The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1878-08-15

to delegate to any corporate authority, ex.
cept that of settles, towns and villages"
the right to make local improvements by
special assessments, or by special taxationof
contiguous property, (see also case of Tn.
dixie vs., Wright. There was like holding
Under similar provision under the con-
stitution Of ls4S. See list Ills. Rept., p.
3lS; also 5,th Ills. Rep. p. IA and sd
Ills, Rep, p. l05.
If you will examine these cases carefulli
you will find that all of our Legislation that
can be of any general Importance on the sub.
ject of drains, bitches and levees has been
held unconstitutional. Some time last
winter had conference with Col Fisher,
of the Agricultural Department at Spring
field. To get this matter before the people
and to show the facts, he undertook to get
up through his correspondents, a table show
ing the number Of acres of swamp lands in
the state, their present value and their value
when reclaimed, as they might be under
general drainage law based upon the pro-
posed amendment. His correspondents are
among the most intelligent farmers in the
state. He finds that there are one million
eight hundred and thirteen thousand and
ninety-six acres of swamp land in the state,
which are now valued at twelve million
eight hundred and sixty nine thousand two
hundred and eighty-six dollars, and which
will he worth when reclaimed
tifty-two million nine hundred
and fifty,eight thousand, six hundred and
three dollars, being an increase in value of
forty million eighty-nine thousand three
hundred and seventeen dollars. The in
crease is about twenty-three dollars per
acre. These figures, I have no doubt, are
in the main correct but are more likely ~
be under than over the c9TSfFl eRaMate,
The Chicago Tribute " q late article on
this SUBJECT among other things states, that
1T is not cxtravagant to assume that leav-
ing out Of calculation the lands along the
river bottoms, and those requiring the con.
sf~action of levees for their protection, in
two years 4; by ordinary ditching, thing and
other drainage. there can be rescued from
the water and put in cultivation at least
100000 acres Of as good and productive
corn land as can be found in the State
equal to an addition of 45,OOO,OOO bushel.
of corn or 100000 to the number of hog,
5 produced annually in the State The cos
= distributed among the owners, eacl
= man supervising his own expenditure vii
e be small when compared with the returns
To my mind these are al
| the reasons that need be stated They ar,
in the interest of agriculture, cheap lands
and labor. As you will observe, the special
assessments under the proposed amendment
are to be levied against the property bcne-
fitted thereby, which excludes all other
property. The parties owning these lands
are not asking money, donations or con.
tributiOns, but simply the right o reclaim
ing their own lands at their own expense.
1t is the permission to help themselves that
they are asking and not the assistance of
others, If, however, the right should be
granted, it can only be exercised by vote
OF the people interested after the adoption
Of the amendment, The Supreme Court
says in the Updike case that permitting
the owner of lands to construct drains, etc.
same languageas thcamenlmentJ, "implies
the community whose property is to be
taxed may have the right of election in the
matter before the tax is imposed" The
language employed implies voluntaryaction,
Hence, in framing theamcndment, the words
: permitting" etc. and "providefor the organ
ization Of drainage districts" were used with
the understanding that the property in said
districts could not be taxed for improve
ments until after any law, proposing taxa
non, snvuiu nave v:en voted upon ar1 car
ried by the district interested or effected
thereby, Thus guarded, legislation will be
safe and the property Of no district taxed
but by the consent Of the owners. In our
county we have constructed a levee along
the banks Of the Mississippi river over fifty
miles in length, at large expense, and if it
ever should be completed, and it will be If
the amendment is adopted, and we get the
) necessary legislation, it will reclaim over
J 100000 acres of the best lands Of illinois in
one body. As soon AS the law under
which we were operating was declared
unconstitutional we found it impossible to
raise cent to keep it in repair by taxation,
and we had to resort to voluntary contriDu-
TONS like building church, for that pur-
pose. What is true of lands in our county
is true of all other counties in the State
bordering on the rivers, in n greater or less
degree. The fear is that the amendment
will be allowed to be defeated by default,
/ that is by parties not voting on the subject
Art Il, Sec. 2, of the constitution provides
as follows: