East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-01-03
SOUND on ti,e SAN Question.

sound on the saii Question.
The farewen wessagc of Governor Wis
lner, formidable document Of sosle 5apr-.
teen lcolumh s in length, is at all evs6ta'
sound of tile Salt Question. Under tho
head Of, GlOLoGY, the Governor recon.
,pends an increased appropriation for
the next two years for the prosecution Of
the geological survey aud concludes that
that. portion al .his message as iollows.----
From the early settlements of the State
ID has beenf knowh that saline water .eNt
i,ted in the valley of the Grand and Sag-
nav River, but whether salt could be
manufactured rromit in.surIieialt Quantity
aud of sucltquallty aSto warraitthc ef
pertinent, remained entirely speculative
in the minds Of our people. The State
4lal once tried the experiment without
any satisfactory result. individuals were
unwilling to engage IN the enterprise lest
It might prove failure. The Legislature
Tof 1859, for the purpose Of indncing III
divilnals to embark in the manufacture
lof SAT- from our own saline springs, pass
eel q law declaring that there shall he
/ paid from the Treasury Of the State, az
bounty; to any individual, orcompany, or
corporation the sum OF ten cents for each
and every bushel of salt manufactured
/ by such individual, or corporation from
water obtained by boring, in this State
rPrOrided, That no such bounty shall be
paid until such individual company, or
corporation, shall have at leafs five thous-
aud bushels Of salt manufactured. ~
Stimulated by this law, and relying upon
the good faith and honor Of the State for
the payment of the bounty, individuals
and companies embarked in the enter
prise, and over one hundred thousand dol
lars have been already invested at Saoi
nav and Grand Rapids, ia this business.
Eight wells have been sunk upon the
Saginaw River, and five at Grand Rapids,
and quality of water has been found
which, for strength and purity, is uiisur-
passed in the United States. Whether
the quantity will hold ont sufficient to
ensure ultimate success, time alone can
determine, hut from present Indications
1T is ineXlaastlble. -Four Thousand five
hundred barrels of salt, OF the priest
quality, have already been manufactured
BY one company at East Saginaw, aud
two hundred aad thirty barrels at Grand
Rapids, and it is confidently believed that
at no distant day the salt manufactured
from the saline waters of Michigan will
be sufficient to supply not only our own
State, but also the States of Illinois, Wis
cousin aud Iowa. s. .use,.
Salt is an article that enters into the
general consumption of all classes, and
cannot be dispensed with. IL is estma
ted that twenty-siX millions OF bushel,
were consumed in the United States IL
1889, twelve millions of which were i'm
ported from foreign couutries One
buShel of salt per annUm TO a person is a
fair estimate OF the quantity consumed
by our people, aud this quantity at thirty
cents per bushcl (Which is below the az.
erage pricc), amounted during the past
year to two hundred and twenty-five
thousand dollars, every cent OF which was
draft upon the material wealth of Michi
) gan, and went to enrich other States
, In my Judgment, tits far bette, for oul
people to encourage the home manuiac
turc of salt, than toannually pay TO othci
States Il quarter Of million of dollar
/, for!tlhs article alone, and allow orr saline
springs to remain undeveloped. Tho
. Legislature OF 1899 took broad ano
comprehensive view of the subject, anC
the result has shown the wisdom OF thei
policy. La my opinion this law Ough
c not to be repealed, at least for series o
years, and not then without tirSt MAXIM
ample provision for those who may hay,
made Investments in good faith unde
! the law. Our citizens have invested thei
a capital in all uncertain enterprise, rely
ing upon the good faith aud honor o
, the State for the payment Of the bounty
and now to repeal the law as success il
about to caown their eiiurts, would b.
/ both impolitic and unjust. II these citi
zens had failed i'll their anticipations, the,
should have had no just claims upon tn
; treasury, and their success ought not t,
q lessen the obligation of the State to max
, good the law. .... ...t ... ..
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