Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-09-24

1isOp eeutA trOm 1850 to 1852 this iter
bad a11ounfed to IS, 5,5sl 10: from 1852 /
1S54 t045 CTS 03; and for the next tw
years. I'll l,4Ol 80, and il ls56-'7-on
yesse ts, ,945 81, and the Auditors r.
port eMtmates the same item for the mex
two years st $4,000.
lie Nould also call the attention Of III
meeting 70 another item-the State print
ing.
4 In the two years 1850 so, this item ha,
anoaesei to SIS, ,4O5 OF, and during tha
Tune 80 Code was printed at an expense o
xl2,OOe--ieaving the ordinary printing ex
S6,4OSW. In 1852 81. it had amount ed I.
S6.bSl l8. Here was the end of the Demo
cratic administration. For the succeed ns
two yeots the printing cost Sal, ,O47 g.
Extraordinary expenses hal occurred il
these NO years amounting to less thar
1900 pr year, but for the two years he
would all them 5000, leaving thus, a.
the aeteAl ordinary expenses for printing
t3S.O47ey. Another significant fact VA
that the auditor had made his report 90 q
to include the two items Of printing. and
'bindine" together It had always been
the custom to separate these two items; but
John Pattee had placed them together 10
one item, " Printing and Binding" for the
purpose Of deceiving the people into the be-
lief that the printing did not cost so much,
after all
For the year 1867, one year, this item
had amounted to $27 ,5S7 55 During the
last four years under Democratic admins
tration the expenses for printing had not
amounted to $4,000; yet in one year the
Republicans had spent S27 .6s7 s5, and they
foA ha f~r th
$4,000.
Mr.. Ellwood then proceeded to explain to
the meeting the modus operandi by which
T Moriarty. the State printer, had succeed
ed in drawing over pay, and crimnally
swindling the people out of about s2O, 900
These facts, including his dodge of the Sen
ate documents" and the "House Docu.
ments," and his refusal to publish the law
reducing his compensation, and the hand
which John Pattee had in the swindle we
have already laid before our readers, and
therefore from the great length of Mr.. Ell
woods speech, We refrain from copying his
remarks upon the subject.
When these facts had come to light,
democratic Senator had introduced a reso-
luton into the Legislature abolishing the
office of State Printer, and providing for the
printing to be done by the lowest bidder
One of the Republican Senators moved to
lay this resolution on the table, which was
carried by strict party vote.
Another fact: James w. Grimes being
the Republican party, asG Gov. of the State
Of Iowa. had called an extra session of the
Legislature in 1867, which remained in
session ten days. The constitution provided
that the compensation OF members Of the
Legislature should be 81 per day and mile
age; but after sitting ten days, this Legis-
lature had voted 500, or $40 per day to
each man. and the only member who had
sufficient honesty to take the illegal pay
was Ben NJ. Samuels of Dubuque. Ire
mendous cheering. He said that it was
the money OF the :,eople, and he had no
right to take more than was allo we'd BY the
constitution, the supreme law of the land.
That session which should have cost the
people but $500, cost SIT, ,l5O
Mr.. Ellwood then proceeded to explain
in detail. and at some length the manner Of
and reasoF for the extravagant expendi-
ture in building the Insane Asylum. An act
as he said, passed by the Legislature for the
erection OF an Asylum for the insane, pro
vided that 1t should not cost more than $50
900. James W. Grimes, the head and front
and rear OF the republican party, was ap-
pointed chairman Of the committee upon
Its loca ton and construction. A sight was
selected at Mt. Pleasant where Grimes owns
property, and a plan for its
reported by the committed -
This was done partly to increase the value |
OF Grimes property and partly that posteri
ty might know that James w. Grimes was |
once Governor Cf the State Of Iowa.
10 this plan in order that the appfopria- |
ton already made might not be lost the |
Legislature finally agreed and made another
appropriation of $l5O,OOO. The institution he |
said was larger than any other Asylum of |
the kind in the U. ST. larger than that Of |
New York, with it's two million of popula- |
ton. 1t was larger than would be neces-
sary. He did not come there to say any. |
thing against the erection of an institution |
Of this character on the contrary he be.
lieved 1t eminently proper. But one wing |
Of the massive building which they were
erecting would accommodate all the insane |
persons in the State for fifty years to come.
The building when completed would cost |
more than $2,OOO,OOO, but this was no mat |
ter II suitable monument was erected to |
the memory )of the man who was chairman
of the committee which built it, After |
some further remarks in relation to the |
Asylum.
Mr.. Ellwood called the attention OF the |
meeting to the late loan of 5000 900, An act,
he said waspsssed by the Legi- ,ture for the I
creation of loan fer the purpose Of payi. q |
the debts of the State and redeeming the |
warrants Of the Auditor with |
q provision that the bonds issued under the |
act should not be sold for less than their
par value. In accordance with the pro-
visions Of the act, Martin L. Morris took |
The bonds to New York, and on his return |
said that he had sold them for S2O5. .OOO.-i
The moment the bonds found there way 10
to the market they were quoted at 8 per ct.
above par, and to-day they were worth 10
per cent He then fully explained the rea-
son why these bonds should be worth more
than their face. and proceeded to say that
be believed Mr.. Morris had really sold the
bonds for per cent premium and had
pocketed the difference. $4,000. No one
who knew Martin l. Morris. could for mo-
ment doubt that he did this. II not he did not
DO his duty as he was bound to get all I
they were worth. Again, this same Mar
lin L. Morris was an agent Of the State to
90 to Washington and receive . large
amount Of money belonging to the State.
After receiving It the Legislature directed
him to appcrtion it among the various
counties. Thirteen months sitter suspecting
that al might not be right, the legislature ap-
pointed committee to examine the accounts
of the Treasurer and see how he had dis
,harged his duty. 1t was found that no ap-
at oil had been made for four
months and that $4,000 WAS missing en-
lirely. Where was it? He had no doubt
but that it va drawing forty per cent. in-
Ierest. for the private pocket Of Martin l.
Norris To six counties he had made no
at all, aud for the 5000 to
which they were entitled he did not pre-
END to account 1t al. He then referred TO