The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-03-06

connot be procured of the proper denomination
very few being issued less than ten dollars
therefore the revenue is mostly collected il
money.
If the money thus collected was immediatel,
paid into the State Treasury, there would be NJ
cause of complaint, but when it is used to pur
chase the States paper, and then the paper hele
back for months and years in some instances, i
is time to complain. The State is not only de
prved of what is her due, but is at the same time
paying interest on the Auditors warrants in the
possession of the collectors, as all warrants bea
interest until received into the State Treasury
BY such a course the collectors are realizing
premium for retaining in their possession wha
belongs to the State, and the longer they car
persist in such course the greater the specula
ton on their part. At the same time the State
is paying heavy interest on loans, which bur
thens her with double interest, especially or
so much as is in the hands of the collectors in
Auditors warrants.
This state of things should not exist 1t may
be answered that there is no law to prohibit it,
The laws are certainly defective, but that is ne
good reason that the State should be deprived OF
her just rights at time when most in need OF
all her resources. It is but justice that the
ditors of the State should be promptly paid, and
if the amount owing to her could be Immediately
liquidated.
These remarks are intended to apply only to
those that are in arrears, and not to those that
have been prompt and discharged their duty as
required by law, with the hope that all will see
the necessity of bringing into the Treasury the
amounts due at the earliest day possible.
have the honor to be,
Very respectfully, yours,
JOS. T. FALES, Auditor of State.
Previous to the issuing of this circular, and
in answer to resolution of inquiry by the House
of Representatives, passed Dec. q, 1849, as to
whether 'sany legal steps have been taken a.
gainst such delinquent" the Auditor says:
"Under the act for the collection of revenue
passed in 1874, the county treasurer was allow
ed to file a delinquent list for the current year in
this Office, and the Auditor was required to give
him credit for the amount of the list it was still
the duty of the county treasurer, to 90 on and
make collections of the delnquents. In some
counties this has been done, and the money paid
into the State Treasury. In others it is not
known whether anything has been collected or
not. l have used every exer-
ton to have these delinquencies paid up and
have been successful in collecting considera-
BILE amount
The Auditor then states that he has forward
ed accounts to Prosecuting Attorneys, accom-
panied by a circular letter, from which we make
the following extracts:
''l send you the foregoing account for collec-
ton. You will please collect the same without
suit, if possible, but unless good defence is made
you will bring suit ~ You will find
in the bill "credit by delinquent list this is
only temporary credit given to the collector
until he can take the legal course to collect the
amounts from the several individual tax payers
and although the final settlement was never ur-
ged by my predecessor, l conceive it to be nv
duty to do it. 1t certainly was never the nten-
ton of the Legislature that the officer should
collect the said lists and put the proceeds in his
own pocket, without ever accounting to this Of
flee for the same, which has been the case here
tOtOre in some counties.'
The Auditor further says:
every little attention has been paid to these
instructions. For what reason am unable to
determine. If authority was given to the Au-
ditor to visit the counties and examine the books
and bonds ofthe defaulting collectors, and gath
er such information might be deemed neccs-
sary, on which to base a suit, with authority to
employ counsel for the prosecution of the claim,
think it would result greatly to the interest of
the State, and not be attpnded with so much ex-
pense as the present system
But we are already burdening our readers with
this matter MIR. Van Hagan says he has a
statement Of facts prepared, which he will pro-
duce when called for. This we shall be glad
to see, and shall rejoice in the complete over
throw Of all the little objections we have made
to the manner in which the affairs of the coun-
ty have heretofore been presented to The people.
We shall take as much pleasure in publishing
his statement as we did in August last, in pub
fishing his success in obtaining the office he
now holds.