Year: 1859

REPUBLICAN AUDhESS


To the People of the State of Michigan.


The Legislature of 1859, in the de-
liberation and doings of which the
responsibility has devolved upon the
Republican majority, having adjourned,
and being, as we are, upon the eve of
an important judicial election, this
Committee have thought proper at this
time to present to your attention and
consideration certain topics of common
interests to all.


The executive message of Governor
Wisner took the inceptive of manly
line of State policy, looking to the
advancement, growth and permanent
prosperity Of our whole State, which,
as now generally conceded, has within
it the elements of wealth and strength
inferior to no sister State, and needs
only for their full development energy
and virtue in the people, and far-see-
ing wisdom in the government. The
Legislature have responded the spirit
of the Executive, and have inaugurated
State policy admirable for the present,
but looking especially to the prosperous
future that is before us. Having the
responsibilities of the majority, they
have not evaded them, but have met
and fearlessly discharged them. To
the Republican party will belong the
credit, in case the measures succeed,
and it is they who must answer for
! Il IN ooco df failure


These measures are well known and
to some of them We will briefly advert.


The disposition of the


SWAMP LANDS


| in compliance with the terms of the
grant from the General Government,
has been accomplished in manner
most satisfactory to all. On one hand
the voice of the people, the urgent and
crying needs of the newer portions OF
the State where the lands are mostly
situated faith to the generous
doner of this gift, required that some
action should be taken that would both
reclaim the lands and render them
accessible. On the other hand the
notorious manner in which the internal
Improvement lands of the State were
squandered and thrown away by the
former, so called, Democratic Admins
trations, upon party favorites under the
forms of law, had brought the Admins
tration and the Legislature to the deter
mination that no law should be passed
at all except one so guarded that every
door to wastefulness and fraud should
be thoroughly barred. Widely different
views and score of different plans
have been made to harmonic, and a
bill has been framed and passed which
complies with the terms of the grant
provides for drainage and reclamation
answers the cry of the needy and
sparsely settled counties for roads, and
satisfies the older counties Of the State,
who were determined that this noble
fund should be so administered that it
should be legacy to their children
children. These see in the increased
population and wealth which will be
added to the State, and in the increased
value of the remaining lands, the fulfill
ment of all their wishes in this respect.
We invite study of the careful pro-
visions of this bill, and commend it to
the people of this State as the beginning
of a growth in our population OF which
few of us dream The Chicago, the
Saginaw, the Fort Gratiot, and the
Grand River turnpikes, built by the
General Government, brought Michi
gan into the daylight, and hastened by
many years the settlement Of our State
As those roads were to us twenty-five
years ago, so ill these State roads be
to the northern half of the Lower, and
the whole of the Upper Peninsula.


In close relation to this bills the act
granting to every actual settler on the
. swamp lands, who are landless, a
HOMESTEAD OF FORTY ACRES,
which act both increases the value o.
3 adjacent lands and brings them into


market, and is in exact accordance with
the great fundamental principles of the
r Republican party, which would make
every free man the owner of fire,
! home, by means Of free labor. In tbi,


same system of policy, looking to the


clearing up of our forest and the work


ing of our mines, is the act appointing
4 an


AGENT OF IMMIGRATION,


i which is designed to divert to ou
e shores the stream of European immigra
. ton, which similar agents from othe
: States have heretofore in great meas
! ure turned from us. Every strong arm
; moved by q heart that loves our institu


tions, is an addition to the capital 0
the State. In this same connection
the future development of that impol