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illy~TV(Ikl  i                                           C
N I ffN N  
INAUGU RAL  1IR()  l'OClEI)INGS,
a1d'cat;5toa of thf t,aw:f fa,it~ I
(& cLQ
MICHIGAN,
AT TIE
CITY  OF  LAIJ S IN G.,
On the First day of January, 1879.
COMIPILED PURSUANT TO A CONCURRENi' RESOLUTION Oak THE
LEGISLATURE BY
ALLEN L. BOURS,
Secretary of the Board of State Building Commissioners.
LANSING:
W. S. GEORGE & CO., PRINTERS AND BINDERS.
1S79.
AT TIIE
OF
-W
__ 
iesolved (The House concurring), That the Secretary of
the Board of State Building Commissioners be requested to
compile and publish, without delay, 3,000 copies of the inaugural proceedings at the Capitol oil the first day of January,
1879, for the use of the two Houses.
Adopted January 8th, 1879.
i          -
d,~[,~gg,Wt    cogoluAtl'U
..  
All the surviving ex-Governiors were invited to be present and
participate in the inaugural ceremonies; and all responded
affirmatively, and were present, with the exception of ex-Governor McClelland, fromn whom was received the following:
"DETROIT, Dec. 26, 1878.
"IHON. CHARLES M. CROSWELL, Governor:
"MY DEAR SIR:-Few things would give ine more real
pleasure than to be present at the opening of the new Capitol,
but my physical inability, which still continues, forbids my
accepting your kind invitation.
"Yours respectfully,
"R. McCLELLAND."
-n"au to
*v0 4 
At a meeting of the Governor, and Boards of State Auditors,
and Building Comnissioniers, held at the Capitol on the evening of ifoniday, December 23d, 18S78, the following programrme
of exercises was adopted, and the committees below named
appointed to arrange for carrying the same into effect.
1
Music by thle B,and.
2
Prayer by llt. Rev. GEORGE D. GILLESPIE.
The assemblage will be called to order by His Excelleicy,
CIIARLES M. CROSWELL, Governor.
4
The Oath of Office will be administered to the Governor and
Lieutenant Governor by the Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court.
5
Address by Ex-Governor ALPIIEUS FELCII.
ot~t~t~~f UlgAITRI ((.'
r5 
DEDICATION OF THE NAEW CAPITOL.
6
Address by Ex-Governor WILLIAMI L. GREENLY.
Address by Ex-Governor AUISTIN B13LAIR.
8
Address by Ex-Governor HENRY P. BALDWIN.
9
Address by Ex-Governlor Jo xT J. BAGLEY.
10
Reading of the report of the State Building Conimmissioners,
and presentation of the Capitol by
Hion. E. O. GROSVENOR, Vice-President of the Board.
11
Acceptance of the New Capitol by Gov. CIIARLES M. CROSWELL.
12
BenedictionI by REV. T. P. PRUDDEN.
The exercises will commenee in R,preseltative Hall at 92
o'clock A. Mi.
The Hall will be opened at 9 o'clock.
The floor of the House will be reserved for members of the
Legislature, each of wlhomin will receive a card of admission
for himiself and lady; and for present and past Governors, and
5 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
State Officers, the Judiciary, Military Officers, Members of
State Boards, principal officer of each State Institution, and
resident clergy, who will assemble in the Senate Chamber, and
proceed from thence to Representative Hall.
In the evening the Capitol will be illuminated, and a reception given by the Governor in his rooms from 8 to 10 o'clock.
No refreshments will be served.
No special invitations will be issued, but every citizen of the
State will be welcomed.
GENERAL COMMITTEE:
HON. RALPH ELY,             HON. E. O. GROSVENOR,
HON. E.G. D. HIOLDEN,       HoN. JAMES SHEARER,
HON. W. B. MICCREERY,       HON. ALEX. CHAPOTON,
HON. B. F. PARTRIDGE.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
HUBERT R. PRATT,
CHARLES H. HODSKIN,
LELAND H. BRIGGS
6
ALLEN L. Bou.Rs,
WILLIA31 CRO,-,,BY, 
The members of the Legislature of 1879 having taken their
seats in the Representative Hall, accompanied by their wives and
friends, the Governor and Ex-Governors of the State, past and
present State officers, the Judiciary, and others included in the
resolution of the committee, entered the Hall in procession and
occupied the seats whlichl had beet  provided for them, whenl at
half past nine o'clock A. M. the exercises commenced with
Music by the Knights Templar Band of Lansing;
PR.YER BY RT. R-F.V. GEORGE D. GILLESPIE.
ALMIGHTY GOD, who livest for ever and ever, whose domiinion is an everlasting  domintlion,  and Thy  kiingdomn from
generation to generation; we, Thy people, whom Thou hlast
formled for Thiyself, to show forth thy praise, adore Thlee that
Thy visitation doth preserve our spirits.  As we recail the days
that are passed of another year, we do most heartily acknowledge that goodness and mnercy have followed us as in all the
days of our life, that the God of our life has been the God of
our health.
Gathered as citizens of this commoniwealth, in the pride of
our State namelI  and honor, in the comfort of the peace and
prosperity of all ways of life, in the enjoyment of active virtue
ua:iigii,,ival (Extrzioto.
* o 8 
INAUG URAL EXERCISES AT THE
and religion, we read our lot in Thy will: Tllhy people shall
dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in
quiet resting places.
Protected by the constitutioni of onr country, nmagified aind
niade honorable i  unionii with our sister States;  in all the
record of our past national life, all our present national welfare, and all the goodly prospect for our land; we recognize
that tlhe Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.
As households and individuals, we acknowledge thy Fatherly
goodness in the basket and the store, —trotund the heart, as we
comne inl and go out.
AV'e commend to Thy holy will the State of Michigan, its
(o-vernor and State officers.  As on this day their oathl of office
is taken, may wisdonm  and strength from  on high mnake its
pronise the pledge of lhonor to their namne, and obligation to
their term of office.
Look favorably on our schools and colleges, -guLardintg our
education front vaiii pomp and show, party strife, selfish seeking;  and directiing it into the cllannels of  mental power,
political wisdom, benevolent purpose, and faith and obedience
toward God.
Olh God of pity for the sinful and the sufferer, direct  and
further the thoughts of our hearts and the works of our hands
in the punishment of vice and the provision for poverty.  May
we so visit the offender as to recover the man;  so hell) the
helpless as recognizing our brother, and rememibering God tlhe
fathler of us all.
Withl Thy favor behold and bless Thy servant, thle Presidenit
of the Unlited States, the Cabinet, all Governors,  Judges,
officers and legislators, that all mnay discharge their respective
8 
DEDICATION OF THE NEWT CAPIT'OL.
duties to tile integrity of our civil institutions, the true welfare
of thle nation, and Thy honor and glory.
Let not party spirit take the place of patriotism; licentiousness be the abuse of liberty; superstitioni anid unbelief  the
perversion of religious freedom.
Let our land be cleani in Thy sight; its air not ladenl with the
curiise and blasphemy;  its Lord's days not profaned; rioting
Iand drunkenness, chain'bering anid wantonness not found in its
high places, or its low; its sanctuaries not polluted by error of
creed or hypocrisy in worship.
"JExcept the Lord build the house, their labor is but lost
that build it."
As  we  reverently assemble  within these walls  and in tilhe
chambers of our civil solemnities, we relmember and  repeat
"the silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith tile Lord of
hosts;"  and how men are "'filled withi the spirit of God, in
wisdom, unrderstanditng, and in knowledge, and in all manner
of worknmanship; to devise curious works, to work i,1 cutting
of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make  any
manuier of cunning work.",
Praise to Thy name   thaLt to-day we brinug forth the headstone with shoutiings.
We enter this building this day, the flag( of our country
waving over it, the symbol and seal of our State graven upon
it, to consecrate it to law,-"whose seat is the bosom of God,
her voice the hlarmonioy of the universe," to legislation and civil
business, haviing in keeping this wide and populous territory
withi  grand  living  interests  and  undeveloped  powers  and
treasures.
"II
9 
I,YAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE.
Let the chamber of high decision be thle hlabitatiotn of justice
and judgment; the sure and safe refuge froin ignorance and
error.
In the halls of legislation, let rno breathing of disloyaltyv be
heard there;  no word of faction, no pleading of mere party
and sect;  charity and courtesy the feeling and language of
debate, and the daily record the wisdom of man and the welfare
of the State.
The offices of State be sacred to that integrity that holds the
public treasury ais the iiidividua,l's property, and the public
business above private interest.
"We go hence as the shadow that departethl."   "God be
with us as he was with our fathers."  Grace, mercy and truth
be to those who shall stand in our places as rulers and citizens.
God bless our State, and let this house we have builded be
from generationl to generation the figure of her stability and
excellency.
We own all blessirings and we lhumiibly ask all mnercies through
the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, our lTord, who livethi
and reignethl with the Father and thle Holy Ghost one God
world without end.  AMIEN.
Our Fatlher who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Tlhy
kingdom conme; Tlhyv wiil be done on earth as it is in h-eaven;
Give us this daly our daily breadl, and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us fron evil, for Tlinie is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. AMEN.
The assemnblage was then called to order by His Excellency
Governor CHARLES iM. CkOSWELL.
10 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
The constitutional   oatlh of office was administered by the
iHlon. Janmes V. Canmpl)ell, Chief Justice of the Supremie Court,
to thel Hon. Charles M.  Croswell, Governor, and the lion.
Alonzo Sessions, Lieutenant Governor.
Gov. Croswell tlenr introduced the Hon. Alpheus Felch, of
Washltenaw, as tlhe oldest living ex-Governor and ex-Stato
Senator.
ADDRESS OF EX-GOVERNOR ALPHEUS FELCH.
YOUR EXCELLENCY, FRIENDS, AND FELLOW-CITIZENS: rThe
occasion which brings us togethler in this hall is one of no ordinary interest.  It is the period designated by our State constituttion when bothl executive and legislative power passes into
new hands.  The same popular will whlichl entrutsted it to their
predecessors commits it now to the keepitin of agenlts selected
by the same popular suffrage, o. renlews its commission to the
faithful and the true.  It is the result of that glorious feature
of a free representative government-choice of rulers by the
sovereign will of the people-chanige of officials,  witlh no
chlange of principles by;which they are to be guided-ino revutlsion, no revolution.
We hlave just lhe-rd tlhe administration of the official oath,
in this presence, to the chief executive officer of the State.  To
me this inaultguration is a niost impressive scene.   Ev er since
the establishmnent of our government-i ore than forty years
ago-this same oathi has beeli administered o0  every occasion
of the incomingo of a new administration.  It imposes duties
neither light nor trivial.  The pledge to support the coustitution in its true and broadest sense, and to perform faithfully
the duties of the executive office, is the soleimn assumption of
11 
IVA UG URAL EXERCISES AT THE
the highlest responsibilities, and all feel tlhe propriety of the
soletmn appeal to the Alost I-Highl in assuming them.  And
while I listen to its measured words, I turn to you, my fellowcitizens, and seemn to hear fromn the lips of every one in this
great assembly the response, I too will support the constitution
of thle United States and of the State of Michigan, and, in lmy
more humble sphere, will faithfully perform  my duty to the
conmmonwealthl.  And even from beyond the walls of the Capitol, frorm the lips of our fellow-citizens throughout the State, I
seemn to listen to the same impressive words joining in one
common pledge to our coluntry's welfare.
But this occasion presents other most interesting features.
We enter to-day this new Capitol of our State.  Hiterto the
government  may be saicl to have dwelt in tents-to-day it
enters its permanent temple; and as its portals are thrown
open to the several departnments of the government, and  we
congratulate ourselves on the auspicious occasion, the history
of past progress comes vividly before our minds.
It was on the 3d day of November, 1835, that Stevens T.
Mason, the first Governor of the State of Michligan, took the
official oath under the first constitution.  Altlihough not recogized l)y Congress  as anl admitted  member of  the federal
union until JaLnuary, 1837, the State of MlIichigani practically
dates its existence fromn the organization of 1835.  This period
of over 43 years has been marked by wonderful and almost
magic changes.
The population, then less than 90,000, has constantly increased, until by an addition of some  1,400,000, it numbers
nlore thani 1,500,000 people.
The State, mindful of its duty to the unfortunate, lhas scat
12 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
tered over its territorv noble institutions for the alleviation of
their misfortunes and their sorrows.  The asylums for the
insanie, the deaf, the duimb, and the blind, are the outgrowth
of our State organtization; and the amlple provision for the
unfortunate poor in every counlty attests how well the duty of
the public to the individual citizen has been performed.
The educational interests of the State have been liberally
fostered and most wisely directed.   No State in the union has
establishled throughoutt her domain more numerous or more
noble institutions of learning.  Wlherever settlers, whether few
or manyv in inumibers, have fixed their abode, the school-house
and the teacher are their near neighbors, and the standard of
instruction is nowhere higher than here.  And when we turn
to the institutions of higher education, we can but congratulate
ourselves on the eminent character which they have attained.
At the head of them all-I speak with due acknowledgment of
the great merits of others also-stands that iioble State intstitution,  the  University of  Michigan,  an  institution whlose
growth is a marvel, whose history has no parallel, whose solns
have already become a power in the land, whose eminence
challenges and receives such general admiration from abroad,
and whlose prolmlise of future usefulness was never so bright as
to-day.  The  meagre fund in land eonceded  by the federal
government for a University miight easily have been squandered
and lost, as has happened in many other States hlavilng the
same endowment; but here, thlroulgh all its perils, it has been
guarded, inursed and fostered with a watchful care  and zeal
almost wNithout a parallel.  All hlonor to the early legislators
who labored so constantly and so wisely to preserve and utilize
this inestimiable boon.  All Ihonor to the early Governors of tlhe
13 
IINAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
State who stoocl sn firmly by thle fund,  and whose recorded
messages transmnlit to us most ample proofs of the zealous care
with which they guarded the treasure, and the wisdom  and success with which they labored to build up an institution as never
an institutionI of learning was built up before.  All honor to
the successors of these early friends who have never ceased to
foster and aid it as the child and the glory of the State.
This period of time since our State organization has wrought
its changes all about us. Where then we were in the uncultivated wilderness, we stand now amid the beauties that pertain
to an old and well cultivated country.  The forest has receded,
and fields ladent with rich harvest and smniling with the thousand chlarms and comforts of prosperous agricultural life stretch
themselves out on every side.  Railroads, almost unknown in
1835, now intersect nearly every portion of the State.  Rich
mineral deposits have been discovered, and the mines hlave
yielded up their stores of wealth.  The forests have supplied
their treasures.  Machinery of every kind is everywhere busy,
and all the industrial arts with every newly discovered  power
of nature, are at work.  Is it wonderful theii that everywhere,
in town and country alike, the present should be so unlike the
past?  They who best remember the condition of things at the
organization of the State, can best appreciate, in view of the
present, the wonderful change that has taken place. We beheld then the beautiful peninsalla suchl as  iatture had made it,
little changed by the hand of man; we now behold the organized State, with its cities and towns and its noble institutions,
gloryling in the wealth, the population and the prosperity of a
State whose foundations were laid in centuries that are past.
If these years iave brought such marked changes withini our
'L 4 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
territorial limits, thle chlantiges inll our outside relations are no
less remarkable.
Michigani and Arkalnsas were admitted together to the sisterhood of the States.   Twenity-four States thoen  constitnted the
federal union.  Twelve new States, covering an inmmense extelt of territory, have since beeil organiized and taken their
places as miembers of the union.
Thie nation is no longer the same.   Since the time referred
to, broad extelts of country have been added to her territorial
limits.  On the west, Mexico  and  Russia have ceded large
regions of country, washed by the waves of the Pacific Ocean.
Texas, wvitlI a territory wide  einough to constitute kingodoms,
has come  under the national jurisdiction.  And the almost
limritless countryV lying between the slopes of the Nevadas on
the west, and the Mississippi and the great lakes onl the east,
partitioned intO conveiiient portions,  presents itself now as
orgaiiized States and Territories.  We glory in the rapid march
of national )progress, (land we  rejoice with the knowledge that
the period of the existence of our State is a memnorial era in
the advance of our nation, and that altholugh hler formn of governmellt is widely different from all foreign nationalities, she
stands ill thle first rank of the ])owers of the earth.
No regiont of this vast national domain has had a more interesting history tlhan our own Michigan.  In early timnes it felt
the power and yielded to the jurisdiction of more than one
foreign sovereign.  One of tl-he mIost fornial acts of taking
possession of a great country that history  records, had its
scele withini our borders.  Inll 1701 the representative of Louis
XIV., of France, stood in the midst of the congregated indians
of the northwest, and around lhim were priests inl the rich vest
1 "a' 
INAUG URAL EXERCISES AT THE
ments of their order, and His Majesty's soldiers, e(qipped and
glittering in their uniforms and their arms.  The consecrated
cross was raised, and the loud anthenm broke up)On the ear.
Then iLat its side, witlh great form and ceremony, a cedar 0post
was erected with the royal arms attached, and the representative of the king, holoding his sword in one hand and raising a
sod of earth withl the otler, proclaimed with a loud voice, in
the name of his master, the most high, mighty and redoubtable monarch, Loutis the Fourteenthl, most Christian King of
France, that 1he took p)ossession of all the country round about,
from  the great lakes to the South Sea, declaring to all the
nations thlerein, that they were vassals of his lmajesty, and bound
to obey his will, antd prohlibiting all that were not his dutiful
sutbjects-all potentates, pri)iCes, sovereigns and republicsfrom entering into or iinfringing u ponII his majesty's domain.
If ponip and ceremony and bold proclamations could always
secure permanent success, the banner of France would still
wave over our territory.  As it was, the Freinchl monarch held
the country subject to his sceptre until 1763; and dnring that
interval of time the Governor General of Canada administered
its affairs.  Thei British sovereignty succeeded, and until 1783
the Britishi flag floated over it, and British governors were its
rulers.  Then stcceeded the territorial organization, under the
American flag, which covered the region-first as a part of the
great Northwestern Territory, then as a portion of Indiana;
then the Territory of Michigan, and finally succeeded the State.
The complexity of our nation with foreign p)owers in regard
to our territorial domain, is a curious item in our history.
WVithin our present national limits, France, lEngland, Spain,
the Dutch, Mlexico, and Russia have severally, at some tinme,
16 
DEDICATION OF THE'VETV CAPITOL.
had jurisdiction and possession of portionS of our soil, but
these, by honorable national ariralngements, have finally been
relinquished, and our chlerishied form of a free and representative government has taken the place of all of them.
It was lily fortutne, just thirty-three years ago, inII obedience
to the suffrages of my fellow-citizens, to take the official oathl
as Governor of Michigan.  As I look through the intervening
years that lie betweaen that and the present similar occasion, I
seem to be carried back to the very origin of our State-almost
to the verf fountain head whence flow the sweet waters of our
prosperity.   From the adoption of the State constitution to thle
occasion to which I have referred, three individuals only had
occupied the executive chair.  I should do injustice to liy feelings and be false to my sentimlents of veneratioin if I failed to
speak in this assembly the revered names of Mason, Woodbridge, and Barry.
They were the first to be honored with this highol position,
and tlhey were wvorthly to bear the first honors.  They were
called to arduous duties in the infancy of the repulblic-organizing the State government, and to moulding and forminig and
establishingi its new institutions, but each was competent to the
task, and each successfully performed it.
No manl whose  memory reaches back to that period, will
ever forget the youthful  Mason,  ardent, chivalric,  accomplished, alert in the performiance of every duty-a boy in years,
but in judgment a manl of mature wisdom.  Almost worshiping
the State of his adoption, he was himself the idol of his fellowcitizens.  His messages and the records of his administration
will show how bravely he battled against error, liow firmly he
stood against all wrong, how strenuously, yet in the kildest
3
17 
INA UGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
temper, le Lurged thle measures whlicll hle (deemed most bentleficial to the risilig State.
And not less prominlently before us rises thle venerable form
of Governor Woodbridge.   A niaii nmature iti years, of great
mental power, of the most refined culture, an able lawyer and
statesman; he proved himself equal to every emergency, and
bore most worthlily the many honors thlat were conferred uponI
him.
Aud Gover:nor Barry stands worthily in the compatnyv of these
his conmpeers, a man of mark and mierit..  Laborious in the performance of official duty, zealous in his care for the public
interests, studyitng, and (enforcing the strictest ecotnomy in times
of public embarrassments,  and always seeking  the greatest
good of the State: thle confidence of the coimmuiiity in hint
never diminished, and their repeated calls for his return to the
executive office, attest the strength of the hold which he colntinted to have upon the affections of the public.
MIaiiy noble miien have succeeded these in the same official
positions, and have both deserved and secured the aplproval and
the gratitude of their constituency; but in the long list of
names none more worthy are found than these, the earliest of
our standard bearers.
But they are with us no longer.   They and their worthy coworkers  also,  with   few  e\-ce.ptions. have  passed  to  the
assemblage of thle great majority, beyond the verge of life.
We cast fresh flowers on their graves, and turn to the present
and the fuLture.
ILet me congratulate you, miy fellow-citizens, onl the aluspicious occasioni of opening the new Capitol of our State.  This
beautiful structure is not built for the present alone, but for
is 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
thle future also.  Its solid foundations and its massive  walls
proclaim stability and pcerni-tlentcy.  It is to be the lasting
abode of thle three bralnches of otur governineint-the executive,
the legislative, and the jludicial-and its portals, opened to-dav,
receive thlem  within its walls.   Here is the council-hlouse
where  public measures must  be discussed  and determined.
Here is the place whlere  the wrongs of the citizeni must  be
righted, and his rights defended iand protected.  It is a just
lenilaiid of the great public  that wise and  beneficent laws
should come fromi  tlhe legislative department; a firmt  and true
administration of its appropriate duties from the executive; and
from the judicial departmenIt that faithful, intelligent and impartial distribution of justice, which shall fall like a blessing
upon the land.
3lay this Capitol, in the solidity of its structure and the indestrlnctibilitv of its materials, prove a fitting emblem and a
happy augury of the permanency of the republic.  It would be
far better that its proud walls should be overthrown, and its
solid foundation stonies be ground to powder and scattered  to
the winds, thanl that any sacrilegious lhand should mnar the
foundation principles of our republic.  Error writes its record
onI  unstable water, but permanency is inscribed  upon every
great truth and every just principle.
MIy faithl is stroItg iin the perpetuity of our systenl of free
government, based as it is on human rights and the welfare of
the human famly.
We cannot kntow whlat the future may bring fortlh; but, for
niyself, as I fix iyv eyes uponl the cloud thlat rests over it, I see
it illuminated by the brighlt bow of promise, and in cheerful
hope and confidence I am  content to commnit the treasure  to
the keeping of those who shall come after us.
I..9 
IVA UGURAL EXERCISES AT TIIE
At the conclusion of the address of Governor Feleh, the band
played "Hail Columbia," after which, Governor Croswell introduced the  ion. William L. Greenly, of Lenawee county, by
whom the act of the Legislature, removing the Capitol of the
State to Lansing, was signed.
ADDRESS OF EX-GOVERNOR WILLIA_M L. GREENLY.
MIEN AN-D WOMIEN OF MICHIIGAN: -Hlaving this day assembled for the purpose of celebrating in a quiet and suitable
mannaer, the completion of our Capitol, and its delivery to our
Chief Executive for the use and benefit of the people of the
State of Michigan, I have thought that it would not be inappropriate for him who at that time occupied the Chair of State,
and approved the bill passed by the Legislature, locating the
seat of government in the township of Lansing, in the county
of Inglham; also a bill supplemental thereto, providing for the
location of the site upon which the permanent Capitol should
afterwards be erected,-to offer a few remarks-somewhat historical —in relation to its inception and the early steps taken
with a view to bring about the happy and beneficent result, at
last so happily attained, and so highly enjoyed, and above all
so thoroughly and truly appreciated by the people of this great
State.
Section nine of Article XII. of the Constitution of the State
of Michigan, adopted in the year 1835, declared that the seat
of government for this State, should be at the city of Detroit,
or at such other place or places as might be prescribed by law,
until the year 1847, when it should be permanently located.
Although many and often repeated attempts were made by the
Legislature to prescribe by law some other place or places for
a temporary seat of government, as authorized by the consti
20 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
tutionl as before stated, yet none of them were sluccessful, owing
in a great measure, if not wholly, to a spirit of jealousy and
rivalry then, as now, pervading the feelings, and influencing
the action of the denizens of all the larger towns and villages
of our State. It was considered a great prize, earnestly and
eagerly sought, and labored for in every part of the State not
so unfortuntately situated as to preclude all hope.  The member representing the interest of one town, blinded by his own
and his constituents' selfishness, totally forgetting or ignoring
the great and paramount interest of his State, was utterly Utnable to discover either beauty, fitness, or propriety in a rival
town, and determined that his own town or village was preeminlently entitled to its location, and invariably voted "our
town or no change."  For this reason it remained in the city of
Detroit, until the time arrived for making a permanent location.
I have alluded to the scenes which always accompanied any
effort for the temporary removal of the seat of government
from the city of Detroit prior to its finial location, in order that
you may comprehend some of the difficulties whichl the friends
of the bill, as it finally passed, hlad to meet every day and from
every quarter.
The Legislature of 1847, whose imperative duty it had become, under the constitution, to make a permanent location of
the seat of government, proceeded early in the session to act
upon a bill introduced for that purpose, with the name of the
place for such location in blank. After a long and earnest dis.
cussion, and trying day after day to fill the blank  with the
name of one or another of nearly every townI of any note in
Michtiigan, at last, influenced more by a desire to get rid of the
whole subject anld the daily jangling which  accompanied it,
21 
ILVAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
than by any foresilght or expectation of the immense benefits
ultimately, and in the near future to accrue to the State by
their action, passed by a goodly majority, the following short
but important bill:  "That the seat of government of'this
State shall be in the Township of Lansing, in the county of
Ingham," whllich, by the approval of the Governor, on the
26th day of Marchl, 1847, became a law of the State, and on
the same day another supplemental bill, making the necessary
provisions for carrying said act into immediate effect was also
approved.
At that time the site of this beautiful city, withl all its
surroundings,  was  almnost  in a perfect state  of nature,
unadorned by,any device of man, and unimproved by  any
exercise of his art; devoid alike of domicile or farm,  far
removed fromt the comforts and enjoymenits of life,-we had
almost sald evein without the pale of civilization.  Senators
and Representatives involuntarily looked back and brought to
mind all the hardships of pioneer life, and asked themselves
Shall we again be compeled to undergo a like experience? For
the reason that it was a nlew and utntriedl step in the onward
progress of Mlichigan, that it might necessarily be years, and
perhaps generations, before the solitude would be peopled, and
the uncultivated wilds could be subdued, and all the appliances
of civilization would spring up around it.  There were grave
and serious doubts in the minds of many, if not a majority
of the members of the Legislature, as to the propriety of the
proposed step, but it was their solemn duty to make a permanent location somewhere, and the fact that Lansing was some what centrally situated, carried the bill.  So great and far
reaching have been the benefits which have accrued to the
State, more especially to its central and northlern portions, in
2'13 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
opening thenm up to improvement, and causing splendid cities,
-illages, and farms withl all their adjuncts to take the place of
a howling wilderness, that it would almost seem that the finger
of Providence had guided and directed the course of tl!at legislation, rather than the wisdom of finite and erring mal.
By the supplemental act to whichl  I have alluded, the Governor was required to appoint  three commissioners, one of
whom was to be denominated "acting cormnmissioner," to proceed
to the said town of Lansingl, and to select a suitable antd eligible
site in said township, containing not less than twenty acre, of
land, onl which to erect tlhe Capitol'and otl-her State buildings.
Said commnissioners were authorized, ini their discretioii, to
locate the same oil the school section in said towiislip).  Fiurther, it made it the duty of tlhe acting comnmissioner to cause to
be erected and completed by the 25thl day of December next
ensuing, temporary State butildings for the use of tle Legislature and State officers.  Upon the appointment of tlhe commissionters, they at once entered upon the active performance
of their duties.  For a due and just appreciation of the good
judgment and sound sterling sense of the men who so well and
so ably performed their duties, you have only to look around
and examine this beautiful site, upon whllich has been erected
this massive, enduring, convenient and yet elegant structure,
iwhich your Chlief Executive has this day, for tid( ill bellhalf of
the people of Michigani, a(ccepted froni the hands of its butilders.
One would naturally suppose, on ntti occasion liIke this, we
should be led to extol iii briglit and glowi(ng aitguge —inl terms
as vivid as atn exuberant and teemingi inaiariatiition cai supplythe greatlttiess of our State, thle enviable position to lwhichl the
activity, ingenulity and indomitable energy of her people, constanitly aided andi assisted by wise and judicious legislation, has
23 
I4  A UG URAL EXERCISES AT THE
raised her.  But to me it seems that lthis would be a work of
supererogation.  Does not Michigan herself do this work better
than any of her sons can do it for her?  Does not her great
and magnificent system of education, extending from  infant
schools up to the highlest grades of learning, free alike to the
rich and the pool', to the higlh and to the low; a system, which
has merited and received the praise of nearly every civilized
State in the world, extol her?  Does not her great and constantly growing works of internal improvement, interlacing
most every portionl of her broad domain, bringing an easily
visited market for her bountiful products almost to the limits
of her every farm, praise her?  Does not her splendid system of eleemosynary institutions, for the care of the insane, for
the deaf and dumb, for the orphan, for the poor and homeless,
for the sick and dying, for her erring criminal sons,  and
infirm, for the unfortunate of every class, portray to you inl
broader, deepelr, and more lasting colors the greatness and
glory of our State, than the tongue of man could paint?
Are not facts stronger than fancy?  How happy the thought
which suggested the motto inscribed upon the coat of arms
chosen for our State.  If it could be said with truth at that
time, in a state of nature, how proudly and truthfully now can
we exhibit it to the world and  say, "Si q'cetris )eninsula,t7
a)icenay)i, circZt)mszice."'
Governor Croswell then introduced the Honl. Austin Blair,
of Jackson county, Michigan's war Governor.
ADDRESS OF EX-GOVERNOR AUSTIN BLAIR.
FELLOW CITIZFrs:-I regret very much on your account,
even more thant on mny own, tl-hat I have nlot been able to find
24 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
time to put the remarks which I may feel called uponl to make
here to-day, into any order, and upon paper, as the gentlemen
before me have done.  And yet I did not feel as if I ought to
decline altogether to appear upon this occasion, for I remeniaber
very well that it is not often that the ex-Governors get a day in
the service, as we have been able to do at this time; and to get
you once more fairly before us where you cannot very well get
away.  I have to thank his Excellency, the present Governor,
for having recalled your attention to the fact that I stood in
his position upon a somewhat trying occasion; although I am
obliged to admit that it was not at all anticipated at the time
when I was chosen.  Some of us even then thought there might
be trouble between the States, and an effort made at dissolution,
but really we did not quite believe it.  Perhaps I ought to feel
a little thankful that I got into that rather prominent position,
not from any particular qualification I had for it, but because
my fellow citizens thought I could fill the position which was
to be paid for at only $1,000 a year, and do it quite respectably
in piping times of peace.
It is true, however, that we found a very serious change in
that regard directly, and I have considered it always as somewhat fortunate towards myself, whether it was to anybody else
or not, that I could associate among nieu whom I have been
very glad to remember ever since.  Nothing ever filled nie with
more pleasure than the memory of the fact that upon the
ticket where my name stood, was at the head of it the name of
the martyr President, Abraham Lincoln,-a man so true and
so faithful, so wholly and completely American in every respect,
so devoted to his country, so great in every position in which
be was ever tried, that it was an honor to anybody to have stood
4
25 
INA UGURAL EXERCISES A T THE
nlear himi in thle great events in which lhe spilled his blood ancl
gave up his life for his country.  A better than lie, or a nobler
martyr, never lived on tlhe face of the earth.
But I shall not to-day call your attention particularly to tlhe
past.  You are all very fanmiliar with it, atid to recall it would
only be renewing iin the minds of thlose before mne here, those
sentiments andcl feelings which have become  cormmon to the
whole conmmonwealth.   What I desire to do more  upon this
occasion, is to call your attentionI a little to the present.  As has
been very excellently said alrealdy, "' we are mioving to-day into
the new State Capitol "-a builditng somewhat largelr  an(d more
imtposinig than that in whlich those of us whio went before were
obliged to perfonrm the public butsineis.   I hop3 that it is only
aii evidence that the State itself has broadened out in its ideas.
If I should say anything'   a little sharp before I get through,
I hope everybody will pardon it, because it is exceedingly well
intended.
I congratulate you uponl what has been accoiuplislhedtl; but
I desire to call your attention to some other things that need
to be done.   There are enoughl to tell you, and always will be,
of all the fine and beautiful things we have done; of the elegant  buildings we have  erected, of  the magn-ificent school
system  we  have established; of tlhe benevolent institutions
which cover the State-whllichl are all exceedingoly well in their
way,- but the duty never departs from us to take care that
these are properly administered; for if we (do not, that whichl
was intended as a blessi(ng, and otught to be, becomes a curse.
You will remember perhaps the reniark of Alexander Pope
about formis of governimenlt.  Ile says:
"For forms of government let fools contest,
That which is best administered is best."
26 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
And there is a world of truthl in this.  "That whichl is best
administered is best."  It is the administration after all.  We
are patriotic, I suppose, and design well, and we all would be
glad, at least, to be wise if we could;  but in lookiing at the
past we ought to see what we need for the future.  And as we
all became convinced at last tha't there was need of a new
Capitol, the p)eople were willing to expend $1,500,000 in building
it.  I congratulate them that they have done a most excellent
thing.  Now I ask them, after hlaving gone so far, if they do
not think tlhey can afford-this great and magnanimous people
of Michigatn, organ(ized in such a wonderful way, and accomplishing such amazing results-to give the Governors, hereafter,
about half (is good a salary as they pay to a common dry-g,oods
clerk almost anywhere in Lansing?
I take it for granted that I am  speaking to some of  the
members of the Legislature, whichl is about to assemble.   I
think the occasion fittitng, to call their attentioii to this, as well
as one or two other things which I mnay  mention before I get
through.  Perhaps in ad-vance, it would be well ecoulgh to
address themi in the language that it is said old Governor
Snyder addressed one of the early Legislatures of Pennsylvania.
HIe said to them, "Fellow citizens, you have assembled to do
some needful legislation for the benefit of the commonwealth,
and to attend more particularly to your own private sehemcry."  I want to beg that in the careful attention that may be
givenl to the I"private sehemery," don't forget, altogether, the
public interest to which I have alluded.  Pardoii me if I
enlarge a little uponi this.' The Governor should live at the
capital of the State. Every citizen should know tlhat he canii
be found here; that these magonificent rooms prepared for hirnm,
will always be occupied. HlIe needs a home lhere, and ought to
27 
IiVA UG URAL EXERCISES AT THE
have a mansion, which is at least as respectable as the mansions
most private citizens occupy; so that he can bring his family
and live here during his term; where he can conduct himself
like a civil magistrate, iii a civilized way, as people do in other
parts of the country. You have a right to expect when lie is
chosen to this great office, that he shall give his entire time,
energies, and ability to it.  It is very greatly for your interest
that hlie should do so; and I submit that it is not good economy
for you to chaffer with him about the pittance received, in order that hie may do this. Now I have said so much upon this
subject, because I think youl will pardon me, having gone
through this thing to some extent myself.  I am a swift witness to testify that the people of Michigan have dealt hardly
with their Governors since this constitution went into effect,
with this very meager salary in it.  I think it has some tendency to degrade the office, although I know there will always
be found gentlemen who  are willing to risk almost anything
for the honor of this great office, and being the choice of their
fellow citizens.  But the citizens themselves ought to remenmber that they cannot afford to require this; and I really hope
it is about to pass away. As I see the liberality ill expenditure
about mie here, I grow hopeful that this will be reformed.
And now pardon me if I say there is one thing more that I
want very much should be done.  And that comes from nie as
a lawyer, for you know that the Governors come in to-day with
a flourish of trumpets, and go out to-morrow into their law
offices, into their banks, or to their farms; and then are forgotten except upon some notable occasion like this, when we
can get a chance for ourselves, and magnify our office in the
American way. Now what I desire to say, from my position as
a lawyer-the executive branch I have said something about
28 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
is to speak of that branch which is called in this constitution
the judiciary; which is comrmon to all the States, as well as to
the nation. And if I say to you that it is equally as important
as any of the others, I think you will not disagree with mie;
and if I were to say more than that, I should say it is the one
that keeps all the rest in order; that comes homne nearest to the
people; that represents their rights and interests more
directly, more constantly, and more completely than any other,
it is this branch of the government.  I want here to-day to put
in a plea for the trial courts of this State.  i do not need to
point you long to the position of our Circuit Judges.   I think
you have got here thirty, or something like that, of little circuits, separated, and which have no connection with each other.
To these Judges upon the benchl we pay such insufficient
salaries as to make them almost a by-word and a niockery. I
do not wish yout to think that I meant to comnplain of these
Judges. On the contrary, I am amazed at the amount of labor
they perform with such restrictions.  But I have to say that
it is to the interest of every citizen, that the Judges who sit on
the benchles in the trial courts of the State, ought to be equal
to every lawyer at the bar; that they ought not to be men of
inferior learning or qualifications. Can you expect the services
of a capable and upright Judge, unless you pay something like
what his services are worth iii the profession? Ought it not to
be the pride of the people to foster the judiciary, and make it
respectable and strong? And if they so support it, they will be
able to command the ability and strength that we need.  Why,
fellow citizens, there is not a  lmanl in the State who does not
understand perfectly well that this ought to be changed.  A
great miany efforts have been made to change it, but there it
stands in the constitution, whereby every one of these things
29 
INRAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
seems to have been put in a straight jacket.  What are we to
do?  1 look to you, gentlemene  of the Legislature, to find some
means to break through that stra.ight jacket.  I have great
respect for constitutions and the fuLndamenetal principles which
guard the rilghts and liberties of the people, but so far as this
question is concerned, the proper salaries of the various officers
of the State government, our constitution is nothing but a
strai,lght jacket, and should be torn off as soon as possible by
sonme wise means.  I am satisfied that everybody is ready for it.
Repeatedly this question in relation to tllhe salary of Judges
has been presented to the people, but I think never in such a
way as to have public opinion bear fairly upon it.  There has
always been something else with it, or the presentation has been
without proper plan.  I suppose there are enough gentlemen
now able to put this matter in some suchl formn, or devise some
plan by which the people will see that their interests  are
involved, and then I don't think there would be any great difficutlty about it.
And niow, fellow citizens, I will not detain you mucl) longer,
I congratulate you upon this fine building, the growth  and
prosperity of our State; but I want you to remenmber, as I said
almost in thile opening of imyv remnarks, that you may have  a
very finle Capitol, and still have a very poor administration; just
as you may have very fine school-lhouLses, but very poor schools
in them a great many times; just as you can mnake anything
magnificent,  but pretty useless or eveti cumbersome.   We
should consider carefully the propositions which come constantly before us in regard to otur public affairs, and so right
and change them as that they shall meet the exigencies of the
present.
30 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
N\oow this old coustitutioII wals adopted when thle Sta.te was
snall and poor.  It vwas calculated for the situation in which
we then were.  WAVe have outgrownl it in a great imany particulars, and we need to amenld and improve it; and we need-to do
it in the way of wvisdomi, and iiot mere partisanship.  ILet us,
if we can for the time being,-lanld I trust there are many men
disposed to do it, ris  above  proejuLdie3 and party strife, and
remolld and remodel out' affairs iii suchll a way as to develop
the great interests anLd power of this people more rapidly thai
has hitherto been done. There never will be a time when you
can stop in regard to these thinos.   Our fatlhers builded  iand
they builded well, better even than thley knewv.  As their sons
have olttgrown  the old State Housa down  yonder, and moved
into this, so too have they outgcrowni  a great imanty of the ilistitutions under whichl we live, and we want to improve theim.
There is steady growtlh, t(lid there niust be legislation biennially
in order to make room for whlat is cominigc, not only here but
elsewhere in tile country, and to improve our illustrious institultions, to in.Lke thenli better and more effective than they have
ever beeni heretofore, and to enilarg(e upon the noble plan with
which we have started.
I am very liopefuil,-ts my friend, Governor Felehll, has said
in his closing remarkiils,-3xceedingly hlopefuil about our Aniericati institutions.   I llave never doubted for an instant our
success to mirake this a govertlnment of freedom, not only as
good ias our fathlers supposed, but that it shall be made better
as we go forwvard.   That while this people will make some mistakes,  u(ndoubtedly,  they  have streiigth  and  knowledge  to
correct them  when they find tlhem out.   I believe we shall
continue to grow, and  that liberty, regulated by law, will coIntinue to prosper not only lhere but tilroughout the whole land,
31 
INA UGURAL EXERCISES A T THE
and that this country, the latest born of the republics in the
world, shall at last become the oldest antd best of the whole.
Governor Croswell then introduced the  Hon. Henry P.
Baldwin, of Wayne cotunty, who recommended to the Legislature of 1871 the building, of the new Capitol, approved the act
providing for its erection, and appointed tile Building Comrmissioners under its provisions.
ADDRESS OF EX-GOVERNOR HENRY P. BALDWIN.
We are here to-day in answer to anll invitation from the Governor of the State. The occasion which calls us together is one
of much interest to every citizen of Michigan. Another milestone now placed onl our pathway, marks the progress of the
State, and it may not be amiss to recall to memory some few of
the historical incidents connected with the growth and advancementt of our noble commonwealth.
For nearly two centuries the territory which is now the State
of Michigan, was a part of the jurisdiction of Canada, belonging to France until the victory of Wolfe at Quebec, in 1759,
which led to the surrender of Detroit and other northwestern
posts in 1760.  Then to Great Britain until by the treaty of
peace of 1783 it became a part of the territory of the United
States, but it was not surrendered and did not actually become
an American poSSeSSion until 1796.
It was a part of the Northwestern Territory organized under
the ordinance of 1787, with Cincinnati as its first seat of goverumient3 and Arthur St. Clair as its first Territorial Governor.
Michiganl next became a part of the new Territory of Indiana,
organized iii 1802, with Vincennes as its seat of government,
and General William Ihenry Harrison as its Governor.  This
32 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
connection continued but a short time, as the Territory of
Michigan was organized in 1805, with Detroit as its seat of
government, and General William IuItll as its first Governor.
The legislative power was committed to the Governor and thlree
Judges appointed by Congress.  The Governor and Judges met
for the first time in July of that year, at the Indian Council
House in Detroit, and the Government of Michigan commenced
its existence. The population of the Territory was about 3,000.
In 1820 it had increased to 8,896; iii 1830 to 31,639.
The first county organization embracing any portion of the
State of Michigan was made in 1796, when Wayne county was
set apart.  Thie country lvas somCzewvhat larger than age are nov
accustomed to, as it embraced the whole of the squbsequent Territory of Michigan aCd at part of the States of Ohio,  I)diaa)a,
Illinois, and 1Viisconsiin.
The right of suffrage did not exist in the Territory unttil, by
an act of Congress, in 1819, the people were authorized to elect
a delegate to Congress.  The elective franchise was still further extended, in 1823, by an act of Congress authorizing the
election of a Legislative Council, to consist of nine nmembers
to be appointed by the President from eighteen persons to be
chosen by the people.
In 1834 the population of the Territory had increased to
87,000, sufficient to warrant a State organization. In January,
1835, an act was passed by the Legislative Council, authorizing
a convention to form a constitution.  The convention met and
framed a constitution, whicli was adopted by the people in
October. State officers and a Legislature were elected at the
same time.  The Legislature met in November of the same
year, with Stevens T. Mason as the first Governor of the State.
5
33 
INA UG URAL EXERCISES AT THE
A contest lhaving arisen between Ohio and Miclligan as to
the boundary line between the two States, the fanmous "Toledo
war" occurred.  The boundary question was eventually settled
by Ohio getting Toledo, and Michigan receiving its territory ill
the Upper Peninsula as al equivalent.
In 1823 an edifice of brick, desicgned for a court-house, was
erected in Detroit, and used as the Territorial and State Capitol until 1847, when, by an act of the LegislatLure, the seat of
government was removed to Lansing.
The second State House,-thle one we have just  now abatndonted,-a plain  frame building, was erected in 1847, and
occupied by the Legislature.of 1848, and by every subsequecnt
L3gislatire until the present.  It still stands a nmonutlmet to
the wise economy of those days.  The population of the State
at the time of the removal of the seat of government to Lansing
was about 340,000.
The Goverinor, inll his  iessage to the Legislature of 1871,
called the attention of that body to the necessity for the erectioil of a new State Capitol.  The recommrnendation resulted inl
the passage of an act providing for the erection of a new State
House, and a bulilding, for the temporary use of tlhe State
offices, and for the appointment of a Board of State Bailding
Commissioners.  Appropriations were made in the same act for
the temporlary  bulilding,  for cost of plans,  and  $100,000
towards the new Capitol.
At  an extra session of the Legislatture, in March,  1872,
additional appropriatiolls anmounting to $1,100,000 were made,
intended, withl the previous appropriation to cover the  whole
cost of the buildin,g.
In July of 1872 a contract was made for the construction of
34 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
the whole building.  And we are here to-day to unite in con gratutlations with His Excellency the Governor, the State
officers, the Houses of the Legislature, and the Board of State
Building Commissioniers under whose intelligent and faithful
supervision the beautiful, comnmodious, and substantial edifice
in which we are now assembled has been successfully constructed and completed; an edifice every way fitting a,nd worthy
of being the Capitol of our growing and prosperous State for
centuries to come.
Nearly eight years have passed, and a million and a half of
dollars have been expended oni this stately edifice, and we
rejoice in being able to congratulate the people of Michigan
upon the fact that this great work was honestly beguil and has
been honestly completed, and that every dollar of its cost has
been promptly paid without contracting debt, and without being
in any sense a burden to the people.
We are the citizens of a commonwealth, with a fertile territory large enough for an empire, with advantages of location
and internal resources almost unequaled, with an intelligent
and industrious population of one and a half millions of people; with noble institutions for educational, beneficent and
reformatory purposes; goodly foundations have been laid, and
to-day marks, as it were, a new epoch in the history of lichigan, by the completion and occupation of this new State House,
now "to be dedicated to the enactment and administration of
such equal laws as will tend to establish justice and to secure
the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity for all
time."
Governor Croswell then introduced the Hioni. John J. Bagley,
of Wayne county, under whose administration the greater part
35 
INAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
of the work was forwarded, and to whose wise counsels imainy
excellent features were due.
ADDRESS OF EX-GOVERNOR JOHIN J. BAGLEY.
The completion of the beautiful building we this day dedicate as our State House, is indeed a source of pride to every
citizen of Michigan.  As we niove "out of thle old house into
the new," we are proud that we were conltent witi  the old,
simple and modest as it was, narrow and contracted as it became, until we could build a new, by self-imposed taxation,
freely paid by a willing and generous people.   We are proud
that it is paid for-lthiat the roof over our head and the.heartihstonIes under our feet are nlot mortgagoed to the future.  We
are proud of the example the State has giveli to us as individuals and communities; glad for the lesson it has taught us of
fidelity, econonmy and prudence.   We remember, too,  with
pride that the wise behests of our fathers, as giveni to us in the
organic law; that universal education shlould be provided for,
that institutions for the unfortunate should always be maintained, were first obeyed-thlat no expenditure for luxury,
ornament or comfort has becn made, until vtur institutions or
education, charity, persuasion and punishment have first been
completed.  Withint the lifetime of a single generation, all
these things we have faithfully done.  And now, rounded out
as this lifetime is, by the completion of this, our State Home,
our hearts swell with honest pride in our beloved State;  our
hopes for its future are buoyant and bright; and withl heartfelt
gratitude to the Ruler of nations for the blessings that have so
constantly abided withli us, we devoutly ask for all the coming
years that "peace may be within thy walls, and  prosperity
withiii tlhyv palaces."
36 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
Who of tus to-day is the poorer for the expenditures of the
State in its institutions?  rather, who of us is not richer for
them?  If the old proverb,  "WhVat a manl gives, and what he
consumes is his real wealth,"  be true, then Michigan is rich
indeed.
The State is not only grand in its acres, but in its aims-it
is not only great in its cities, but in its citizenship-it is not
rich alone in its wealth, but in its wisdom.  Uponl these fouIndations we have builded the commonwealth, and upon these it
shall stand forever.
In this new and beautiful home for all the departments of
our State government, let us highly resolve that legislation
shall be for the conmmon good;  that the people shall not be
forgotten in their rights, nor made unmindful of their duties;
that all men of all conditions, creeds, color or circumstances,
are citizens and neighbors, and deserve equal care and thought
from our law-makers.  Build no barriers, create no classes, but
hold in one embrace poor and rich, wise and ignorant, native
and foreign born, employer and laborer.  In the things that
can only be done by associations or corporations, demand the
same duties that are demanded of the individual; grant the
same right-and no more, that we would to the individual.
Legislation enacted in this spirit and administered in this
spirit will, indeed, make the dream of the poet a reality:
" Wlien the State hlouse is the hearlith,
Thlen the perfect time has come The republican at home."
Our pioneer fathers, whose eyes feasted uponl the virgin
beauty of the State, its lakes and streams, its prairies and
openings, its lo-vely valleys, its grand forests and generous soil,
charmled with the prospect, adopted as the miotto of the State,
37 
INA UG URAL EXERCISES A T THE
"If tilhot seekest a beautiful peninsula, behold it here."  And
we do behold it, not as they saw it, but beautiful and softened
by the handiwork of their children, who have dotted it all over
with homne, and school, and church. Let us see to it that our
government, in all its branches, be so just, so wise, so beneficent that we may say, If thou seekest a beautiful peninsula,
not in material things alone, but in good citizenship, in pure
manhood and womanhood, in love of liberty, in belief in free
institutions, in care of the unfortunate, in general and liberal
education, behold it here! Some one has said "the walls that
see us work, and dream, and hope, are always to us the walls
of a palace."  May our work for Michigan, our dreams of
Michigan, our hope for Michigai be such that the walls of our
State House shall indeed be always to us the walls of a palace.
Governor Croswell then introduced the Hon. E. 0. Grosvenor, of Hillsdale county, Vice President of the Board of State
Building Commiissioners, who read the report of the Commissioners, as follows:
REPORT OF BUILDING C03IMISSIONERS.
FELLOW CITIZENS:-The Board of State Building Comnissioners welcome most heartily this occasion, and with pleasure
avail themselves of the opportunity it affords them to render an
account of their stewardship.  The members of the commnissionl were appointed by His Excellency, Governor Henry P.
Baldwin, and confirmed by the Legislature in joint convention
on the 11th day of April, 1871.
On the day following they met in Lansing and took and
subscribed the constitutional oath of office, and the oath
required under the provisions of section 3, act inumnber 68 of
,Is
a 
DEDICATIOIV OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
the laws of 1871, and at once entered upon the work assigned
them. At the session of the Board on May 8th, their organization was fuLlly completed by the electionii of Comnlmissiooner
Grosvenor as Vice President, at which time the members of
the Board also filed with the Secretary of State the bonds
required by the act.
The first duty required of the Board was the erection of a
suitable building for the temporary use of the State offices, as
the building theni in use for that purpose occupied the centre
of the block of ground designated as the site for the new
Capitol.  That buLilding was erected and completed ready for
occupancy early in November. 1871.
While the erection of the temporary offices was progressing,
the Con-missioners were engaged inii collecting the necessary
information to enable them properly to carry out the instructions of the Legislature, and oni the 6th of June they issued an
advertisement soliciting competitive designs for a new Capitol,
and a pamphlet of instructions to architects, giving them the
number and sizes of the various apartments required, the kinds
and quality of materials to be used, and such other directions
and information as were deemed essential; and charging them
especially to avoid superfluous ornamentation, and the necessity
of keeping strictly within the limit of expenditure authorized
by the Legislature.
In response to this advertisement twenty designs were submitted on I)ecember 28th, 1871, by architects of various
localities.  After a careful exanmination of each, in which the
Board was engaged almost conistantly for nearly a month, they
decided on the 24th of January, 1872, to adopt the design subinitted by Elijah E. Myers (an architect then  residing at
Springfield,  Illinois), as possessing in a greater degree than
39 
INAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
anly other design submitted, the most essential features for a
suitable Capitol building for the State of Michigan.
The drawings of Mr. Myers were finely executed, combining
beauty of proportion withl  substantial construction, and'evidenced that the archlitect had carefully studied and adhlered
to the suggestions of the Commissioners, iii securing compacthess and solidity of design, inl avoiding unnecessary ornamen —
tation, and in properly arraniging the various apartments with
regard to lighlt, ventilation, and the general convenience of the
departments that were to occupy and transact business in them.
As the work progressed the plans were found to be quite
correct and the constructionI good and substantial, evidencing
that the skill and ability of the architect were of a highl order.
Mr. Mvers was eniployedl as architect and general superintendent, whichl position lie retained until the close of September
last, the work being at that time so nearly completed as to
require his services no longoer.
In the examination and selection of a design for the Capitol,
all the State departments were consulted as to relative location
and amount of room desired, and other requirements; aud
nearly all of the officers were present and took part in the final
adoption.
At the extra session of the LugislatLure inl March, 1872, the
cost of the Capitol, including all expenses incident to its
construction and completion, was limited to $1,200,000, an'
the contract for the entire butildiing, was awarded on the 15th
day of July, 1872, to Messrs. N. Osburn & Co. for $1,144,057.20, leaving nearly $56,000.00 to provide for extras, salaries,
and other expenses.  Of tlhe six proposals submitted, that of N.
Osburn & Co. was the only one within the limit of the appro
40 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.[
priation, tile other five ralnging ill amount froni $1,379,984.97
to $1,896,000.00.
The subject of building stotie occupied the attention of the
Commissioners for a long time, and was fully discussed, and
samples  examined  and tested  at  all their meetings  until
the selection  was decided  upon.   While  the Board felt a
proper pride ill using materials found withiii the State, and
were desirous of carrying out the suggestions of the Legislature
inii thlis respect, they were unwilling to adopt any stone which
could not command  their fullest  confidence, or to  try any
experiment  in a work of such importance  and  niagnitude.
There was  found  no quarry  witblia the State, sufficiently
developed to inisure the required quantity of stone, uniform il
color, and of suitable quality for a building of such size and
character.  It was, therefore, decided to adopt the Amherst,
Ohio, sandstone, the character of which was fully established,
and its color well adapted to prod,uce  the pleasing contrast of
light and shade desirable iii a building of this class of architecture.
The limestone from  Lamont, Illinois, was adopted for the
foundation, and was furnished in mnassive blocks, extending
the enltire width of the walls.   The first base course and all
the outside steps and landingiiis are of Jolict limestone of verv
superior quality.
All the materials employed in thle construction of the building are of the best of their several kinds.
On the 2d of October, 1873, the corner stoneC was laid with
appropriate ceremionies, pursuant to the provisions of a joint
resolution of the Legislature of that year.
Int addition to the appropriation of $1,200,000 for the constrtuction of the l)uilding, the Legislature of 1875 appropriated
41 
INAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
for steam heating and ventilation $70,000.  For clhanges i the
construction of the roof, the steps to porticoes, and interior
finish, $30,000.  For constructing the main cornice and balustrade of stone, instead of galvanized iron, as provided'in
contract, $65,000.  The Legislature of 1877 also appropriated
$25,000 to pay for electrician work and other needed improvemients, making the aggregate of appropriations for construction,
steam heating, and electrician work, $1,390,000.
All of the work las been fully completed within the amounts
appropriated.
The condition of the several appropriations for all purposes
connected with the construction, steam  heating, electrician
work,  and  other  improvenments  of  the  Capitol  building,
including that part of the furniishling of the State Library,
Legislative Halls,  and Supreme  Court  room  committed  to
this Commission, and the improvements of the grounds, is
as follows:
Amounts appropriated under Acts No. 67, of 1871, and 4 of
1872, for construction, $1,200,000; of which has been expended $1,199,574.06, leaving a balance of $425.94.
Under section 1 of Act No. 9, of 1875, for steam heating
and ventilation, $,70,000; of which has been expended $68,472.68, leaving a balance of $1,527.32.
Under section 2 of the same act, for changes in the roof,
steps to porticoes, and interior finish, $30,000; of which has
been expended $28,171.50, leaving a balance of $1,828.50.
Under Act No. 114, of 1875, for constructing the main
cornice and balustrade of stone, instead of galvanized iron, as
provided in the original specifications, $65,000, all of which
has been expended, the contract for that change having been
awarded for the amount appropriated.
42 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
Under Act No. 37, of 1877, for electrician work and
other irnprovements, $25,000; of which has been expended
$24,537, leaving a balance of $463; being ten per cent on the
contract for the electric lighting and annunciator work,
which amount will be due and paid to the contractors upon
the full completion and acceptance of their contract.
Uinder Act No. 135, of 1877, for improvement of grounds
and furnishing, $40,000; of which has been expended $39,743.33, leaving a balance of $256.67.
The aggregate of balances to this day being $4,501.43, of
which it is estimated that nearly $4,000 will remain in the
State treasury after every obligation incurred by this Board
shall have been paid.
The Commission has aimed to erect a Capitol worthy of the
dignity of the State,-massive and elegant; void of all trivial
ornamentation,  and  pleasing in appearance;  of enduring
material, substantial in construction, and perfect in workmanship; and while earnestly endeavoring to accomplish this,
that we have not been unmindful of the injunction of the
Legislature to make no expenditure exceeding the appropriation, is attested by the following instrument, executed by the
contractors on the day of completion and acceptance of the
building:
"Received of the Board of State building Commissioners of
the State of Michigan, Voucher No. 73, bearing even date
herewith, for the sum of one hundred and thirty-six thlousand
three hundred  and four and 70-100 dollars, being  in full
settlement of all demands arising in any manner under a
contract made on the 15th day of July, A. D. 1872, with
said Board of State Building Commissioners for the erection
and completion of a State Capitol for said State; it being
43 
INA UGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
expressly agreed and understood that all demands for extra
labor and materials, as well as for all changes made in the
work for the entire completion of the contract are fully
adjusted.
(Signed)                  "N. OSBURN  & CO.
LAx-SING, MICI., Septemnber 26tlh, 1878."
No change has occurred in the composition of the board
since its organization in 1871, except in its president; the law
providing that the Governor shall be a member of the board,
and ex officio its presiding officer.  The work  commenced
under His Excellency, Governor iHenry P. Baldwin, who having devoted much attention to the examination of the coInstruction and arrangement of public buildings at home  and
abroad, was adnlirably qualified for the important position,
and greatly aided the board by his counsels.
He was succeeded in 1873 by Governor John J. Bagley, who
for four years was president of the board, his practical knowledge of the work then progressing, being of great value.
In January, 1877, he was succeeded by the present able
executive, Governor Charles M. Croswell, under whose  administration the work has progressed to completion.
The comnlmission lhas been fortunate in the selection and
employment of assistants, as well as in awarding contracts.
The secretary, Mr. Allen L. Bours, has discharged the duties
from the organization of the board, wvitli rare ability and faithfulness.   The  records,  books,  and files furnish a full and
complete history and showing of the transactions and expenditures of the board, and arc regarded as a model of conmpleteness
and accuracy. 
Mr. Oliver Marble was appointed assistant superintendent,
to take effect February 1st, 1873, and, in the absence of Mr.
44 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
iMyers (architect and superintendent), was ill charge of the
work until August 31st, 1878, the condlition of the work  at
that time no longer requiring his services; his intelligence and
former experience rendering hini capable ind efficient for that
position.
The firml of N.  Osburnil & Co., of Rochester, N. Y., the
contractors for the erection and completion of the building,
was well constituted to organize and carry steadily forward to
completion, a work of the character and magnitude of this
builditng, for in the firm was represented mechanical skill and
iiitelligence of a high order.  They have executed their contract faithfully and satisfactorily in workmanship and mnaterial.
NMr. Samuel J. Creswell of Philadelphia, as sub-contractor,
furnished all the cast-iron work for the building.  His work is
of a most superior character, and iii its production lie has
zealously carried out the desires of the board.
Tlhe Walworthl Manufacturing Co. of BostonI was awarded
the contract for steam heating and ventilation.  The work was
properly and intelligently performed, and has thus far accolmplished all that was anticipated.
The electric lilghting and annunciator work was done by the
Western Electric Manultfacturing Co., of Chicago, and, as far
as completed, is quite perfect and successful in its operation.
The several contracts for fitting up the Library, Legislative
Halls, Supreme Court and Justices' Rooms, Military Departmnienit, etc., have all been completed in conformity with drawings and specifications.
The gradinig, draining,  laying out, arnd beautifying the
grounds have beeli done under  the superintendence of Mr.
Adam Oliver, a landscape gardener of Kalamazoo.   He has
discharged his duties intelligently and acceptably.
4 5 
INAUGURAL EXERCISES AT THE
The almost entire freedo,m from accidents resulting either
in loss of life or property, is a cause for great thankfulniess.
Notwithstanding the building was in course of construction
for more than six years, and during this period hundreds of
men employed, no accident occurred causing loss of life or
limb, nor ally resulting in loss or sacrifice of property worthy
of notice.
The board has, since its organization, held one hundred and
forty-seven meetings, of which one hundred and three were
regular, and forty-four were special, and occupying, in all,
two hundred and fifty-eight davs.  The Commissioners have
never failed to have a quorum in attendance at its regular
monthly meetings, and in no case since the commencement
of the work has any contractor or other persons having claims
against the State on account of the construction of the Capitol, been obliged to wait a single day on account of the neglect
or failure of the Board to meet and act upon their claims.
In this it will be observed that uninterrupted health has been
vouchsafed to each member of the Board.
During all these years of watching and waiting, of toil and
anxiety, the Commission has been greatly cheered, encouraged,
and gratified by the Fmany evidences and expressions of confidence and approbation that have come to them from time to
time, from all portions of the State; but have found their
greatest gratification and highest reward in the consciousness
that they have been faithful to their trust, and in having
given, to the discharge of every duty devolving upon them,
their earnest and persistent efforts and best thoughts.
To the Honorable the Governor of the State of Michigan:
The Board of State Building Commissioners were appointed
46 
DEDICATION OF THE NEW CAPITOL.
and commissioned to erect and complete a builditng saitable for
the State Capitol.'
Havilig accorimplishied the task assigned to them, they have
the hoiior to present tlhis edifice, with all its appointments,
complete fromn fouindation to pinnacle of dome; trusting it will
be found fittin(g, convenient, anid secure for the proper adniinistration of tlhe government of tihis great alid growilig State.
E. O. GROSVENOR,
JAS. SHIEARER,
ALEX. CHIIAPOTON,
State Buildinig Covii'sio)ers.
A],LEN L. BOURS, S3cret(ay.
ACCEPTAN-CE OF THE CAPITOL BY THE GOVERNOR.
Governor Charles M. Croswell responded as follows:
In behalf of the State, it gives Ilo great pleasure to accept
this Capitol building.  It has been constructed in a sulbstantial maniner, affords ample accommnod,Ltionis for all departments
of thle government; comports with the ciharacter of the Comnmonwealtli, and is wortlhy to stand as an evidence of the taste,
spirit, and enterprise of this people.
To you, gentlemen of tlhe Builditlg Comnnission, has been
entrusted the chlarge of this work  fromr its inception to its
completion.  No  change has taken place in your IImemblershiip,
amd you all are here to-day to witniess thle full realization of
your plans and your labors.
Altllough this buildinog has beetn erected durilng a period
whenlC  public conIfidence has beca repeatedly shaken by efforts
in many instances on tlhe part of tlhose it  chiarge of public
worlks to make tllem wrol)gfuLlly contribute to l)ersonal gain,
no aspersion of the kinid lihas been chiagod here.  All your
47 
IN'A UIGURAL EXERCISES.
expenditures have been gauged by the limits of your appropriations.   You have been scrupulous in the discharge of the
duties confided to you, and careful of the interests of the
State.  I believe I but express the general sentiment when I
say that the structure reflects credit upon yourselves, upon the
architect, the builders, and others associated withI you in the
enterprise, and that you are justly entitled to public thanks.
We now enter upon the formal occupation of this edifice.
The way for its construction was prepared by those who, preceding us, incurred the privations of the pioneer, and laid here
the foundations of a government designed to promote the general welfare.   Their work is confided to us.  If we aim to
maintain liberty, advance morality, encourage labor, and banish ignorance, we will have been true to the trust. Our places
are soon to be filled by others.  No man, even with prophetic
vision, can compass the future of Michigan. As population
flows to hier, and commerce increases her wealth, let us hope
that fromn these walls may emanate the results of wise statesmanship, impartial justice, and patriotic devotion to country.
Governor Croswell then introduced the Rev. Theodore P.
Prudden, who pronounced the
BENEDICTION.
May the abundant blessing of our generous Father rest
upon our State, its rulers, its families, upon this house and
all that is done therein, and upon us all, both now aind
forever. Amnen.
48 
The building is located o0   the centre of Block No.  249,
or Capitol Square, the main front facing the east.   The
block has a frontage on Capitol avenue of  660 feet from
northl to southl, and a depth from east to west of 7421 feet,
and contains anl area of eleven and a quarter acres.
DI3MENSIONS,  ETC.
The building (exclusive of the porticoes), is 345 feet 2 inches
ill length, and 191 feet 5 inches in depth at centre.  Including
the porticoes and steps, the length is 420 feet 2 inches, and
greatest depth, 273 feet 11 inches.   The extreme height is 267
feet.
The  height of stories is as follows:   Basemelt,  11 feet;
1st, 2d, and 3d stories, each 20 feet; 4tlh story, 16 feet. The
east corridor of first floor is 29 feet wide, the west 19 feel, and
north and southl eaclh  18 feet.  The clear diameter of the
rotunda is 4421 feet, and the height fromn floor to diaphlragm
150 feet.
The State Library is 100 feet long, width at centre 45 feet,
three stories in height, containing  five galleries  or tiers of
cases.   Height fromn main floor to ceiling 59 feet, withl shelf
capacity for over 63,000 volumes, whlich can easily be increased
to 100,000 by furniishing cases upon the upl)er floor.
7
'Wht Ftl  dapl~g0
o 6.   
TIlE ArEW CAPITOL
The Legislative Halls are each 70 feet in width from east to
west;  the Representative Hall being 75 feet, and the Senate
Chamber 57 feet from north to south.   The ceiling of each
is 41, feet in height.
The building contains, besides corridors, passages, closets,
and wash  and  cloak rooms,  one  hundred  and thirty-nine
rooms, as follows: Basement, 38; first and second stories each
33; third story, 28, and fourth  story 7, besides two boiler
rooms and the necessary room for storage of fuel, situated
under the north and south porticoes, entirelv outside of the
building.
There are two grand stairways situated on either side of the
rotunda and extending from the basement to the fourth story.
There are also half flights leading from the landings of these to
the second, third and fourth floors. There are also two stairways leading from the basement to the third floor, in the rear
of the Legislative Halls, a stairway from the fourth floor to
the highest gallery in the dome, and from that point to the
lantern.  There are also two circular stairways from the lower
to the upper floor of the Library, with landings at each gallery, and two private stairways connecting offices on the first
floor with rooms in the basement.
The distance from Capitol avenue to foot of steps at east
portico is 225 feet 321 inches; from west steps to Walnut street,
243 feet 31 inches, and from  the north and south steps to
street, 119 feet 10 inches.
The Capitol with the porticoes covers one and oine-sixth
acres. The girth of the building is 1,520 feet.
-MATERIALS.
The concrete upon which all the walls are laid, is composed
50 
DI.IENSIONS, MATERIALS, ETC.
of limestone from Bellevue, Eaton county, Michigan, broken
with a "Blake crusher"  to egg size, and  mixed in proper
proportion with Louisville cement, coarse sand and water. The
footing stones are of Lamonlt, Illinois, limestone. The superstructure is of Amherst, Ohio, sandstone; the first base course,
outside steps and landings, and steps to boiler rooms, of Joliet,
Illinois, limestone, the corner-stone of Massachusetts granite;
and the floors of vaults and flagging onl grounds of Euclid,
Ohio, freestone. The brick for interior walls and backing of
exterior walls, floor arches, etc., of which fifteen millions were
used in the building, were manufactured in Lansing.   The
corridors of first, second and third stories are tiled with
Vermont marble.  All the beams, girders, interior columns,
roof trusses and stairways are of ironI, the covering of dome,
soffits under landings of grand stairways,  and ceilings  of
Legislative Halls are of galvanized iron; the roof is covered
with very superior tin, manufactured expressly for it in Wales.
The windows of the three principal stories and basement are
glazed with the best quality of English plate glass; the panels
in the ceilings of the House and Senate are of the same quality
of glass, embossed; the skylights over Legislative Ialls are of
American hammered glass, 4 inch thick.
GAS LIGHIITING.
The building is lighted by gas supplied by the Lansing Gas
Light Co.  There are 271 chandeliers and pendants, besides a
large number of standards and brackets, with a total of 1,702
burners within the building, besides 36 burners in the lamps
to light the porticoes and entrances to the grounds. 371 of the
burners are lighted by electricity, distributed as follows: In
ceiling of Representative HIall, 150; in ceiling of Senate
51 
THE iEWT CAPITOL.
Chanimber, 100; in State Library 75, and in the dome and
lantern 46.
CONTRACTORS.
The following list comprises most of thle principal contractors and sub-contractors:
Erection and completion of entire buildinig-N. Osburni  &
Co., Rochester, N. Y., composed of the following named gentlemen:  Nehemialh Osburn, Emery W. Osburn, Charles  C.
Moody, James Appleyard, and Richard Glaister.
Steam heating and  ventilation —Walworth Manufacturing
Co., Boston, Mass.
Electric  liglting  and  annunciator work-Thle  WTestern
Electric Manufacturing Co., Chicago.
Sandstone-The Amherst Stone Co., John T. Wilson,  Vice
Pres., Cleveland, Ohio.
Cast iron work; also lamp posts and lanternis-Samuel J.
Creswell, Philadelphia.
Galvanized iron work-John Siddonts, Rochester, N. Y.
Plumbing and gas-fitting-Waite & Williams, Toledo, O.
Plate glass-Edwin A. Boyd, New York.
Orinamental glass work-Geo. A. Misch & Bro., Chicago.
Painting and Grainintg-Deans, Brow & Godfrey, Detroit,
Mich.
Vault doors, and State Treasurer's safe-Detroit Safe Co.,
Detroit, Mich.
Plastering and stucco work-Roberts  & Grecen, Detroit,
Mich.
Brick-George B. Hall, Lansing.
Door and window framnes, s.asli, doors, and interior wood
finish-Alfred Wise, LanIsing.
52 
DIMENSIONS, A31ATERIALS, ETC.
Designs for statuary-L. T. Ives, Detroit,  and  Hernlan
Wehner, Lansing.
Modeling statuary-Herman Wehner, Lansing.
Galleries, book-eases, desks  in  State library,  legislative
desks, fitting up military apartments  and legislative postoffice, sofas, lounges, and other furniture-Kappes & Eggers,
Chicago.
Flag Walks-Win. P. Appleyard, Lansing.
Steam and water pipes, and machinery for water supplyJames Appleyard, Lansing.
Railing around grounds-P. C. Ayres & Son, Lansing.
Plank sidewalks-AV-Williamn Clark, Lansing.
Revolving ellairs-Barber, Craine & Co., Detroit.
Fitting up departments of Auditor General, State Treasurer,
and Secretary of State, and other fuLrniture-Francis IR. Wolfinger, Chicago.
Rostrums in Supreme Court room  and  Legislative Halls,
and other furniture-Feige Brothers, East Saginaw, Alich.
Elevator-W. E. Hale & Co., Chicago.
Furniture and upholstery for Governor's rooms-Caroline
Weber, Detroit.
Settees in galleries, polygon desks, and other furnitureA. IH. Andrews & Co., Chicago.
Furniture —Haynes, Spencer & Co., Richmond, Ind.
Revolving book-cases-George S. Tompkins, Detroit.
Columns in Legislative Halls, and entrance doors-Lapp &
Doemling, Detroit, Mich.
Gas fixtures-Mitchell, Vance & Co., New York.
Carpets and linoleum —Abbot & Ketchumn, Detroit, licih.
Water coolers-Davis & Larled, Lansing, Mich.
53 
THE NEW CAPITOL.
I
Tin file-boxes, waste paper baskets, and desk furnitnrc —].
B. Smith & Co., Detroit, Mich.
Show cases-Dainan & Mann, Lantsinlg, Micli.
Electric clocks-E. Howard & Co., Boston.
54 
OF IMPORTANT EVENTS RELATING TO THE BUILDING
OF THE CAPITOL.
1871.
Jan.
Jan.    4.-The erection of a new Capitol reconimiiended by
Governor H. P. Baldwin in his biennial message
to the Legislature.
Feb.   14.-Bill introduced into the Sen ate "To  provide for
the erection of a new State Capitol."
Feb.   28.-Bill passed by the Senate.
March 22.-Bill amended and passed by the House.
March 23.-Amnendmnents concurred in by the Senate.
March 31.-Bill approved by the Governor.
April  11.-E}. O. Grosvenor, James Shearer, and Alexander
Chapoton appointed Building  Comnmissioners,
and confirmed by the Legislature ill joint con              vention.
April  12.-Conimissioners met il ILi1ansing uand q1ualified.
May    8.-E. O. Grosvenor elected  Vice President of the
Board.
May   16.-Allen L. Boutrs appointed Secretary of the Board.
June   6.-Advertisernients issued soliciting designs for a new
Capitol.
D)ecc   28.-Twenty designs for Capitol submitted.
ea~tea~gl ab alt 
THE iVEW CAPITOL.
1872.
Jan.   24.-Designl for Capitol adopted.
Marchl 29.-E. E. Myers appointed  Architect  and  Superiti              tendelt.
May   21.-Advertiselments issued solicitilng proposals for erec              tion of building.
July    8.-Proposals received from  contractors for erection
of building.
July   15.-Contract for the erection of the building awarded
to N. Osburn & Co., of Rochester, N. Y.
Aug.  27.-First estimate for labor and material allowed to
contractors, net amount $3,118 23.
1873.
Feb.
April 2
Feb.    1.-O. MAarble employed as assistant superintendent.
April  24.-Joint  ResolLtion providing for laying corner stone
approved by Gov. Johnl J. Baoley.
June  10.-First meeting of corner-stone committee, consist              ing of Hotn. John J. Bagley, Governor; Hons.
E. O. Grosvenor,  James  Shearer,  and Alex.
Chapoton, State BuLilding Commissioners, and
Hions. David Anderson, A. S. Gaylord, E. I.
Garfield, John iibbard,  John P. Hoyt,  L. IH.
Randall, O. L. Spaulding, W. IH. Stone, John
S. Tooker, and WA. H11. Withington.
Oct.    2.-Corner stone laid.
1875.
Feb.   16.-Act  approved  appropriating  $70,000  for steam
heating and ventilation, also $30,000 for changes
in roof, steps to porticoes, etc.
,56 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.
April  23.-Act approved appropriating $65,000 for construct              img mlain cornice and balustrade of stonle instead
of galvanized iron.
Nov.  23.-Contract  for  steam  heating  and  ventilation
awarded to the Walworthl Mantfacturing  Co.,
of Boston.
1876.
June 28.-Contract for electrician work awarded to Western
Electric Manufacturing Co., of Chicago, 111i.
1877.
Miaay I
May   16.-Act approved appropriating $40,000 for improve              ment of  grounds and  fLurnishling Legislative
Halls, Library, etc.
May   2[.-Act approved appropriating 875,000 for furniish              ilig the iiew Capitol.
1878.
Sept.  26.-Building accepted, and final settlement with N.
Osburn & Co., contractors.
1879.
Jaii.    1.-Capitol dedicated anild first ocecpieid by  tlhe 30tl
Legislatutre.
57 
PRESIDENTS:
GOVERNOR HENRY P. BALDWIN, from organization of Board
to December 3 I, i872.
GOVERNOR JOHN J. BAGLEY, from January I, I873, to
December 3I, I876.
GOVERNOR CHARLES M. CROSWELL, from January I, I877,
to completion of work.
COMMISSIONERS:
HON. E. O. GROSVENOR, VICE-PRESIDED
HON. JAMES SHEARER,...
HON. ALEX. CHAPOTON,..
ALLEN L. BOURS,
ARCHITECT AND SUPERINTENDENT
. ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT.
SUPERINTENDENT OF GROUNDS.
onat  of wtatr  u'%IA'Ig Xm$tr
6 o o
o
VT,. JONESVILLE.
BAY CITY.
. DETROIT.
SECRETARY.
E. E. MYERS,
O. MARBLE,..
I
ADAM OLIVER, 
(UNDER ACT NO. 148, LAWS OF 1877.)
HON. CHARLES M. CROSWELL, CHAIRMAN,   GOVERNOR.
HON. E. G. D. HOLDEN,..   SECRETARY OF STATE.
HON. WM. B. McCREERY,..   STATE TREASURER.
HON. BENJ. F. PARTRIDGE, COMR. OF STATE LAND OFFICE.
SIMON STRAHAN,. DESIGNER AND SUP'T OF FURNITURE.
ALLEN L. BOURS,
or foace~hu  tt t  Cace ol
8 o 
SECRETARY. 
BY REV. GEORGE DUFFIELD, LANSING, MICH.
SlLtng, at the opening of the House of Representatives at its first session int
the new Capitol, January 1st, 1879.]
To Thee we wake our grateful songs,
O Thou, to whom all praise belongs;
O God, our Fathers' God, to Thee,
Like her who sang beside the sea,*
We sing this day; with heart and voice,
We praise, and triumphl and rejoice.
Within these walls long to remain,
We welcome now a shining train;
Here Justice comes, the first and best,
And walks a Queen before the rest!
Here Liberty, and Law, and Peace,
From Anarchy boast full release.
Beneath this domle, let truth preside,
Let Wisdom teach, let Conscience guide,
Let love of country all inspire
To keep unquenched the sacred fire;
Till exiles far remote shall comie,
Where freedom guards her lasting, home.
* Exoidus, xv., 20.
o3ptul'ug M" At, 
OPENING ODE.
High noon we meet! The opening year,
We welcome, as an omen clear,
Of brighter, better days in store;
When violence is heard no more,
When the dear Flag, without a stain,
O'er every State supreme shall reign.
61 
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