Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-04-24

"a Ibis number OF tho Journal, con.
tanning the State Bank Act, should be care
fully read and laid by for future reference.
Our next issue will contain the Free Bank
Law, together with the act submitting both
the bank laws to vote of the people.
Who Is THE THIEF 2-Who stole that Bill
requiring Cook & Sargent to pay into the
State Treasury that $l60, 1000 borrowed of
them by the State at seven per cent. Who
struck Billy Patterson? What is the price
of morals out to Desmoines among certain
State oficers2 What Democrat stole that
bill? Of course no Republican would be
guilty of such crime! And certainly it
was policy for the Democratic party to Dor.
row 100000 for the State, receive only
$4,000 of it, and then let Cook & Sargent
keep the balance. What awful things the
Democratic party did last winter. Where
were the Republicans? Who altered the
Investigating Committee Bill? Who located
the State Capital? What bride was paid to
the Commissioners All, the Millennium is
not yet !-EnQuirer.
Our would-be facetious neighbor is as
usual rather hasty in making serious charges
against those of opposite faith or politics.
No such bill as he intimates ever passed the
Legislature. tits true that a joint resolution
of that nature passed the Senate, but it was
not acted upon by the House, and as it yet
remains on the Senate journal, it is not
likely that anybody stoleit. If our political
opponents are sure that a theft was perpe-
trated, they must have done it themselves,
for nobody else knows anything about it.
We do not wish to be understood as de-
Tending without reserve the conduct of Mr.
Morris, State Treasurer. That he suffered
himself to be used as tool by Cook Il Sar-
gent, and thereby involved himself in q
difficulty and brought reproach upon the
Republican party, We cannot, with the facts
before US, deny. lie owes it to the State as
we'll as to his party to account satisfactorily
for the fact that be did not have the full
amount of the 5000, 900 in gold on hand at
the time it was required. His friends every
where, knowing that Cook l. Sargent were
broken down bankers, unable to redeem their
own promises to pay, were surprised to learn
that he had permitted them to get possession
Of the State Bonds. These Bonds would
have sold readily in the East for gold at
from to per cent premium, and we are
assured that parties were willing to deposit
the $780, 900 in gold in Desmoines and take
the Bonds without the operation costing the
State single cent.
Our neighbor neglects to state the fact
that n committee was provided for by the
the Legislature to examine into the affairs
of the various State officers during the past
six years, including, Of course, the Treas
urer's accounts. A committee was also ap-
pointed to examine into the matter of loca-
ting the State capital. Did the Democracy,
when in power, make any effort to expose
and punish the defalcations of some of their
officers, which were matters of general noto.
riety and could not be disputed? The En-
quirer forgets the plundering Of the school
fund by the notorious DR.. Eads, and the inn
pudent and unblushing manner in which the
robbery was defended by the Demscratist
press of the State. Did the Democracy
appoint committee to investigate the mat
ter? No indeed! They dreaded the devel-
opments Such q committee was finally
appointed by Republican Legislature.
We trust that the affairs of our present
State officers will be found correct, but if
anything wrong is discovered, we hope the
committee will expose it aud subject the
delinquent official, whoever he may be, to
the disgrace and exeeration which he deserves.