Daily camera., 1897-12-09
FOR A NEW STATE.
Plan to Cut a Slice from Michigan
90 and Wisconsin.
Preliminary Steps Have Already Been
Taken-Thc New Commonwealth
Idea Ii FavorabIy Re-
ceived.

commonwealth will be called Superior
and twill be composed of the northern
peninsula of Michigan and that part of
Wisconsin lying north of a line drawn
across the state from Green Bay west
ward and little downward to the Mis-
sissippi river.
For long time the people of the
northern peninsula of Michigan have
felt that they did not receive the same
attention and advantages as the people
OF the lower peninsula. Besides that
they claimed that they were farther
north and subject to different climatic
laws and that, therefore, they should
not be treated the same as the lower
Michigan people. To settle the dispute
there have been negotiations pending
for some time to make this peninsula
into different state, and in order to
give it proper size to cut slice Off
Wisconsin, this slice to be added to the
peninsula.
The proposed new state OF Superior
would have Lake Superior on the north,
Lake Michigan on the east, and on the
west Minnesota, the Mississippi river
anu Il lllIe OI Lake
Besides the magnificent location the
state would start with a population Of
nearly 100000 people. It's size will
about correspond to that of Kentucky,
which it also resembles in shape 1t is
we'll watered by many small rivers and
il contains coast which is second tv
no other state. Besides this, Superior
has an inexhaustible mining supply. 1t
contains iron and copper enough, were
its output fully worked, to supply the
whole world and it's building stone is
remarkable all across the country. It's
mining facilities make it a Klondike in
copper
It's cities, though not as large as
those of the lower peninsula, are very
tIourishing, and West Superior, which
will be the metropolis of the new state,
is considered finer in it's possibilities
than any other city of the central
United States.
The way in which Michigan came to
have an upper peninsula and the man
ner in which it was divided is very in
teresting. Michigan was the 18th state
admitted into the union, and came in
by act of congress in January, 1887. 1t
extended further south than it now
does, and westward to the Missouri
river, but owing to some political deal
. on its admission, part of its southern
border was cut off and given to, Ohio.
A strip had also been given to Indiana
u few years before. After Michigan be-
came fully settled as state the gov
ernor of Michigan made great fuss
about these slices that had been cut off,
and So to quiet him, what is now known
as the upper peninsula was granted to
him. This made state that was sep
arated by great body of water, but
notwithstanding this obstacle, Michi-
gan has always ruled both it's upper and
lower peninsulas as well,
Of late, however, the people of the
upper peninsula have felt greatly
sighted at times. They think that,
with Lansing and Detroit in the lower
peninsula, the laws of the state were
made more for the part containing the
capital and metropolis than the part in
which they were living, They have
pointed to their beautiful islands, the
greatest of which is the Isle of Royal.
in Lake Superior, and have pointed out
their beautiful harbors and their OPP
portunities for commerce with ontario,
and have at times made requests OF the
Michigan legislature, which they felt
should have been granted.
Another reason for making a new
T A. &c hot oh
iran is a state of great climatic differ
cnces. The climate of the southern por-
ton is warm, but that of the northern
is rigorous. Take Detroit, which has a
mean annual temperature of 4S de-
grees, and that of Sault Ste Marie,
which is 40 degrees. This is differ
cnce of eight degrees between the diff
ferent parts of the state. Along the
northern part there is great deal of
,apple raising, but in the peninsula
there are vineyards. and, of course, the
same agricultural laws cannot apply
to both of these.
IT is said that all the preliminary
work of making this state has been
gone through with and will be settled
when Congress reassembles. The con-
rressmen of Wisconsin and Michigan
are both said to be in favor Of it, and
such lolsoying as must be done in WASH
inpton has already been attended to-,
The lower Michigan people are said
to be in favor of losing their upper
neninsrla, because they feel that it is
no part of them, while the upper penin-
sula certainly feels that it should be in
dependent.
When congress assemblies and the
matter really comes up at Washington
there may be new points brought out
that will prove to the legislators that
i. is not best to divide Michigan, but
Unless this happens and the new points
ere shown and well maintained Uncle
Sam is likely to add another star to his
fiag.-Chicago Chronicle.