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

requirements of duty would suggest, seems
TO the minds Of your COMMITTEES Q sur
prisisg and extraordinary, and indicates in
their opinion an un6tness on his part to
manage so 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 to
condemn on their part in the most ~unequiv-
ocal manner, the assumption Of authority
BY that officer, exercised even after a 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 ~icaning 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 school
fund from the proceeds Of the sales OF the
public lands. lfit was the duty of that Of
ficer to apportion the amount Of the fund in
January, 1856, when it amounted to only
S54,SAl.50, 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 be should not have
considered it equally his duty to distribute
the fund coming in his hands, March, 1856,
when it amounted to $a26 800. so.
Your Committee feel it their duty also,
to call the attention Of the Senate to the
singular inequality shown by that officer in
the manner of distributing this fund among
the different counties, 30 far as any distrib.
ution has been made. In the disposition
Of the fund apportioned on the 25th Of
March, 1855, Of S54,341.5o, there were ac-
cording to the ste tements 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 for a small part only,
the sun Of $40, 700.5 SO, while Dubuque and
Des Moines received 81 1900 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 $4,000 among Is different counties
though your Committee, ns before stated
found vouches for only $4,000, so aPpor-
toned, but of the sun claimed to have beer
distributed BY him one county is again made
t~oreceive $4,000, while Dubuque, Mashas
ka and other populous counties receive moth
ing. So fragrant a violation Of fairness ant
equality in the a~pportionment of the schoo
fund demands the protecting arm oftheGe en-.
eral Assembly, and demonstrates, if any
thing were needed in addition to the fact.
previously stated, in their opinion, the uttel
i~ncapacity Of the present Superintendent o.
Public Instruction to manage the schoo.
fund with that judicious care which the in
~terests 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 sal'
Of public lands for the fiscal year endinI
June 80, be repealed.
All of which is respectfully submitted,
]. NJ. PREsTox, Chairman o
Ways and Means.
w. F. C~ooLBAUcH,
d. p. BRIGHAM,
J. c. HLLIs,
A. SAUNDERS,
w. W. Hamilton.
July Is, 1856.