History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

85

For the purpose of permitting slavery there, the "Missouri compromise" (which limited slavery to the south of 36~ 30') was repealed, under the lead of Stephen A. Douglas. This was repealed
by a bill admitting Kansas and Nebraska into the Union as Territories, and those who were opposed to this repeal measure were
in short called "anti-Nebraska " men. The epithets " Nebraska"
and "anti-Nebraska" were temporarily employed to designate the
slavery and anti-slavery parties, pending the dissolution of the old
Democratic and Whig parties and the organization of the new
Democratic and Republican parties. At the next State election
Kinsley S. Bingham was elected by the Republicans Governor of
Michigan, and this State has ever since then been under Republican control, the State officers of that party being elected by majorities ranging from 5,000 to 55,000. And the people of this State
generally, and the Republicans in particular, claim that this cominonwealth has been as well taken care of since 1855 as any State
in the union, if not better, while preceding 1855 the Democrats
administered the government as well as any other State, if not
better.
As a single though signal proof of the high standard of Michigan among her sister States, we may mention that while the taxes
in the New England States, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania average $10.09 per capita, while in Massachusetts the average
is $17.10 per inhabitant, and while in the West the average is
$6.50, in Michigan it is only $4.57. At the same time it is generally believed even by the citizens of sister States, that Michigan
is the best governed commonwealth in the Union.
Kinsley S. Bingham was Governor from 1854 to 1858. The
tmost notable event during his administration was the completion of
the ship canal at the falls of St. Mary, May 26, 1855. An act of
Congress was approved, granting to the State of Michigan 750,000,cres of land for the purpose of constructing this canal. The
" sault," or rapids, of the St. Mary, have a fall of 17 feet in one
mnile. The canal is one mile long, 100 feet wide and about 12 feet
deep. It has two locks of solid mnasonry. The work was commenced
in 1853 and finished in May, 1855, at a cost of $999,802. This is
one of the most important internal improvements ever made in the
State.
Moses Wisner was the next Governor of Michigan, serving from
1858 to November, 1860, at which time Abraham Lincoln was
elected President of the United States. National themes began to
grow exciting, and Michigan affairs were almost lost in the warring
elenents of strife tlat convulsed the nation from center to circumference with a life-and-death struggle.
Austin Blair was the 13th Governor of Michigan, serving during
the perilous times of rebellion from 1861 to 1865, and by his patriotic and faithful execution of law and prompt aid of the general
Government, earning the well deserved title of " the War Gov