The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-11-12
THE OHlO-lNOIANA LINE.


Talks on the Boundary Dispute-The
survey, but Can't Recoup at the Ex-
pense Of Illinois.
WAsH1NeroN, Nov. ITO ease the
minds of Illinoisans who tremble at
the possibility of being called Hoosiers
it may be said that the boundary lines
between Indiana and Illinois were not
run when Indiana was split off from
Ohio. Nor would the mere fact
that the Ohio line was zigzag
instead of straight justify the same
conclusion in regard to the Illinois
boundary. The supposed ruling by
which Indiana would be entitled to a
slice on the west in case
it lost on the east would soon
come to an absurdity when Illi-
nois sought to compensate itself by
spreading little further west The
Mississippi river would be the bar, and
as that river was the limit of north
west territory no claim could lie made
against Iowa for strip of its fertile
river land.
The dispatches published here an
nounced briefly that the boundary line
as at present recognized, instead of be-
ing directly north and south, ran at
an angle giving to Indiana strip 200
miles long and - miles wide at its
northern end. This makes an average
width of & miles, or 1900 square miles,
within which is situated the cities of
Fort Wayne, Richmond and Union
City. For several weeks past gov
ernment survey party has been look
ing into the matter under the direction
of Dr. Mendenhall, superintendent of
the coast survey. who talks very
interestingly about the matter. He
says:
The dispute over the boundary was first
brought to my attention by visit here last
winter OF the attorney general of Ohio, who
laid the facts before ME and asked that they be
investigated. went out to Ohio and saw Gov.
Campbell, as well as Gov. Hovey, of In.
diana. ! thought that the latter might be
willing t. enter into an agreement
with the state Of Ohio in reference to settling
the dispute, SO that the coast survey force
might work without any danger of inter state
collision. Naturally enough, Gov Hovey was
not anxious to assist in any project that might
result in cutting off slice of Indiana, and so
that state has had nothing to do with the in
vestfgation. have not as yet received the re-
ports of Mr.. Sinclair and his assistants al
though have talked with those gentlemen. 1
do not believe from what I now understand
that the boundary line is IL miles out OF the
way, as has been stated. but am frank to con-
fess that do not yet know just how far the
line is wrong, If at all.
1T has always been tradition along the
line that the recognized boundary was incor-
rect, but really believe that the investigation
was asked because the people of Union City
living on the Indiana side wanted to belong to
Ohio. I account for the error il one exists,
by the fact that the line must have been run
by a compass, the deviation of which was not
very we'll known"
III the line is wrong what can be done about
it!' was asked.
Ger; ainly no change can now be made
without causing a great deal of disturbance,
end unless the difference between the present
line and the correct one is very great do not
believe that there will be any change. OF
course il Ohio has been defrauded OF a large
amount of land it is entitled to it's rights It is
to be remembered that the line was not run by
the states and then accepted by them. 1t was
surveyed by the United States and forced, so
to speak, upon the then territoriess'
ut is said that if Ohio's claim is correct In
diana may ask for and receive o slice OF land
II miles wide off the eastern portion of Illi-
nois, including the present site Of the worlds
fair.'
That is very interesting, but it does not fol-
low II the one line is wrong the other is equally
out Of plumb. AS matter of fact, I doubt
very much whether 1t is. l have not looked in
to the Indiana Illinois phase Of the matter, but
should think that line was run quite inde-
pendently of the line between Ohio and In
diana
In connection with this boundary
question it is worth while to recall that
Michigan people think Toledo ought to
be in their state. There are Wiscon-
sin historians who seriously maintain
the claim that Chicago ought
to be a Badger city. 1t is an
old controversy in both cases, growing
out of the looseness with which the
general government divided up the
northwest territory. The Ohio people,
even in the early days, were fighters.
They moved into the disputed territory
along the Maumee, which Michigan
claimed, and kept it. There was COM
mission to settle the question, but the
decision was never scquiesced in by
Michigan. Illinois has been gamer
of territory in another way. The Mis-
sissippi has washed a good deal of
Missouri soil over to the Illinois side.
There have been many lawsuits grow
ing out of the growth and disappear
ance of islands in the Mississippi, but
somehow the accretion always went to
Illinois.