Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1848-01-26

relative to the Miners Bank OF Dubuque,
was required 10 issue a warrant ontho
Treasurer TO the President, Directors, e.
60, OF that institution, or their assigns,
Tor any balance of debt or interest thai
might be due from the Territory Of Iowa,
on their surrendering to me the evidences
i q ebtexecuted by the Territorial Agent.
On the 9th day Of May an Injunction
from l'- the District Court Of DUBUQUE coun-
/ ~ was served upon me at the instance Of
| Inc trustees appointed to wind up the az.
lars OF the Bank, enjoining me not 10 au.
dit and allow the debt. On the q4th of
June the notes and evidences Of debt were,
presented to me for settlement by the as
signee Of the Bank. Upon an examina
ton of the question discovered that an
assignment of the effects of the Bark, and
OF the notes given by the TERRITORIAL
Agent, had been made several days pre-
vlous to the taking effect Of the act APP
| pointing the Trustees, and believing it to
be an improper interference of the court
with my duties as government officer,
II disregarded the injunction, and issued
my warrant on the Treasurer for the
sum of $6,93l 90. have since been
served with notice TO appear before tho
District Court Of Dubuque county, to show
cause why an attachment should moi issue
against me for contempt. appeared
before the court at its last session, and
was fully acquitted, and the rule against
me dismissed. Thus has ended this vcx-
cd question with the Miners Bank, which
has been before the Legislature, in some
shape or other, for the last ten years.
By reference to the tabular state
ments herewith submitted, it will be dis
covered that great inequality in the val
uat:on OF property exists in the several
counties, which proves one Of two things,
either that in some counties large amt
OF property escapes taxation, or that the
assessment is made at a very low rate;
and no doubt both causes have their ef
tect. 1t would be we'll to require of the
: assessors to procure from the Land Or
ces, annually, an abstract of the lands
sold in their respective counties; the Re-
gislers will cheerfully furnish such ab-
stracts for small fee, which should bs
! paid Tor out of the county treasures. 1t
! is estimated that the sum of $500 has
been added to the taxes of Johnson coun-
ty this year by such an abstract, which
I would have been wholly lost without it.
by comparative statement Of the
value of property in 1916 and l SAT, here.
with submitted, it will be perceived, that
while in most Of the counties there has
been gradual increase in the counties
o.! Cedar, Des Moines, Muscatine, and
Scott, there has been great decrease,
and, as it is we'll known that there has
been large addition to the population Of
those counties the past year, it must he
attributed to an imperfect valuation.
The tables which follow, showing the
several kinds of property taxed, and for
; what purposes, have been made up from
the best information could obtain from
the several Commissioners Clerks Tho
there is 20 law requiring them 10 speci-
ly the several kinds Of property. they
have generally very promptly complied
I wlthsmy request, by furnishing the items.
Some have objected to do so, because he
/ County Commissioners will not ccmpcn-
safe them for their labor. would there
fore suggest that such service should 10
PAID Tor GU! Of the county treasures, and
that the clerks be liable to penalty in
case neglect or refusal to discharge tho
duty.
The COMMISSIONER Clerk of Dubuque
county has neglected to furnish an alb
stract OF the assessed value Of property
IN that county since the year ls43, con-
sequen1y there has been nothing charged
IN all that time. Some time since | au-
,horized the Prosecuting Attorney olthe
district to institute proceedings aga.ns.
the clerk by mandamus, to compel him
to discharge his duty. AT the last court
the cause came up, and peremplory
mandanus was ordered out against tho
clerk
The assessment next year, under the
! new law, will doubtless bring much prop
erty on the list that has heretoforesesca.
ped taxation, yet there will certainly be
a great deficiency in the revenue to nee.
al the expenses and Liabilities, aud also
those which will grow out Of your pres
ent session, which ought to be provided
iorlmmedlately. would therefore sus-
gest the propriety Of effscting an addi-
tional loan Of $4,000; which can in all
probability be obtained within The State
at reasonable interest.
The warrants drawn on the Treasurer,
when there is no money on hand, gene
rally depreciate in value from len to fifty
per cent. think this could in a great
measure be obviated if the warrants were
printed in the style Of bank notes Of tho
denomination Of ten. twenty. and kEiv
dollars, and, allowed to draw as much in
terest as we would be willing to pay for
a loan, they would then probably circu-
late on par with bank paper throughout
the State, and become circulating medi-
UNI amongst our citizens; if such plan
is adopted, a loan would be unnecessary.
An appropriation of$25O will furnish
plate and the printing Of warrants suffi-
Gent for three or four years. Some spe-
Cirnens anr no rn " IN or hroittod I ,vo,,II