Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1838-01-06
MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR.
TERRITORY or WlscoxsIN,l
Executive Department, Dec. 20.


To the Speaker of the House Of Representatives.
SIR return herewith ssan act to
establish the boundaries Of the coun-
ties of Lee, Van Buren,, Des Moines,
Henry, Louisa, Wayne and Slaughter,
to locate the seats Of justice for said
counties, and for other purposes, pre-
scented for my approval on Saturday
the 18th inst. and submit the following
reasons for Withholding my signature
from the same.
By an act of the Legislative As
sembly, of the last session, the coun-
| ties of Lee. Van Buren,, Des Moines,
Henry, Louisa, Muscatine and Cook
were formed out of the territory en-
braced in the original county of Des|
Moines; the county seats thereof with
the exception Of Cook were establish
ed in said act, which expires by its
own Limitation at the close Of the pres
ent session.
The bill, herewith returned, intends
to supply the deficiency that would ex-
list by the expiration of that law; fixes
the boundaries by the course Of streams
and the United States survey; propo-
ses no change in the location of the
seats Of Justice in the counties of Lee,
Des Moines and Henry, but removes
the county seat of Van Buren, from
Pennington to Rochester, and Of the
county seat of Muscatine (called
| Wayne in the billy from Bloomington
to Geneva. 1t is to those Two changes
of county seats that particularly OBJ
Iject. In territory like ours, great
care and caution should be exercised
in the location of seats of justice in
the first place; and where settlements
are formed on the faith of our acts,
changes should not, in my opinion, be
made without the prospect of some
substantial benefit to the people, and
upon their wish unequiyocally express
ed to that effect. In the county of
Van Buren,, from the fact that Farm
ington (the present seat Of justice) is
by no means in the centre OF the coun-
ty or its population, petitions have
been presented from a large number of
its citizens, in all Of which some
change is requested; and from the
great increase of population in that
county during the past season, it is ne
cessary that some provision should be
made by law for the establishment Of
the seat of justice of that county, at
some point, to suit the wishes of ma
jority of its present Inhabitants
There is not, however, any thing in
our possession which could authorize
US IN singing out Rochester as that
+ place; and l think in this, as in all ca
, ses of the kind, where there is any
: doubt, it would be better and safer for
the Legislature not to take upon them
selves the decision of so interesting a
, question, but to submit it 70 vote of
!. the people themselves. With regard to
t locating the county seat of Van Blu
b rem county, it would meet with my APP
: probation if provision should be made
: for direct vote of the population up
on the question, or if the duty of To-
j. eating the seat of justice should be Civ
: en- to some body to be chosen by a
9 vote of the qualified electors of the
: comfy.
. In the county Of Wayne formerly
9 called Muscatine) the change from
Bloomington to Geneva is unaccount-
> able to me. / say this with all due def
erence and respect to the Legislative
: Assembly. There does not occur to
}. me a single good reason for the propo-
= sed removal. Tho majority Of the
Q people Of the county have not asked
J, for it; on the contrary, large MAORI
ty Of them have demonstrated in the
strongest terms against it. 1t is not
2 pretended that Geneva is a more eli
= gible point on the Mississippi than
: Bloomington. They are about three
! distant from each other, and it cannot
J even be urged that Geneva is nearer
the centre of the county than Bloom
ington, especially when the three town.
Simplifying Immediately west Of Wayne
are included within its boundaries as |
shall hereafter suggest The change
cannot. therefore, meet with my sane
ton or appreciation; and l am as yet
informed Of nothing which would au.
j thorize US in interfering at this time,
with the location Of the seat of justice
at Bloomington.
With respect to the boundaries Of
1 Wayne county, l would resdectfully
. suggest that the western lines Of the
county should be extended so as to em-
brace townships 76, II and 70 north
Of Range A west, the former Of which
by the present bill is placed in the un.