Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-05-20
Retrenchme and Reform.

RetreMchment and Reform.
1.-THE following report was submitted to
the meeting of taxpayers at the Court
House in this city on the 50th ult. 1t would
have appeared sooner, but for q misundcr-
standing on the part of the secretary of the
meeting concerning our willingness to pub
lish it,
The committee appointed at the tax pay-
ers' meeting held on the ODD Of January last,
to examine into and suggest such alterations
in our laws as shall tend to diminish our
taxes, and report to an adjourned meeting,
respectfully submit the following report
Your committee have not had access to all
the documents necessary in order to make q
full and complete investigation, consequent
ly, have to confne their report to the acts of
the 9th and 9TH General Assembly.
In the acts of the 9th General Assembly,
we find that the salaries of all the State
officers were increased from fifty to one
hundred per cent. above what they were
under the Code of Iowa. Under the Code
the salary of the Governor was 81 900, that
of the Secretary of State $500, that of Aud
itor of State $500, that of Treasurer of State
$4OO and that of the Librarian $3.50 all of
which salaries were increased by the 9Th
Gen raj Assembly-that of the Governor to
$1,000, that Of the Secretary of State to
800, that Of the Auditor to 81 500 and
that of the Treasurer to ST. 800. The Attor-
ney General was allowed a salary of $500
and $500 per day while attending Court,
and ten cents per mile for travel, some of
which salaries were again increased by the
9TH General Assembly y that of the Gov
efnor to $4,000 and that of the Attorney
General to 1000 and fifteen cents per mile
for travel. The salaries of the District
Judges were raised from 81 200 to $1,000
and that of the State Librarian to 5000.
We find the following appropriations made
for contingent expenses of thu different
State officers by the 9th General Assembly:
For the office of the Governor 81, 900, fol-
pay Ct clerks and deputies in the Office of
the Secretary of State 81 200, for the pay Of
clerks and deputies in the Auditors Office
81, 200, for pay of clerks and deputies in the
Treasurers office $4OO, and for contingent
expenses of the Judges of the Supreme
Court 81, 900.
In the Acts of the 7th General Assembly
we find appropriations for contingent
expenses Of the various State officers as
follows: For the Office of Governor $4,000
for the Office of the Secretary of State $4,000
and to the Secretary of State for distribut-
ing the Acts and documents $1,000, for the
contingent expenses of the Auditors office
$1,000, and for contingent expenses and
clerk-hre of the Register of the State Land
Office ST., 300. What amount of these large
appropriations for contingent expe@ ses and
clerk hire Of the various State officers may
be actually necessary, your Committee is
not prepared to say. But we may presume
that, if the officers themselves attended to
more of the duties of their respective Offices
a large portion mi ht be saved to the State.
Your Committee are Of the opinion that
khere is great waste by the General Assem-
bly, of the peoples money in employing too
many officers to attend to their sittings.
In the accts of the 9th General Assem- bly,.
we find appropriations for eight clerks and
secretaries, at from four to six dollars pei
day, which amounts in the aggregate during
a session of sixty days, to S2,20s three
sergeants alarms at 1910, seven messengers
at 5000, four fremen at three dollrrs pei
day, 1920, one doorkeeper, $l96, and one
paper-folder, 1920.
The 9TH General Assembly employed, du
ring a session of seventy days, three SER
geants- alarms at an aggregate expense Of
$500, three doorkeepers at 1898, six mes
sengers at $l,15O, five fremen at 81 ,o50,
two paper-folders at $3.50, and one post
master at four dolers per day and $3.50 for
carrying the mail, amounting to s43s, The
appropria ions for the pay of clerks and
secretaries during the session, amount to
1856, amounting in the aggregate to ST.
241.
The appropriations for newspapers are
also wasteful and extravagant in the ex-
treme. The appropriations Of the 9th Gen
eral Assembly for newspapers amounts in
the aggregate to Sc, l2l so, among which
are items to the Iowa Citizen $l,76l.5O,
to the Ioaoa State Journal $l,37650, and
to the Iowa Farmer $57O.5O.
Your Committee are also of the opinion
that great abuses and an extravaganza waste
of the peoples money exists in the printing
Of the laws and documents of the State, and
would suggest that the Office of Public
Printer should be abolished, and the public
printing let by contract to the lowest bidder.
Your Committee have been informed that
the public printer generally, if not always,
charges nearly double what the printing
could be obtained for if left open to COM
petition. In the Auditors report of July
18th, 1858, we find the amount charged for
printing $27,S57.55, and for binding $2,-
S54.l6-amounting to $30,44l,H.
A heavy expense to the State has been
INCURRED by the publication of the reports of
the State Agricultural Society, none Of
which are allowed for distribution among
the farmers, as your Committee has been
informed. They should either not be pub
lished and the cost Of publication saved to
the people, or if published, they should be
distributed among the class of persons with
whom they might do some good.
a very heavy expense to the State has
been incurred in the publication of the Geo
logical Reports; of which the 9th General
Assembly ordered two thousand copies to
be published and distributed to the public