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75 5 } Building a State When Michigan began functioning as a state on November 2, 1835, its timing was good in one respect. Wonder of wonders, the U.S. Treasury would soon be reporting a surplus, and the monies were going to be distributed among the states. The lure of lucre was a powerful stimulus for Michigan politicians to act, so when the First Convention of Assent surprised everybody by rejecting the terms of Congress, Governor Mason went into overdrive. As soon as Michigan became a state, explains historian John Kern, “she would begin to receive five percent of the proceeds from the sale of public lands within her boundaries, and as a state she would be eligible to share in the distribution of the surplus in the United States Treasury. Estimates which placed the combined benefits of statehood at more than $650,000 provided strong inducements for reconsideration, as did expectations of prestigious and lucrative federal appointments for loyal Michigan politicians.”1 The Frostbitten Convention hurriedly assented to the terms of the act of June 15, 1836, thus qualifying Michigan for revenue sharing, only that’s not what they called it in those days. Stevens T. Mason took the oath of office on November 3, 1835, the bloom of youth still on his visage. Eyewitness reports of the events of that day found their way into the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections. Cheering throngs greeted Mason after he left his house on Jefferson and proceeded along Woodward to the Campus Martius, where his open carriage made the turn for the capitol. Bowing to the crowd, he entered the building and shook hands with his secretary of state, Kintzing Pritchette, then with his lieutenant governor , Ed Mundy, followed by Ezra Convis of Calhoun County, speaker of the House, and the Reverend John D. Pierce, superintendent of public instruction. 76 the boy governor Finally at the rostrum, Mason launched into a speech that was notable for its length and grasp of four-syllable words. He spoke with an air of confidence and pride, again promising to seek advice from his elders. But when the bunting came down and the day ended, the fact that his state was broke remained, a bad situation to be in when one is standing, hat in hand, asking to be accepted in the union of states. Michigan was passing resolutions asking Congress for appropriations for roads and other internal improvements. Mason was informed by the secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Levi Woodbury, that money appropriated by Congress for “making roads and canals within the State” was null and void until Michigan was admitted as a state. When the state treasurer reported on July 6, 1836, that the treasury contained only fifty-seven thousand dollars, it was clear that this pittance was inadequate for what needed to be done. The First Convention of Assent, in its lusty stand on principle, didn’t concern itself with the sad state of the treasury. If statehood is accepted as beginning on November 2, 1835, the first several months were times of uncertainty. A judiciary wasn’t yet in place. At Governor Mason’s request, the legislature limited its functions to routine matters and general discussion, rather than approval of any legislation to which a prickly Congress might take exception. This marking of time when critical problems needed addressing did not suit the state’s dynamic governor, but his hands were tied. He moved ahead with plans to develop Michigan and, in so doing, had the unique privilege of laying the foundation for his state’s institutions and distinct characteristics. Mason had a vision of a state interlaced with serviceable roads, canals on which freight and produce would be easily borne, and railroads that would link the state’s communities together. Development of three railroads and two major canals was planned. With the state’s share of the federal surplus in hand, it was easy to believe that Michigan’s growth would continue through the 1830s and that an ambitious program of internal improvements could be funded without onerous taxation. On January 2, 1837, Governor Mason urged the legislature to begin a series of internal improvements and to create a board responsible for overseeing such activities. In that message, Mason requested of Congress a sum of money to build a ship canal around the rapids of the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie. Mason thought that the cost of the canal was “trifling” compared to the advantages that would...

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