The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-12-24

commissioners tIe amount required Let
them answer the question, if they can Is
it necessary to organize board of officers,
at large salaries, to accomplish such n trivial
affair as that?
BETTER PLAN.
Let me consider the other plea, that the
safety of the revenues aud public funds of
the State requires the organization of this
board. Here let me say, Mr.. Speaker, in
regard to the safe-keeping of the trust funds
that have different plan than committing
them to the tender mercies of mercenary
partizans My plan is to either convert the
school funds into five per cent State Stocks,
or distribute them equally among the sew
eral counties of the State, to be loaned out
and accounted for in the same manner as
the revenue surplus are. Aud, sir, | am in
clined TO favor the latter opposition, for, in
addition to their safety, from the considers
ton that when thus distributed among the
people on mortgaged security, they would
add materially to the further development
of the internal resources of the State, and
thus alse enhance directly the taxable prop
erty of the State upon which she depends to
pay current expenses aud finally liquidate
her public debt. No other disposition of
these funds gets my vote while | occupy a
seat on this floor, and | hope there are
enough here of the same mind to accom-
plish either one or the other of these plans.
| The radical change in the manner of con-
Quoting the financial affairs of the State
| proposed by this bill, is wholly unnecessary,
| so far as the safety of the revenue is con-
| cerned. You can restrict the Treasurer OF
| State in the use and management of the
! public revenues more easily and certainly
! than you can this board of FIVE men to
whom it is proposed to transfer them.
IT'S POLITICAL BEARING.
Mr.. Speaker, it is said by gentlemen, in
urging the passage of this scheme, thati it has
no political bearing. The voting for OF
against it, | acknowledge cannot be gov.
erned on mere party grounds. / recollect
sir, on the eve of the meeting of this Legis
! lature, lust across the street in the Masoni,
| Hall, the Governor of this State made
speech in which he said that he never knew
the Republican party to have the ascendency
in the Legislature but what they done NOR
harm than good. Here we have the ascen
dency, as shown by the manner in which
the committees of this House are consti
tuted, and some of the measures alread,
adopted. The Republican party, then, are
and will be held accountable by the peopl
for every act. We cannot, if we wanted
shirk that responsibility. Here is q meas
Urea new, untried, unheard of measure
changing the entire financial policy of tn
State, and involving, as it does, the safety o
the public funds the credit of Indiana, ant
the continuation of the common schoo
system upon the continuation of whicl
alone rests the moral and intellectual ad
vancement OF the people. Does that com
mittee, or any friend of this bill, tell me
sir, that the adoption of such a measure in
wolves no political considerations or conse
quences? Away with such sophistry. B
assured of the fact, that for veal or woe
this act will be handed down to others +
elicit their praise or their condemnation
And | wash my hands now an forever @
all connection with the bill and it's conse
quences. Gentlemen of the Republican par
ty should look well to it, that the evils there
of should not be found on their skirts.
But let me inquire, has this no partisa
character no partisan effect? | under
take to declare boldly on this floor, in tn
face of the facts within my own knowledge
that had the Republican party carried thei
State ticket-had John II. Harper of s.
; Joseph county, been Treasurer elect no sue
scheme as this would have emanated fror
the Committee on Ways and Means, const
! tuted as that committee is at the preseI
g moment. To have restricted the powers
e the State Treasurer, had he been the maj
. in the manner contemplated by this bill
0 to wrap him in swaddling bands and con
nit him to the sympathies of five distir
guished nurses; to make him a mere ma
|. of straw; to make him the puppet to dane
n at the bidding of that august commission; O
d to say the very least, to convert that Office
known to the constitution and the law eve
since we had an existence as a State, into