all the long, dark
wears of their sway-whercby the settlement OF
the country the development of its resources,
and its growth in wealth and population were
materially retarded.
The Republican party have striScn earnestly
10 remedy the chronic evils inflicted upon the
State by the frauds and mi>management of their
they prompt, stopped the interest upon the un-
adjusted portion of the five million loan, which
| had Accumulated 10 nearly a million Of dollars,
and IcmaiIcd unpaid. They Mt once passed a
law reggiting the State Treasurer Ia obtain i'll
tercst NJ five per cent. on all loans of cash bal
ances in She treasury; thus realizing from this
source over serenity Thousand dollars pa hcs
/ years. whereas the ONLY amount ever paid in by
the Democratic party for the use of the large
sum constantly kept hand was the pal,ry
pittancc Of 81 ,553 S6.
They have promptly paid tie interest upon
the State debt, and reduced the principal as far
as means were III their power. They have built
up our State Institutions, and made them the
pride and ornament of Michigan.
They have applied the resources derived from
the sale ot the Swamp Lands to opening up the
wilderness for settlement, and have given free
homes to INDECENT actual settlers; and by provi.
ding for the completion of ihe Geological Sur
vey OF the State; and hy the appointment a: an
Emigrant Agency; as well ~ toy the general
scope of their legislation, they have suhserved
the best interests of Michigan, aud have laid the
foundation of her prosperity in the future.
TO the general charges that made against
us, We propose to make specific reioinders and
prove 10y undeniablc testimony the hlsehood al
the accusations But in order 10 show the OBJ
staclcs with which the Republicans, party,
have had 10 contend, as well as TO contrast theft
policy with that of Tie D,mocraric psrty, il j;
necessary to begin witt. the early financial history
of Michigan.
ORIGIN OF THE SKATE pEnr-pguocgaric RULE
No State ever came into the Union with bright
er prospects than Michigan. Possessing good
climate a fertile coil, immense lumber resources
and inexhaustibe minera. wealth, and being pen
f etgatcd hy numerous nayi;sablc rivers, and sur
rounded hv more than :, 900 miles of lake coast
her advantages were extraordinary. and will
proper management of her financial affairs would
have soon placed her, in wealth and population,
ia the from; rank OF States. But unfortunately
the interests If the State were committed TO the
hands of most reckless and eNuavagant men,
who at once emba ked in schemes the widest
and most absurd.
! The STATE was without commerce, and almost
destitute Of population; yet three lines OF rail
road were projected across it, aud heavy appro'
priatioi.s made, Tor their completion. Large APP
preparations were also made for the improvement
Of rivers whose navigation was value!ess, and in
opening canals through regions, some portions ol
which are even Yet inhabited only by wolves
and wild eats.
A the State had 10 resources, it was COM
PEELED to borrow. So the Democratic party eff
iected the Five Million Loan, =, 3i2,? 900 OF
which (the only portion ever received 10y the
State) was expended, squandered, lost or stolen,
in carving on this ".rand scheme" of Internal
Improvements. Like all lotteries, while few
drew prizes, tue mass of the people drew blanks,
and poverty aud rain were the consequence.
In addition 10 the State debt thus originated,
the General Government in 1871 granted the
State 800, 900 acres of land at minimum value
Of $685., 900, for Internal Improvement purposes.
No sooner had this grant been confirmed, than
the cormorans who had already fattened upon
the State, seized upon and appropriated il,
and it disappeared at once into the vortex with
er it bad been preceded by the $4,000 900 loan.
The closing out " of this transaction is thus
commented upon by Gov. Barry, in his message
of 1880, (page li) "The Internal Improvement
Lands are no longer source of revenue. The
large, il not wastclul appropriations by the Leg
isaturc Of 1918 nat only included tie residue
then rcD,aintng bit also large quantity pre-
rio"siy disposed cf. The appropriations then
made, amounting in the aggregate To $4,000
acres, produced bat ,Hco.s.dcrabie good while
at the same time, they absorbed :232, 500 90 Of
the resources of the State, being a sum equal Ia
the minimum price of the lands, for which they
would have been sold, and for 'rhich prorision
".st be mode BIZ direct tarotion"
Yet these spendthrilts and robbers, whose pol.
~ WIS ~ 'tiitil i!eti-SfN
pie, have the eiifonteTl To cry out against the
Republican party for making the necessary ap.
preparations fer building up State Institutions
which they neglected and tor applying the re-
| sources OF the State for the liquidation of debts
contracted by them.
| In the Fall Of IS the Central and Southern
roads were sold, aud the sums received on these
sales were applied toward the exiinguishment Of
that portion ot the State debt known the
Debt oi the Internal Improvement Fund"
Gov. felch, ia his message to the Legislature
OF lS4I, (page } states the " total Of Internal
! Improvement debt, after deducting the "ba.
ance due on the sale of the Central and Southern
Rail Roads" to be SI,aS7, 40 Il, which, Of
course, was the amount sunk in the internal
| Improvements made by the DeIDocr attic party,
| as the balance OF these works were not worth
the parchment upon which the contract for their
sale might be written
The following is
TABLE yteuuss se of tn inns Of Issses 10 the STAT "a
eorl' ~ fa'1n1i improvement frc. 1855 70 ls47 snoi,
Dead be-.
selint-n ant Kalamazoo Canal. fabanief) 800 20
Saginaw and Bad River Canal a2,Ile q
-NOrth-rn Railroad. so2,. IS
fIaPislsinc- Bay Railroad. - lI3 10
I *nYT.rg"fnent 81 safe Salt SPRING. Is go 10
Improvement 81 - Jtseph RIVER, a. ii 1s- 20
f!mPr"y' u"ut II Grand Maple aud kslsrni
. E.yess (sbandonei. ...............- a2,175 -
Cost Of e. r., Feichs messages. 1s46
''. rs. :; So. ~. ~
--3s2, 20 ~
Cot 81 : z r (R.nsom's
mrssfS' iNls, 81 20 .ooo 90