The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1864-03-02

success OF the flymOuln ChuTcD may "' al INA.
its warmest friends anticipate
THE CRY CEMErERr.-The City Gene
terry very much needs repairs and improvements.
Fences need rebuilding brush need to be cut,
stumps should be excavated, the wet places
should be drained.
"Why are not these things done by the Gem
etery Commissioners ?" il the question that eve
~ one naturally asks. The answer is because
the Commissioners have been instructed by
members Of the Council, for two years past. not
to expend any money in making Improvements
on the grounds, because the Council were about
purchasing grounds for new Cemetery, and
when bought, the present Cemetery would be 10
longer used All Improvements have thus been
stopped. And what progress have the Council
mades Dnring two years they have looked al
one piece of ground which had been proposed
for a new Cemetery. We believe this is the e1-
tent of their action.
The objections to the present Cemetery are.
that it is too near the city, that it is too near
the railroad that it is accessible only on side,
that it is too small, thai it has carriage roads,
that the alleys are too narrow, that come OF the
ground is clayey, that portion Of the ground ia
wet
Three opinions are expressed among our citi-
zens The first class contend that the present
Cemetery is well enough as to location, being
noC about the right distance from the city
that il contains twenty acres of land, OF which
less than one-third has yet been sold that it will
easily hold all the dead who will be brought for
iuterment for the next forty years, aud when
the mex, generation feels the want of more room,
let them commence a new Cemetery according
90 their necessities at the time.
The second opinion Is, that the present Gem
etery should be used indefinitely, as long as any
one chooses to bury in it but whenever a ma
jority Of the citizens shall wish to purchase an
other. whether il be nov or ten, or twenty years
hence, let it be bought and opened, and both
zen to bury in the new or old ground he
might prefer.
The third opinion is, that new and spacious
grounds should be purchased Immediately and
opened; and that the old Cemetery should be
closed OF once, and all burials be made in the
new grounds; the dead be removed to the new
Cemetery by their friends, or, in default Of their
doing so, by the city authorities; and the old
ground having been thus emptied Of its dead, il
be sold for city purposes, to help to pay expen-
ses of the new Cemetery. This We understand
20 be the action proposed to be taken by the
Common Council.
We do not concur in the plan for several
reasons:
l. We object to the manner of the proposed
purchase. The city wants sixty acres Of land,
and in order to get it in the right shape, it i:
proposed to buy 100 acres, give the city bond:
for it, and then sell loo acres when opportunity
offers It would be better to buy only Just X hal
is wanted, even at higher proporIiouate price
2. We object to the distance of the new Gem
etery. It is proposed to buy lands south Of anC
adjoining to the farm of Homer LathrOp, which
will be mile and half, or more, distant from
the Michigan Avenue bridge. This distance vii
prohibit all the women and children OF this gem
Grafton from visiting the Cemetery at all, unles
be desirable for the living to visit frequent,
the burial places of their friends, this object wi
be effectuslly defeated by the measure proposed
3. We object to the expense of the removal
of the dead, whether it be made by the friend
or by the public The lots have been sold will
!, the understanding that the Cemetery was to b
permanent aud the citizens have buried tAei
dead, planted shrubbery, built fences erecte
} stones, and raised monuments with this e1pecta
! ton. To compel them TO pay the expenses G
removal, either as individuals, or by taxation
trlsn there is no public necessity for IL, is wha
the Common Council have no moral right to Dc
4 We object to the expenses Of unnecessary
purchasing and fitting new grounds. The Ian
may be bought for the bonds of the city, fo
o e, 900 or $4,000, which another generatio
q will pay; but the expenses of clearing, fencing
Surveying and erecting sexton's hoase. an
4 paving him an annual salary, will require an in
mediate taxation of s., 900 or s., 900, thus il
crea.ing the total liabilities of the CITY fror
$1,000 to SO. 900. for the purpose of doing VII,
there is no real necessity tor doing
q The Common Council, Oy their action hay
j.. destroyed the faith of our citizens in the perm
nency OF the present Cemetery. The Comm
F; sioners have stopped all Improvements, and Il
sexton informs the Commissioners that as mar
y as thirty owners Of lots are DESTROYS of makir
n Improvements on them, but will not comment
!. until the question of the permanency of Il
>, Cemetery shall be settled. The Common Cou
N Gil are, therefore, bound, in justice to the eli
10 zens either 20 declare that whether new Ger
az etery be established or not-the present OF
shall remain public burying place-or else
: purchase and open 4 new Cemetery immediate
and as soon as it can be used, forbid any mo
burials in the one now used.
10 r See Viele's assortment OF Green, Blu
81 81 -