Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-01-02
MONDAY, DECEMBER %, 1851.

MONDAY, DECEMBER %, 1857.
, "They" (the Republicans)s &c have,
: order to nourish the pets of the party, a
most doubled the salaries of the State of
t GERS. They have swelled the cost of the S,
t preme Court from $26, 900 to 100000. The
have engaged in the erection of mammot
Lunatic Asylum at Mount Pleasant, to col
some three millions Of dollars. They hay
increased the pay Of the State printer fro,
: Sc, 400 to $4,000 per annum. They hsy
had an extra session of the Legislature, pal
the members ten dollars per day, and allow
ed many of them mileage by way of Chicag
, all in contravention of the State Consti
tuition and their solemn oaths of office"
The above we find copied in some of ou
exchanges and attributed to the Keoku
JOurnal-a veracious sheet that, fortunate
ly, does not contaminate our exchange lis
else we might have noticed it sooner. W
have only to say in regard to the writer
who, we understand, has been newly trans
planted from Kentucky soil, that he bid
fair to become, like Hudibras' hero,
-"for profound
And solid lying, much renowned"
In the first place, while the salaries of ou
State officers have been increased, the high
est amount paid any one officer is only $500
Is this extravagant? tits noteworthy lac
that not single Democrat in the Legi.la.
ture exhibited any virtuous indigna,io wher
this change was made. The second cha e
that the cost of the Supreme Court has beer
swelled from s26, 900 to SEQ, 900 is withpu,
shadow of foundation in truth. The salary
OF each of the three Supreme Judges is
$4,000 per annum and the allowance of the
Court for contingent expenses is $500 per
annum, only half of which, however, has
been used by the Republican Judges There
is, rs our readers will perceive, wide DIFF
ference between S6,250 and 100000 If the
! cost of the Court under a Democratic Ad
mipistration was $4,000 per annum, the
Republicans have certainly exhibited cred-
table economy in reducing it to $6,25O. -
The third charge that the Lunatic Asylum
is to cost 5000, ,000-is monstrous exag-
ing Is $25O,O00. Thus far $4,000 have
been expended, of which 800 900 is from sa-
line lands. The fourth charge, in regard to
the State printing, is not only false but
manifestly unfair. The lowest amount paid
to any State Printer during his term Of Office
1.-TWO years) since ls49 was $l6,3lO 60
This was paid to VIM. Merritt, Ga Demo-
crat y Palmer Il Paul, who preceded him,
received 500, ,24S 80, and Mahoney & Dorr,
his successors, were paid ,907 80. They
were all Democrats. Where the Journal
gets its sc, 400 basis we cannot tell. Peter
Moriarty, the only Republican State Printer
who has served full term, received $35,
l85 81. 1t should be borne in mind that an
extra session of the Legislature was held
during his term and that the increase of
population and the organization of new
counties has caused rapid increase of work
in the State Printer's office. We observe
that the Desmoines Citizen, in correcting
this misstatement of the Journal states that
the item of assessors blanks alone, ut the
rate of pay for them established by Demo
cratic officers, amounted during Mr.. MS
term of Office to $4,000. We have good
authority for saying this is incorrect. The
Citizen is also mistaken in saying that his
charges stretch over into the terms of his
predecessor and successor to the amount of
$4,000 or $5,000]
The fifth and last charge of the Journal,
that the Republicans paid the members of
the extra session ten dollars per day is also
f lse. The members We're not allowed half
of the amount per diem stated. They re-
ceived 500 each, for a little less than three
weeks service. One branch of the Legisla-
ture was Democratic. A Democratic mem
Der in that branch (Mr. Adell) offered the
resolution to allow the rate of compensation
complained Of by the Journal. The Audi
tor "a Republican oficer) refused to audit
the charge, on the ground that it was un-
constitutional. The same Democratic SEN
ate adopted bill ordering the Treasurer to
pay 500, without the Intervention of the
Auditor; but five votes being recorded
against it; of which four were Republicans
Mr.. Bryan,-a leading Democra: in the
liouse-reportcd to that body the bill for
this allowance; the vote standing 26 Demo.
Gratis for, and 4 against it; - Republicans
for, and 20 against it. Thus we see that a
majority of the Republicans were agains,
the allowance, and majority of Democrats
for it. The facts about mileage show equal
ly unfortunate for the Journal and its
friends; much the biggest haul being made
by them. The charge of violating oaths
comes home to the Journals own part,
friends. .
We have thus refuted the wholesale and
reckless charges of this new>importation Of
the Slave Democracy, not because we fea,
they would be accredited to the injury Of the
Republican party in this State, but for its
honor abroad.
D6- 1t appears that Florence money j.
worth something at Rock Island, after al
the fuss among certain of the merchants
who have refused to take it The banking
house of N. B. Buford & Co. are selling
Eastern exchange for Florence at II 1-2 pei
cent. discount Eastern exchange is wortl
almost that here in any kind of money ex.
cepting specie Dav. Gaz.
According to the Gazette's own confes
sion above, Florence paper is at discoun
in Davenport. Eastern exchange has beel
selling for the past month in this city a
from to 7 per cent. discount for Illinoi
and Wisconsin currency, and we have relia