Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1851-05-28
GA well Guarded Weakness'' Elk
DOsed.

School Fund paid Fund Commissioners for their
services, was appropriated by these ofhcers
themselves long before Mr. Benton came into once
and large portion of it, during the PERIOD that
one James Harlan oficiated as Superintendent
of Public Instruction. =
This is but a tissue of falsehood. The School /
Fund Commissioners could not, under the law
of ls47, appropriate money to themselves, see
43 sec Of school law Thy did not receive
this, 'slong before Mr.. Benton came into ofiice,
nor one dollar of it, as far as he knows, and Ger
tainly not with his approval, during the time
one James Harlan otficiated as Superinten-
dent"
We thought the would be Governor, would
sauirm when touched in spot so tender and
vulnerable; but he can't get out of it. he
] apax NAV ~ - = much as be chooses, but he
/ priated under his administration for the COM
square in the face, and with all his soph;stry
he cannot evade it. We do not pretend to say
that he kne,oh at the time, for, as intimated
in our last article, We have always believed
that he spent about twelve months in clawing
and lingering over the affairs of the school sys-
tenn without really knowing what he was about
1t is not strange, therefore, that he labors with
so much anguish of soul to saddle tie blame
upon Mr. BENTON; unless he succeeds in so do
ing, j it must rest where it properly belongs
upon his omn shoulders
About $500 of the principal of the school
fund was paid in ls47 to the fund commissioner
of Mahaska county for his services while JAMES
HARLAN claimed to be superintendent of public
instruction. This fact was stated publicly by
| Mr.. Harbour on the floor of the Senate during
the extra session of ls4S, nearly two months
before Col BEYToS's nomination, and some eight
months before he had any official communica-
ton with the fund commissioners! This the
hopeful editor attempts to evade by saying that
the fund commissioners could not appropriate
money TO Themselves" Now we re-aflirm most
positively that they did Appropriate il 10 them
selres, and that too, under his administration.
The school fund was in their possession, and
they retained their salaries out of it, and if this
| is not appropriating it, then We know not the
force of language. The mere fact that the
amount of salary was determined by other off
GERS, does not affect the issue. But the Pro-
fessor tries to dodge again by pleading that he
was ousted from Office in February, ls4s, by a
| Democratic state convention. Now we were
not aware that "a state convention" had power
to "oust" any man from office, but we do re,
member well that the sovereign people of Iowa
ousted certain would be, at the election in
Aprfls4s. And we remember further, that
in an electioneering speech delivered IN this
city in March of that year, the same gentleman
declared most explicitly ane emphatically that
he sccs Them and intended to continue to be sup
crintendent Of public instruction, and that as
such he was responsible to the state upon his
official bond for the management of the affairs
of the office! And again, in May following, he
informed Mr. BENTON in writing. that he JAMES
HARLAN) was still superintendent of public in
struction, and refused to deliver his books and
papers to his successor! And whether he has
even yet abandoned that opinion We are not
advised, but should infer, from the recent reit-
Grafton of that oft repeated, and threadbare
phrase "tpice elected by the people," that he has
not. This statement he may deny and call it
/ tlssue VI IdlStHoou ldCls are KNOW IL
to the world and cannot be controversial
| Concerning the compensation of the fund
commissioners, he says further:
HE, (Mr. BENTON refunded the interest and
caused the uhole of their salaries from April LIST
| ls47 to January 3Ist, le49, to be paid out OF
the principal"
Now this is papably false. 1t is no "slip OF
the PEN by which the is added, but slip OF
the tongue by which falsehood is uttered
for Mr.. BENTON says no such thing. Let him
speak for himself He says
al would remark further, that difference oil
opinion exists as to the meaning of the Ian
guage paid out of the school fund used in
the law of February a. lS47 Sowe contend
that the principal, and others that the interest OF
the fund is referred to- Finding up, u exami
nation that, with but few exceptions, the sala
ries of fund commissioners had been paid ou,
of the principal for the sake of uniformity re
funded the amounts taken from the interest, il
the manner heretofore alluded to-
1t will he seen from the above, that he sim
ply states the fact that ''the salaries offund com
missione.s had been paid out of the principal
But the genius of the Republican asserts that sch
(Mr. b. caused the whole of their salaries
be paid out of the principal" And after al
how much of the interest did Mr.. Benton re
= fund out of the principal? Why just $l42 ~
. And yet the lad interim" ninny has the ur
blushing affrontery to say that he caused tn
sch0le Of their salaries" amounting in his ow
/ figures to I'll 500, to be paid out Of the priu
| cipal!!
: The truth is, this whole difficulty in regar
! | To tho IF tha ,6on Iol
g origin in the bungling manner in which tn
i imbecile prefender discharged the duties of S,
! perintendent during the period that he elaine
I to have held the office, for which he was pal
the sum of $1,000 oi'tiie peoples money!
), yes the money Of the dear peoplc-for whom l
! now feigns to manifest SO much interest "
think he is the last man to pirate about the "ne
r ligence' and "incompetency' of governmel
g officers with big salaries. when he receive
o $1,000 year for doing nothing-nay more, f
t bungiing what he attempted to do-thus leavir
u it worse than if he had not touched it.
y But the tables are tuned, and he will find
impossible to extricate himself from the dilen
r ma in which impudence, ignorance and falls
!. hood has placed him. He says further:
e "But now let us turn the table, and suppos
d that the Wing twice elected by the people, ha
d been permitted to hold this ofhee--had spel
v his time Just as Mr. Benton did-and had mac
= just such report-had then postponed a tri
to the Pacific, for reelection do our reader
o suppose that the State Printer would have spel
g the Time OF the canvass in nginG PsalmsI"
!. Now that he could make as good areport,
u that of Mr.. BENTON, is not even a supposab