believe, he was president of the state board of internal improvement, then having charge of the railroad system of the state.

But Mr. Lothrop's public duties did not withdraw him from his labors on his farm. His large farm was all brought under cultivation. One of the great difficulties under which the farmers then labored in southwestern Michigan was their remoteness from market. There were no railroads. Live stock became of little value. Wheat and flour, the only marketable staples, had to be taken to Lake Michigan and thence by the lakes and the Erie canal to market. Transport was slow and the charges heavy. In this state of things Mr. Lothrop conceived the idea that wool growing on a large scale could be usefully introduced into his farming. A bale of wool would be worth many barrels of flour and there would be a great saving in transportation.

Accordingly, in the summer of 1840, Mr. Lothrop went to southwestern Ohio, where he gathered a flock of about 1,200 sheep, and brought them to his farm. A second flock was brought in in 1841. In 1841 the clip of the first flock was sent to Boston, being taken by wagon to the port of St. Joseph, and thence shipped east by way of the lakes. This, it is believed, was the first wool ever sent to the eastern market from western Michigan, and proba. bly the first lot sent by an individual grower from any part of Michigan.

When the Michigan state agricultural society was formed, it held its first exhibition in the city of Detroit, upon some ground then owned by the writer of this paper, on the west side of Woodward avenue, and a little north of the grand circus park. Mr. Lothrop delivered the address on this occasion.

He continued to cultivate his farm personally until 1855, when his health having become somewhat impaired, he removed to the pleasant village of Three Rivers, where he spent the remainder of his days. He was soon made a justice of the peace, in which capacity he was serving at the time of his death.

He possessed a mind eminently judicial, and the discharge of his duties as a magistrate was very agreeable to him. He had the unbounded confidence of the community at large, and his judicious counsels were sought by many persons, and especially by his fellow farmers. He was plain and simple in his manners, of pleasant temper, and easily approached, and his neighbors in their troubles and perplexities found in him a wise and sympathizing friend. He knew how to compose disputes before they had run into the bitterness of actual litigation. In these humble but most useful duties he spent perhaps the pleasantest days of his life. They were tranquil days, sweetened by the esteem of all around him, and by the consciousness of doing good.

Death came after a short illness on February 17, 1874. He was buried, as

he wished, at Schoolcraft, on Prairie Ronde. His sudden death made a profound impression on the people of Prairie Ronde and Three Rivers, where he was so well known and so much beloved. On the occasion of his funeral the business of Three Rivers was suspended and a great concourse assembled to pay their last respects to their old neighbor and friend. Many came who had known him as a benefactor; many who had found him a sincere sympathizer and wise counselor in their troubles; and many who had known him as a just arbitrator and judge.

He knew how soon we are all forgotten and how vain are all honors paid to the dead. One of his last wishes was that nothing should be spent for any stone or tablet at his grave, but that its money equivalent should be given to succor some one in need or distress. This wish, which had in view the happiness and welfare of others, was characteristic of the man.

The wish was respected so far as concerned his own estate. But there were those who loved and mourned him, who were not willing that the grave of this good man should remain unmarked. Should any one wandering in the cemetery at Schoolcraft look for the graves of the pioneers of beautiful Prairie Ronde they will find a modest stone inscribed with the name of Edwin Howard Lothrop.

ST. PETERSBURG, June 17, 1887.

HOW LANSING BECAME THE CAPITAL.

BY FRANK E. ROBSON, ESQ, OF LANSING.

It is the purpose of this paper to present a sketch of the incidents connected with the permanent location of the capital of the state at Lansing, and, as a sort of preface, I invite your attention to the provision in the constitution of 1835, under which the state was admitted into the Union, relating to the seat of government. Section nine of article twelve reads as follows: "The seat of government for this state shall be at Detroit, or at such other place or places as may be prescribed by law, until the year eighteen hundred and forty seven, when it shall be permanently located by the legislature.”

1 Statutes 1838, p. 43.

The provision was adopted in this form only after considerable debate and parliamentary war, if it may be so called. It is evident that even at this time there was considerable jealousy in the interior villages at what was then known and still thrives under the name of the "Detroit influence;" hence an apparent determination on the part of the delegates from the interior villages to remove the seat of government from Detroit to one of the prominent interior towns; undoubtedly other influences were also at work, but the jealousy of Detroit's power seemed to be the moving cause. Ann Arbor made a strong effort for it; through its delegate, Mr. Mundy, so much of the report of the committee of the convention appointed to draft a constitution as related to the location of the seat of government, was referred to a special committee.' On May 22d, the next day after the resolution referring to a special committee passed, the president of the convention appointed as such committee: Edward Mundy, of Washtenaw; Jonathan D. Davis, of Wayne; Samuel Colbath, of Monroe; Benjamin B. Morris, of Pontiac; Townsend E. Gidley, of Jackson; Titus B. Willard, of Berrien, and Hezekiah G. Wells, of Kalamazoo.'

The preponderance of opinion in the committee was against Detroit; it may be that the Washtenaw chairman had his committee well in hand, for when the committee reported on the 16th of June, the report gave all possible advantage to Ann Arbor. Its substance was as follows: "The seat of government shall be located at Ann Arbor, in the county of Washtenaw, until 1845, in which year the legislature shall permanently locate the same.”

The consideration of the report was taken up late the next day. This was the signal for the "Detroit influence" to put on its armor. The report was but fairly before the house, when a Wayne delegate moved to adjourn; this was lost. Efforts then followed, on this and the next day, to strike out Ann Arbor and insert Detroit and other places, all of which proved futile. As a sort of compromise, or in order to satisfy some critic, Mr. Mundy offered as an amendment to the report a proviso to the effect that, should the supervisors or other authorities of the county refuse the use of the court house to the legislature without rent, then the seat of government was to remain in Detroit until 1840. Whatever may have been Mr. Mundy's intention, the proviso proved of no avail, for the motion was lost.

Various other amendments were proposed, varying practically only in the time when the capital should be permanently located, all placing it temporarily in Detroit; the time when it should be permanently located ranging

1 Journal of Convention, p. 42.

Journal of Convention, p. 50.

• Convention Journal, pp. 190, 191.

from 1839 to 1849. Finally, delegate Jno. S. Barry offered the form in which it appears in the constitution of 1835, above referred to, which was adopted. Thus for a time the question was disposed of, but, in fact, it was only a temporary suspension of hostilities, a breathing spell, preparatory for the greater conflict to follow. As the year 1847 approached the outcry against the "Detroit influence" grew louder and more pronounced, and this influence evidently did not consist solely in the legitimate influence of strong minds over the weaker. It was necessarily true that there were a greater number of able men in Detroit than in any other community in the state. The late Levi Bishop, in a paper read before one of the early pioneer meetings, mentions the other influences, some of which are not unknown to legislators of the present day. He says, "It was said that where important measures were pending before the legislature, the influence of the social circle and of ladies' society was brought to bear upon the members, and many will remember that the influence of quail parties,' and 'quiet suppers' was often alluded to as the principal motive for the passage of many important acts of legislation'."

6

The feeling that a more " healthy political atmosphere" was necessary, increased as the season of 1847 approached, and early in the session bills were presented in both senate and house providing for the location of the seat of government, also a supplemental bill providing for the removal of the departments of the state government, and other necessary matters connected with the location of the capital.

It would be tedious to give the details of the various motions, votes, references, reports and the action had upon them, hence I shall content myself with a short sketch of the progress of the house bill providing for the location, which was the one finally passed; at the same time noting only the more prominent features connected with its passage, also noticing some incidents connected with the passage of the supplemental bill.

The bill providing for the location was introduced January 6, and, as usual, read twice. It was first referred to the committee of the whole and then taken from that committee and referred to a special committee. Early in February the special committee reported a bill substantially the same as that passed, except that the place of location was left blank, and it contained a proviso that the county where located should provide for the necessary buildings and give them rent free to the state. This proviso was finally stricken off.

While the committee were a unit as to the proposed form of the bill and its provisions they were divided as to the proper place of location, and as a

1 Pioneer Collections, vol. 1, p. 511, et seq.

sort of compromise reported the bill in blank, and upon this point presented three reports. The reports argued the necessity of removal from Detroit and seemed inclined to be in favor of Marshall, Calhoun county having presented to the legislature a proposition in substantial accord with the proviso as reported. Against the removal to Marshall it was urged that it was too far south, while the reply was that north of it was but a "howling wilderness." In one of the reports it was urged, among other things, that if the capital remained at Detroit no poor man could become governor, as the salary (then $1,500) could not support him in the gay city, while it was sufficient to enable the poor but ambitious man to live in the simplicity of the interior villages.

The bill to locate ran the usual course of important measures, and was many times before the house. The name of nearly every village in the interior was presented. Among them were Lyons, Byron, Saginaw, Eaton Rapids, Jackson, Marshall, Ann Arbor, Utica, Corunna, Battle Creek, and of course Detroit was continually urged. At one time it was agreed by a vote of 30 to 28 to insert "Lyons in the county of Ionia," and a motion made ordering the bill engrossed and read a third time, but by a piece of parliamentary jugglery Lyons was stricken out and the bill was again before the house. It is probable that in this deadlock, for such it was, practically, many names were presented as a joke, for among others we find "Copper Harbor" proposed. One morning after a fall of snow, a member arose and moved to take up the bill, offering as a reason that it would undoubtedly slide easily that morning.

Referring again to the paper of Mr. Bishop, he states that the proposition to fill the blank with "in the township of Lansing" was considered a great joke and received with much laughter. From other sources I learn that instead of its being a joke it was in fact a well laid scheme, brought about by a man from Kalamazoo, who had been instrumental in locating the lands of the Seymours and Townsends. He was a man who hung about the land office and had an interest in the lands located by these parties. It was through his efforts that the motion was made and passed in the house. It is undoubtedly true, however, that most of the members voted for the proposition, considering it simply in the light of a good joke to locate the capital in the woods. Immediately after the measure became somewhat assured he went to New York and urged the matter so strongly to the others interested, and placed in such glowing colors the immense fortunes to be made from their investments should the capital be located on, or adjoining their lands, that a powerful lobby was engaged to boom the proposition to locate in Lansing township. Mr. Bishop says no debate was had upon the question, but