Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1870 — The Calumet Bill. [ARTICLE]

The Calumet Bill.

To U«o Editor* of the It^s*fci-XVB Vn article appear* *n ynwr iosne H thu a*th utt, wh» does Jt\fu«Ucv ,»<> <taneruT Packard. Tins wrta-r mwuis 111 M« of Dll' ilM|>n-!|Kk)ll 4 hot the “Oaltmiet lOmtning fVwjwny'* in a frantU olein concern and that tlierfuru Uie Cmlujno* Bill lately pawed lyv enKgrctw is Wfmijr. Though very unwilling <«- lutfQv mine connected with any jkv litiaal sir personal controversy, 1 feel required jbya sense of duty to make a brfdf statement on this suqjcct under tit v nwa V

When lattui lately a member of the fUatc senate, most contest appeal* ore mmte to me, by citizen* of Lake county, to aid lit the passage of ootne kind of a law itnd might facilitate the >1 ruining of the Little Calumet valley; but no way was aeon, under tlii! constitution, to pass any spocjnl law for their t*cncnt. After I bad left the legislature, the present draining law waa passed without my co-op-ctation or knowledge, and several of the most rest actable inhabiUntsof that valley applied to my eon and myself, »s lawyer*, to prepare for them articles of aaaoeintlnn under tlie law.— The articles were prepared and were sir nod by niony of the inhabitants, not including (I am confident) one jierson except nich as are personally interested in the drainage of the (,’nltimet Hwampa The company proceeded with Sts survey, lint, found a meat obstacle to surpass in the fact that a large body of the worst swamps "was still owned "by the Ignited 'States and could not ho*mado to contribute toward* the cost of drainage. A* I happened to In- in Washington during the month of February in attendance on tlie Supreme court, Lltu company sent to my care a |«etition to congress numerously signed asking for the passage of some law for their relief. I drew up a bill substantially as it was finally jtassed and submitted it, together with tlie petition, to Senator Pratt and General Packard, neither of whom could see anything ob-

jectionable in it. 'litoe hill-was introduced hi each house and, after undergoing the scrutiny of tlie proper commit teen, was passed iiy. the senate; and it subsequently passed in the House, but on one of the only two occasions when General Packard was absent—the other being his mother’s funeral. Some time ago 1 handed to the editor of tlie Laporte Herald an anonymous note on this subject which he was kind enough to publish. I now ssnebwe to you a copy of that article and of the act of congress referred to. and request you to publish them together with this communication, for the information of your readers. I may add that the Calumet Draining Company have given bond with ain- . pie security for tlie faithful application of whatever moneys they may receive, ami that I have no interest whatever In their enterprise beyond the receipt of a very smnll fee. John B. Nii.ks. A a just 12, 1870. An Act In relation to certain unsold lands In the counties of Porter aud Lake, iu the State of I ndinna. WiicitKis there is lying along the Little Caloinel river, in the counties of Portei and Lake, in tlie State of Indiana, s body of lands supposed to contain about four tliounand acres, which has never been sold or surveyed, aud which was described in the original government surveys as impassable morass; and whereas tlie Calumet Draining Company has been organized under the laws ot said State, for the purpose of draining the valley of said river, including said moruss; Therefore, Brit rnariril hj the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Stoles of America in Congress oesetnbled, Tiiat said unsold lands shall be subject to a lien under the laws of tlie State of Indiana for its proper proportion of the cost of such drainage, and auclt lieu may be enlorced against said lands in the aame tuauner and to tile same extent as ir the said lands were owned by private persons: Provided, That no claim shall be lieid to exist agai ust the United States for surii drainage. ™< Bkc. 2. Be it further enacted, Thai said lands may be surveyed and sold to the highest bidder, under the directions of the Secretary of tlie Interior, subject to said lien. Appioved July 1,1870.

As ex-Senator Niles is unwilling to have his name connected with any political or personal controversy, we shall not question-his peculiar fitness to sit in judgment and give aq.unbiased decision whether our criticisms upon the subject in question did Gen. Packard injustice or not, particularly as he disclaims any interest in the matter beyond a small fee as the attorney for the Calumet, Draining Company, an organization to be benefited by the course of our distinguished and exceedingly consistent candidate for congress. The article referred to by ex-Senator Niles as having been published in the Laperte Herald, did not reach this office with his communication, and not having a copy of that paper by us we could not publish it. We arc fully aware that it is sometimes inexpedient during the progress of a closely contested campaign for newspapers to criticise the public acts of the candidates nominated by the party whose principles they are laboring to advance, therefore we decline any farther notice of Gen. Packard’s congressional course until after the election. In doing this, however, w« do not wish to have our silence construed as an endorsement of anything he has done or may do hereafter contrary to the principles of the republican party, which are clearly stated in the

platform adopted at Indianapolis on tne 22d of February and afterwards incorporated in the resolutions passed in the Wanatah convention June 29th. That Gen. Packard has violated one of .these principles is proven by the records »f congress, and his excuse is the same Mr. Voorbces and every other congressman, democrat or republican, who voted to sqnsnder public property gives for their imfamous acts and that is: somebody' asked them to do so. „

II HliMWUnSil.il U a -•-- - I. » —- No important battles havo been fought in Europe since our last ia sue and the conteriding armies of Prance and Prussia occupy about the same position then reported.— lioih appear,to be resting and recruittug from the ««evcro battles fought near Metz a couple of weeks ago, and to be strengthening themselves in the positions then taken. Wc may expect to hear of fighting again by any telegram. It is reported that Austria is secretly arming and it is presumed that she will join France against her old enemy, Prussia. If she does so it will be almost certain to open thd floodgates and inundate that whole continent with bloodshed And plunge every European nation in war, tho result of which would be difficult to foresee. .

Iu another place will be found a communication from Hon. W. C. Hannah, .president of the Kankakee Valley Draining Co., asking the privilege ot our columns for a candid, friendly and free*discussion of the draining law. Tn reply we would say that the columns of the U-y ion are always open for ihadis* cussion of matters in which the public is interested. It makes no difference to the editors whether the views adyanecd by those taking poet in such discussions harmonize with their own or not, so long as writers do not stoop to abuse and unprofitable personalities, for the reason that just criticism and courteous defence never harms the right. It is only by free discussion and practionl application that the merits ©r demerits of a measure, theory or law can be determined. But while we are thus free let give up a portion of our space to tho discussion of the draining law of our State, or any other subject, it may not bo out of place to call the attention of those who desire to participate in the controversy to the limited space we have to spare for this purpose and suggest that all communications must be condensed and to the point.

A correspondent writing lo the Lbgansport Journal over the signature of “Sturgeon” [is he Win. Sturgeon, of Rochester] concerning the result of the democratic con* vention at Wanatah, 6ays lie was defeated for the congressional nomination, and bids farewell to the democracy in tlie following half-sad half-rollicking strain: “To my fickle democratic friends of the 11th district a long and last farewell. We have been friends in other times; we have been banded together for the common weal and sworn b‘y the flag of our common country to put none but Americans on guard, and have teen Sam together. We have climbed noise lessly up back stairs and slipped furtively into darkened passages, and have glided nervously in the shade of street corners together to reach the “Twig” room, and sworn the vengeance of the native born . against the foreigner and the Cath- j olic. We have called the great, Creator to witness tjie oath—but we have parted forever. Go iu peace, if you can, with the heavy burthen upon you! Coax and flatter and sue for the votes of the inen you have reviled aud insulted; curry favor with the Irish, and hurrah for France—she needs it—for thfc despotism that wars against popular education and intelligence to crush an incipient republic at home, and build up the fame of the tyrant and usurper Napoleon, the Little;* in other words, as the poet has beautifully expressed it, “go it ye cripples, wooden legs are cheap.”

“But for me; oh! that I may be granted that forgiveness from my friends, which Ido not deserve. I was tempted, and though I hesitated for a moment, 1 feel thankful that I have been able to say, at the j last, get thee .behind me Satan ! I Had I been nominated, I should have been elected; once elected I should have been hapiyr. 1 could have made speeches against Pratt and the Pharos would have pub lished them. Acme of human bliss! summit of earthly happiness ! So : far beyond iny reach, so completely vanished from my political horizon. Beinorse is gnawing my vitals; I am melon-cholio and regretful.— Vale. I shall return to Chicago; there, amid the bustle and confusion of that Babel of the West, sub- j jected to the attrition of the emery ! wheels of mammon, and the sand- j papering of mercantile transac-; tions, purified by the Epsom Salts j of the Board of Trade, and bathed i in the waters of its social Lethe, j may I become once more an honest, and upright man. Poverty may' blight and hunger pinch, and my only skirt be pledged to “my uncle” i on Wells street, at the sign of the i three balls—which Dick Howard said meant two to one if you put i anything in there you never get it out again—and even the attenuated Poor House Farm may become the scene of my future labors—but Nothing can ever again induce mo j to seek the suffrages of the mem-1 bers of ad eleventh district denio- j cratic convention. “And the moon, so high at noon, 1 Peeping in my window, Bids m« think, how near the brink I came, when thus 1 sinned—oh!”