The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-07-23

requirements OF duty would suggeet, SCENE
to the minds Of your COMMITTEES most sur.
prising and extraordinary, and indicates in
their opinion an un6tnees on his part to
manage 90 large a fund, that must seem ap.
parent TO all.
Your Committee also feel Il their duty to
call the attention Of the Senate TO, and 10
condemn on their part in the most uneqaiv-
oeal manner, the assumption Of authority
by that officer, exercised even after 4 co.
ordinate branch Of the Legislature had
called his attention to the fact, and in the
absence of any positive enactment Of law,
in the ioaning out on a long credit and with
a recklessness in respect TO security which
no private individual would for a moment
tolerate, a large portion Of the fund arising
from the per centum accruing to the schooi
fund from the proceeds Of the sales OF the
public lands. Ifit was the duty Of that Oh
ficer to apportion the amount OF the u IN
January, 1856, when it amounted to only
$54,3xl.5o, a. he seems to have acknow-
lodged by his act in distributing as he did
on the LIST Of March, 1855, your Committee
cannot conceive Why he should not have
considered it equally his duty TO distribute
the fund coming in his hands, March, 1856,
when it amounted to Sa26 ,SOo.50.
Your Committee feel it their duty also,
to call the attention Of the Senate 10 the
singular inequality shown BY that officer in
the name of distributing this fund among
the different counties, 30 far rs any dlstrib.
ution has been made. In the disposition
Of the fund a~pportioned OF the 25th Of
March, 1855, Of $54,34l.5O, there were &C
cording to the ste ements of the Superin-
tendent paid to Lee county, though the
Committee have no evidence Of it except
the verbal assurance of that officer and
vouchers exhibited tor a small part only,
the sum Of $40, 700.59, while Dubuque and
Des Moines received %, 900 each and more
than half of the organized counties Of the
State did not receive any.
So with regard to the partial distribution
Of the fund received March 1854. The
Superintendent claims to have distributed
some sea- 500 among Is different counties
though your Committee, as before stated
found vouches for only $4,000, so aPpor.
toned, but Of the sum claimed to have beer
distributed BY him one county is again made
to receive $4,000, while Dubuque, Mashas'
ka and other popuious counties receive moth
ing, So fagrant a violation Of fairness ant
equality in the a-pportonment Of the schoo
fund demands the protecting arm oftheGen.
eral Assembly, and demonstrates, If any
thing were needed in addition to the fact.
previously stated, in their opinion, the uttel
incapacity Of the present Superintendent O
Public Instruction to manage the schoo
fund with that judicious care which the in
~,erests of the State and their proper pro
lection demand.
Your Committee would therefore recon
mend that the law authorizing the Superin
tendent to receive the fund now due thu
!, State from the General Government accru
ing on the sale of the proceeds Of the sail
Of public lands for the fiscal year ending
} June 80, be repealed.
All of which is respectfully submitted,
) ]. III. PREsTox, Chairman o
Ways and Means.
III w. F. CooLBAUcI,
) d. p. BRIGHAM,
]. C. HILLS,
a. A. SAUNDERS,
w. w. Hamilton.
July Is, 1856.