The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-09-09
From the Daily Gate City
The. Campaign in Iowa.

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The Democrats are certainly making sor
~ political campaign this year, in this State
Their newspapers started out with the resoln
ton to scruple at 10 means to accomplish thei
ends, however disreputable or untrue they
might be. They were determined that it SHOULD
be emphatically canvass Of lies but unfor.
tunately for them, though fortunately for tn,
cause Of truth, the Spanish proverb has proved
true and sstber lies have all gone home to
roost"
The Eads press, that is to say the newspa.
pers suhorned by that immaculate fnancier and
misunderstanding the truth Of the prop.
osition that the receiver of stolen goods is as
guilty as ire thief. knowing that the public
school fund had been placed in their hands
without the shadow OF authority in law, and
that they were both legally and morally as
guilty as he who purIoined il. were resolved to
divert public attention from their own COM
plicity in the speculation Of that fund, by their
gross and understandable attacks upon other
people Hence TIE unscruplons and virn'ent
attacks in the Democratic organs in Burling-
ton, F., Madison, Keoknk. Iowa CITY, Dnbu-
que, &C., upon the Republican party. and espe-
cially upon everybody from whom they dread
ed exposure or censnre.
REPUBLICAN ExTRAvAGANcE.
A violent onslaught was first made upen
what they termed the Republican extravaganza
OF the late administration. The attempt
was made to convince reasonable men that
the State ought to he administered as cheap
with population of 6o0.000 sonls and eigh.
ty-nine organized counties, as with pop
ulation of 100000 and fiftv-one organized
counties. They thought that the people would
overlook the fact demonstrated by the history
Of every city, county and State since govern
ments were organized that the expenses Of
a government increase somewhat in proper
ton to the increase Of population and wealth.
The population Of Iowa has more than
doubled in the last four years. In that time
the number of Judicial districts has been in
creased, more than forty new counties have
been organized and the representation in the
General Assembly has been greatly enlarged I;
large additions have been made to the Peniten-
tiary and the number of convicts increased sew
on fold the number of deaf and dumb and
blind children has increased, the salaries Of
officers have been raised to respectable living
rates costly Insane Hospital has been near
ly completed a Geological Survey Of the State
partly finished, and the Agricultural Societies
all over the State have been greatly enconr-
aged; an extra session Of the General Assem-
bly, became necessary in July, 1856, and a
ary, 1857, both of which were attended with
very considerable expense to the State, and all
Of which have been endorsed over and over
again by the people.
DEFALcATIoN OF THE STATE TREASURER.
They next attacked the Treasurer of State,
M. L. Morris, Esq, aud pronounced him de-
faulter to the amount of 100000 because he
brought that amount of money from New York
in Eastern exchange instead Of bringing it in
gold. 1t was not pretended that there was any
deficiency in the Treasury. In fact. there was
an excess, bit portion Of the money was in
drafts on New York, which were worth more
to the State than gold. They said he was
defaulter because be ought to have brought
the money in gold, yet when proposition was
made in the Senate to require him to bring moth
but gold, it was voted down by some Of the
very men who now prefer the charge of de-
falcaton. Not only so, but the bill auth ,riz-
ing him to negotiate the loan declares that a
deposit of the money (S200,00o) in the State
Treasury shall be deemed fall performance
under the act, leaving him to get the money to
Des Moines in his own way. This exchange
has been paid out to the creditors of the State
or otherwise converted into specie, and this
slie b as gone home to roost." We 10 not sup
pose that there is a man ia the State who ever
believed Mr. Morris to be defaulter, and there
are but very few men, cognizant of the facts,
who do not believe that The charge originated
in business hostility to conspicuous banking
firm in the State, who were supposed to be the
friends of the Treasurer.
QUARTERS SALARY OF SECRETARY OF STATE.
The next assault was upon Gen. Sells, the
Secretary Of State, for receiving $3.50 as sala-
ry for Governor during the absence of Gov
Grimes from the State, in Sept, 1857. 1t did
not matter that the Constitution and laws Of
the State required the secretary Of State to
discharge the duties of Governor, and confer
red upon him the salary belonging to the Office
during the abcence of the Governor. They
were resolved to make something heinously
wrong out of the receipt of this small sum, no
matter what the Constitution said on the sub
ject. But this charge, also, soon "went to
roost,o when it was shown that similar prac-
tice had prevailed since the foundation OF the
Government, and that that most popular Demo.
crat, who is kept in training for future occa-
sion, Gen. McCleary, whilst Secretary Of State
received, under precisely similar circum'
stances. $3.50, on the 18th Of January, 1854
and $3.50 on the Goth Of Sept, 1856.
PUBLIC PRINTING.
The next assault was upon the late Public
Printer, Peter Moriarty, ESQ.,, and upon ths
Auditor of State for paying Mr.. Moriar'y hi'
claims for printing an appendix to the Jour
nails of 1861. The Constitution, Art. 3
Sec. 10, required each house to 'keep a Journa
of its proceedings and publish the same" Th'
Senate concluded not to obey this Constitution
| al ;,;unctiop and adoptad a resolution declar