The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-28


fer the reclnining OF these iauas II Il y
likely To benefit the STATE? And VINO Will
assert tnar the changing o. these .rcs sroaas
10 cornneids, thls SNAKE AID turtle pdf2uise
to rich pasture. this ague-Di eed.I3 stamp
70 happy homes. VIII nos bcncHt lns 1.&tof
SAFE can urviitapiy invest solue money N
this enterprise. The increased valje o. TIE
land for taxation would In y Few years re-
pay to the STATE all IL Is asked 10 exle1u-
The owners OF much of this land are Will
ing to pay for its drainage. and the ChiosS"
shooting clubs and railroad cosnpaH-cs "nO
do not want drainage can be Made 20 pay
their share. But. no matter how cnx.ous
cannot be done without the aid Of the STATE
The State must make the law. The stats
alone is competent TO deal with the state
or Illinois as TO that Part OF the RIVER re-
yond our line The State alone Is coinpe-
tent to deal with the powerful corporations
owning lands here who DO not want drain
age. few thousand dollars expended here
will come back with large interest. Tbs
moved Is no reason why il cannot be done,
and its. removal will certainly benefit the
lands above II.
do not live in the Kankakec valley. and
have no interest there. | am not interested
lature. But 1 am Interested III seeing this
large body of land reclaimed from the frogs.
snakes and shooting clubs and made into
Legislature should take the matter in hand
and take such steps as will result in a thor
more men should be selected TO do this
| work, and be required 10 report 70 the next
| best be had, the probable cost thereof ana
/! such other matters as will enable the Iegis-
me eD sSend bs paid
| salary to secure the whole time OF eou1pe-
| tent men. and no cheap economy should be
| costs $4,000 or 100000. 1t viii he money wei
| spent.
The Republican party is in power. pledged
| cannot afford to practice cheap economy.
Indiana has not grown great and rich, and
by practicing the economy of the miser.
stlnsyness is not economy When our rev,
| are. practic!ng true economy. The citizen
(; will not complain of the amount Of revenue
| 3. BORDERS. &
! Winamac. Ind, Jan. &C.
| Another View OF II.
| To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
| I am grieved at your attitude toward
! those gentlemen who want 10 straighten
| the classic Kankakee You have heretofore
| looked kindly on all projects looking toward
| the betterment OF mankind, and when one
| of your felow-citizens has strained his
! thinker, and In the lonely vlgls OF the
night wasted much midnight oil wrestling
! with bill looking fprnc!paliy) toward the
$1,000 per annum and the good of his fellow
! man, you throw damper over the
| thusiasm OF this public benefactor by
doubtful inslnuations and impertinet re-
| marks about the Momence blasting scheme.
! True, it Is matter OF doubt whether tl,a
Kankakee project would be of any practical
| benefit, yet it would give employment to
this committee at OF Of five believe. for year
h wod helP b TO hesp tne urp,u5 Tns Within asa
| of rocks down in Illinois should be kept in
the background until this colnn1itsee has
ample time to investigate and draw their
salaries for year. at least. 1t might be
| possible that during this time horse sense
| would come to the rescue AMI tho State
worth the $4,000 the investgation viii cost
| Let the good work go on. and ten thousand
muskrats will whaek their tails on the wa
rah, for Injiapar'. You see. in high water
the houses must be high and dry conse-
NJ. Rat to build home on the aforesaid
marsh. under the present administration
beautiful waterway. high water on the low
grounds might be avoided. leaving 1T the
the Skunk cabbags and if hip bo o
be ample waders to jump ducks in. 1t
might be possible to bring about tn, these
jetties constructed where there are no
It. and then the dern thing would have to
run out Let the good W9rk go on 2 ;,,
Wabash Ind. Jan. &c.
Some Kankakec History.
Andrew Hall, in Newton County Enter
| prise.
In 1859 the United States granted to the
| State of Indiana the existing swamp land
within the State for the purpose of their
reclamation. The Constitution of the State
made provision that the proceeds OF the
sale of the swamp lands, after dedueting
the expense of selecting and draining the
same, should become a part of the common
school fund of the State.
This magnificent gift was well-nigh
| wasted. The older citizens of the county
will remember the swamp-land scandals
by which probably a million dollars that
ought to have been saved for the education
of the children of the State was sqpandered
and stolen by incompetent and knavish
officials. The Democratic party being then
In power had to bear the odlum of this
robbery of the school fund, and the Re-
publican party, through the press and from
the stump. denounced the robbery all over
| the State.
This Kankakee drainage bill provides for
hunting up the little amount of the proceeds
of swamp lands that did find its way into
the school fund--probably about $500, 900
kakee marshes and this Republican Legis-
lature is called upon to condone the past
steal and Misrepresentation of swainp-land
| funds by stealing from the school children
of the State the remnant of this fund that
escaped tne nS ppete # %
! benefit of Nelson Morris Singleton Brown
and other speculative holders of Kankakee
marsh lands. The Republican members of
this Legislature cannot afford TO tarnsh
the fair reputation of the party In Indiana
by the contamination of the proposed out
| rage.
It will doubtless be urged that the pri-
| mary object of this swamp-land grant was
the drainage of the lands granted; thai
| they were not properly drained and that
| therefore, the State should apply this rem
| nant of their proceeds to their draining.
| If this were assented to. IL would not au-
thorze the Kankakee marshes to Absorb
the whole fund. The swamp lands OF Greene
Daviess. Knox, Sullivan Benton White
| Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, Fulton and Other
| counties are just as much entitled to con
sideration as the marshes of the KankalSee