ORIGIN OF OUR CANALS. 263 



that time, and this new state has as fixed a policy as any oth- 

 er state in the Union. 



PREPARATORY MEASURES LEADING TO THE OHIO CANALS, BE- 

 GUN JULY 4th, 1825. COMJVTENCEMENT OP THE CANALS, AND 



GOVERNOR Clinton's visit to ohio. 



But we are anticipating a great era in our civil history. 

 As we have stated already, great efforts had been made by 

 our writers to produce a total change in our civil policy. Not 

 less than seventy writers for our newspapers, had urged the 

 necessity on the people, of having a good system of education 

 introduced into our common schools; of changing the mode of 

 taxation, into an equitable, honest and just one; of opening 

 and rendering permanent a navigable water communication 

 between lake Erie and the Ohio river. There was a perfect 

 coincidence of views between the friends of these three great 

 measures. The tide of public opinion began to move in the 

 direction favorable to all these improvements. 



There had been an act of the general assembly already 

 passed some two years or more, before this time, relating to 

 the subject of a canal. Private individuals had endeavored to 

 get a charter for a company to make such a canal, but all 

 had failed. In October, 1821, Micajah T. Williams of Cin- 

 cinnati, had been re-elected by the people of the county of 

 Hamilton, to a seat in the house of representatives. Imme- 

 diately at the commencement of the session of the legislature 

 in December, Mr. Williams, began to sound the minds of mem- 

 bers on the subject of a canal. At an early day, December 

 6th 1821, he laid a resolution on the clerk's table for appoint- 

 ing a committee of five members to take into consideration so 

 much of the governor's message as related to the subject of 

 canals. The resolution passed, and Messrs. Williams, Howe, 

 Thomas Worthington, W. H. Moore and John Shelby, were 

 appointed on the committee. 



Within fifteen minutes after the passage of this resolution, 



