Belding banner., 1916-03-29
REPEAL OF THE
SPECIAL DRAIN
LAW UP TO VOTE
ELISHA STRONG, COUNTY DRAIN
COMMISSIONER, EXPLAINS
PRESENT LAW
MAKES PLEA FOR WET
LANDS OF THIS COUNTY
Repeal of Present Law will Add
Thousands of Dollars to Farm
Property Values


Dear Editor:--As have been called
upon so often lately to explain the
cause and the nature Of the amend
ment relative to the repeating of
"Ionia County's Drain Law" to be
voted upon by the voters of the coun-
ty, April 3, 1916, | concluded this
through the columns Of your valuable
paper.
In the first place there are thou
sands of acres of wet land in Ionia
county which are lying idle and
practically worthless, which cannot
be reclaimed by reason of conditions
required in the two applications which
must be filed with the drain commits
sioner before the drain is assured.
The requirements in those applica-
tions are such that only about one
third of the people wanting drains
can meet them. The people in COM
munities needing drainage have found
this out by experience and have been
clamoring for years to find a way out
from under this law, which they claim
is a hindrance to good effectual drain
age of their lands on which they are
paying their full share of taxes for
running our government.
The general law, or state law, which
the drainage business of Ionia coun-
ty would come under, if the special
law is repealed, requires but one ap-
plication, and the conditions are very
liberal, enough so that it would make
material difference in the drain
age of Ionia county Under the work
ings of our special law, the drain
commissioner must keep posted upon
both laws, as all drains affecting
more than one county come under
the general law. Those are broader
drains around the outside, of which
the county has several. Therefore,
the people and the commissioner are
we'll acquainted with the working of
the two laws.
/ believe / am perfectly safe in
stating that the drain commissioner
can lay three drains under the gen.
eral law to one under the special law,
which we now have, and at less ex-
pense. People at the present time
say land is too valuable to be lying
under water and therefore they
should not be hindered from draining
it by an obnoxious drain law Peo-
pie tell me that this special drain law
was only an experiment when it was
passed, little knowing the process
that must be gone through to get rid
of it. The people will understand
that just shortly. after this special
law was enacted, the old state con-
stitution was revised and a new con-
stitution came forth. The new con-
stitution prohibits the passage of any
local or special laws, but through an
oversight the constitution overlooked
An anff ffnrs ..f r,Nvk I.Ar
those local or special acts already
previously enacted. So the only way
open to the people for getting any
local special law repealed is through
an act of the legislature, giving the
people of that county or territory af-
fected by that act or law, the privilege
Of voting for an amendment to the
constitution repeating said law. the
same as the method the people of
Ionia county must resort to at the
coming election, April 3, for the re-
pealing of / onia county's special
drain law.
The principal object Of the above
explanation is, that a great many
voters who go to the polls, where
there are amendments to be voted up
on. either do no tvote them at all, or
vote "No." because they do not un-
derstand hem. The people living in
localities that need drainage think
fully understand the workings of the
law and the nature Of the amend
ment to be voted on. but il is those
living in cities and localities where
there is not drainage going on who do
not.
| might add in conclusion that the
legislature passed the the bill giving
the people a chance to vote on this
matter at its last session a year ago,
but not in time to get it before the
voters Of the county to vote upon last
spring. It therefore necessarily had
to go over until this spring.
Trusting / have given fair ex-
PLANTATION of the matter in question, /
remain,
Verv respectfully.
ELISHA STRONG,
Drain Commissioner Of Ionia County.