Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-08-17

oy the hankakee valley Draining Com
pany.
Meetings of the citizens have been held
IN most OF the counties where assess
ments have been made with the same re-
sult-a unanimous determination to resist
the encroachments of the law at all haz-
yards. Everywhere We can hear from in
the counties assessed, the people are ripe
for rebellion. Perhaps more liberal in
terpretration of the law by the corpora
ton operating under it, and then flair,
just and impartial assessment Of benefits,
and in connection with this, a reasonable
assessment, would not have opened the
door 80 wide to general and just COM
plaint
Indeed ON the plan and principle at
tempted by this company to raise the
revenue for the draining of the Kankakee
marsh places, Il perpetual barrier is put in
the way
We oppcse revolution unless under the
most extreme necessity but could scarcely
see wherein the people would do wrong
in resisting with force any attempt to col
lect their assessments. The Company
assessment is unreasonable. Why ,
First. Because lands are assessed and
mortgage placed upon them to run for
twenty years, to more than the amount of
the actual present value of the farms, and
that when the Company cuts the drain it
could not under any circumstances mate
rally benefit the land assessed. Why :
| have personal knowledge of several
farms. one of 100 acres assessed at 1850,
the most Of which is all dry, farmablc and
improved land, and just in the situation
that the occupant wants it. and part in a
situation that il could not under any cir
cumstances be benefited by any work
that the kankakee Draining Company
could do unless it was To add to the re-
pairs OF the buildings &c. and this we be-
lieve is not in their province to do.
| know of 20 acres ten miles from the
kankakee river, twenty feet above high
wster mark, not a foot of wet land on it,.
aud that could not be benefited by any
drain under any circumstances whatever.
and yet that 20 acres is assessed $500
The young man Is poor man and could
not under any circumstances pay the
assessment.
We know of one farm of so acres. occu-
pied by an old man who can make living
on II but no surplus, that is assessed
Sl,lOO, and thi farm is all in cultivation
and meadow, and could not be benefited
by any drain The consequence must be
enforced to meet the demands of this vo-
racious company.
We have a carefully prepared list of all
the farms assessed in ST. Joseph county
together with the names of tn owners.
but We cannot give them for the want of
space.
The following we clip from the st. 10
Register:
The Directors are W. c Hannah. Alden
Tucker, G. W. Mcconnell p. luncheon
Fl. II. Walker, G.. W. Cass and J. J.
Glidden, and its officers are Hannah.
President, Glidden Vice President. Jacob
Vile, Treasurer, and f. G. McCollum.
Secretary. There are Others, of course.
" hose names are not mentioned who are
in the ring" and who will share in the
profits, ~ notwithstanding the Com
pany say they do not propose to make
anything off of the people They call the
land which they propose to benefit by
Strengthening the Kankakee, spongy, but
we product before the end comes the
landowners will find the Company more
spongy in absorbing money than the land
Is in absorbing water, and that they will
nc left by the Company in a more strait
ened condition financially than the river
will be Strengthened in it, course.
HOW THEY PROPOSE TO RAISE MANS.
The Company estimates the cost of
Strengthening the Kankakee and cutting
laterals at 100000 The total assessment
as will be seen below are $4,000. 900. or
more than twice The estimate The Com
pany IL pamphlet prepared for eastern
capitalists to read, propose to issue 81
100000 of first mortgage sinking fund
bonds, TO run twenty years, free from tax
and interest payable in gold with which
TO raise money 10 carry ON the work A.
We understand it, every mans land to be
afleetcd.by the proposed work will be
mortgaged for the payment Of these bonds.
How do you like to have an outsider
mortgage your own property?
UNDER HEAVY BONDS.
For fear that the Company will not
perform their work faithfully and hon
estly they are Obliged to give heavy O.
bonds-S240,000 So far as our infonna
ton extends, it is usual TO give bonds in
double the amount involved. Is there
any reasonable excuse why this Com
pany's bonds are not 81 900 600 instead of
less than one-sixtecnth of that sum:
THE "sPoSGY LAND" THEY ARE TO
SPONGE FROM.
The kankakee Valley Draining Com
pany have large territory to harvest
from Ii extends over seven of our
Northern Counties and by their own esti-
mate embraces 624,972 acres of land.
valued at SO, 79s, 321, and assessed BY their
appraisers at s4,637,l22 The following
table gives the Counties, with the number
of acres in each, the present value, and the
assessment OF benefits made BY the Com
pany:
ACRES. PRES. VAL. ASS. OF BEN
Lake. ..... 81, 43S $493.009 3 597, 1874
Newton. -. 1854 3i5,03y 5l3.95G
Jasper. -. 90ij9 252,225 6ls,66l
Starke 153,625 697, los S6i,2ss
A