The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-09-01
Paw Paw River Dram.
Answer To ID. A. smith from "a Prominent
Citizen ana rex supervisor OF waverly.

Paw Paw river drain.
Mr.. Smith, in your issue of August
II, works himself up 70 very high
pitch of enthusiasm and makes a
mum Der of assertions about this pro-
posed drain which l consider grossly
exaggerated and very misleading.
am surprised al some of his state
ments and only wonder if the man
has gone 'Iuny'' or is he trying to
work a bluff?
Before I proceed TO consider his
statements | wish to say that l have
lived in this township continuously
for about 40 years. l am and have
been for years familiar with the land
and the conditions along the proposed
drain. | am no more interested in
this matter than the average taXpay-
err, and do not think that am preju-
diced one way or the other on the sub
ject in controversy. And in writing
this article my intentions are to be
fair.
In closing his article Mr.. Smith
throws down the challenge and offers
TO prove every assertion he has made
to anyone that will come and look the
ground over. And now I wish to in
form Mr.. Smith that I am ready to be
convinced
The assertion I wish to notice first
is, There are over 4, 800 acres of
land along this proposed river drain
district which are covered with water
nine months in the year" Now lets
see what that means. 4,5OO acres
would make more than seven full sec
tons, a little over one-ffth Of the en-
tire township, or a strip of land aver
aging over 200 rods wide the entire II
miles of their proposed drain. He
also says that if an entire new cham
mel was made there would be only 10
acres of standing water left out of the
I, 500 acres "now covered with water
nine months III the year" thus as
suming that after the completion Of
said drain this land in question would
all be dry land. | don't believe any
such thing, and I also don't believe
Mr.. Smith does. And TO show that
believe what l say I will make Mr..
Smith or anyone else who thinks as
he does proposition. l will put up
500 or $500, he or they to put up
like amount, and if there are I. 500
acres along the proposed river drain
district which are covered with water
by the river overflow not nine months
in the year but one month in a year
then he or they to be entitled to the
whole amount 50 put up, but if not so
overflOwed then such amounts so put
up TO belong TO me. This is no bluff.
I mean what say and nobody barred.
I believe the fact about these $500
acres in question is that it has prob
ably been estimated by the drain
comm issioner or some of his deputies
that there is that amount of land
along the proposed drain which would
be benefited by the construction of
said drain, some Of it directly and
some indirectly; but the land farther
back and on a higher level, where it
is never overtiowed by the river at all,
but from other sources. would in this
case require the construction of
large number Of new drains to effect
ually drain the territory in question,
which would make large additional
expense to be continued for years to
come, as no such drains are perma-
nent. Three years j. about the limit
of their usefulness. Then You have
the expense of cleaning them out or
go back to old conditions.
Then Mr.. Smith complains and says
that "the flood comes sweeping down
from one TO two miles wide and COM
pletely iuundating the entire valley"
In commenting on that assertion
hardly know where he assumes the
valley begins, but presume he means
somewhere below the junction of the
two branches Of the river But add
ing together the width of all the
streams and bitches that flow into the
valley would not begin to make a
stream Of one mile in width.
Again he says that ''for the past
25 years the entire township of Wa
verify, part of Almena and part of
Paw Paw have been drained Into the
river basin within the limits of the
river drain" As regards Waverly.
he is again wrong, as a large part of
the northwest quarter of the town
! ship is now and has been for years
drained toward and into Black river.
As to the other territory complained
! of, l believe it is fair TO Mr.. Smith to
say that he might have added Bloom
/ ingdale and Pine Grove, as the Bran
/ DIVINE creek, which empties into the
Paw Paw river, has feeders from
/ each township.
Right here I wish to say that |
think that if there is anyone within
the township that has cause for COM
/ plant il is the party owning land