The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-09-27
TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.
Aside from the importance attached to The
election Of proper representatives to con
gress and the Legislature and OF honest and
capable county officers, the people OF ILLINOIS
are asked to vote upon TWO other questions
of at least equa' Importance, and which there
is danger may be overlooked. These are
whether the Illinois and MlchI gan canal
shall be ceded to the general government;
and whether the State House at Springfield
shall be completed.
In regard to the ccssion of the canal the
Illinois legislature, at the extra session last
spring, passed an act which provides that
the Illinois and Michigan canal, its right
of way and all It's appurtenances, and all
right, title and interest which the state may
now have IN any real estate ceded to the
state by the United States for canal purpos
es, shall be coded to the United States for
the purpose ofmaking and maintaining az
enlarged canal and waterway from Lake
Michigan to the Illinois and Mississippi
rivers. This cession Is to be made upon
the condition that the United States shall,
within five years from the time the acl
takes effect accept the grant, and thereat.
ter maintain the said canal and waterway
for the purpose aforesaid. 1t is also pro.
vided that, IN case the United States shall
accept this grant, it Is upon the express
condition that the canal shall be enlarged
IN such manner as congress may de.
termlEe and be maintained as q national
waterway for commercial purposes, to be
used by all persons without discrimination,
under snch rules and regulations as con-
gress may prescribe; and the real estate
aforesaid to be conveyed to tic United
States shall be used and the avails thereof
applied TO carry out the objects of this
grant and for no other purpose in such
manner as congress may determine.
OF course all the people in this part of
the state need not be told that the approval
of this act by The people of Illinois is ne
cessary step towards securing a free CON-
mercIal highway by water between ST.
Paul and tide water at New York Con-
grtss at It's last session appropriated $780,
600 toward the survey OF the Hennepin
canal, t. connect the lakes and the Missls-
sippi river, and the engineers Of the goy-
eminent are now at work making the sur
vey. If the consent of the people of Illinois
Is not given at the polls in November the
project will fail. If il Is given, the gen.
eral government will undoubtedly con-
struct the canal as public highway tree
from tolls, giving free water transportation
from St. Paul to Chicago, and thence by
the lakes to Buffalo, and via Erie canal
to New York. In the state Of New York
there is pending also a constitutional
amendment to make the canals Of New
York free of tolls, that will be passed upon
by the voters of New York at the coming
November election. 1t Is believed that
there is no doubt but that New York Will
make her canals free OF tolls, although the
railway interests of New York are oppos-
ing it. If the voters of illinois, at the
coming election, approve Of the act ceding
the Illinois and Michigan canal to tho
general government, and the voters of New
York make the canals of New York free
of tolls, it will be the hardest blow struck
for many year at the great corporations
controlling the transportation question,
and will be a long step forward toward
emancipa,ing the people from the extor-
ton of the monopolies.
AS to the completion of the state house
the original appropriation for that struct-
ure was 100000 and the constitution of
1S10proyldes that no additional appropria.
ton shall be made for the state house uu.
less approved by vote of the people. The
100000 did not complete the building,
but, according to the estimate of experts,
fell $59l,S12.1S short of 1t, and this sum
the last legislature appropriated to com.
plcte the job, subject to vote OF approval
by the people. The sum ought 10 be voted.
All agree that the house being unfinished
important portions of it are suffering
and going to decay for want of completion.
1t is bad policy to have the building in Its
present condition, and bad economy to
vote down the appropriation. If the peo-
pie throughout the state understand the
question we think that they Will vote for
the appropriation, in order that the state
house may be completed. The people of
this great state are abundantly able to
complete the state house, and it is really q
shame to the people OF Illinois to continue
1t IN its present condition.
We hope that the voters Will not forget
the importance of cedIng the Illinois and
Michigan canal to the general government,
nor the importance of completing the new
state house, and will be prepared on cleo
ton day to give hearty support to both
measures.
We believe that the gifted but more
emotional than mathematical editor of the
Louisville Courier.J0urRdl was the author
or inventor of the phrase intended tor