The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-07-25
EQUATIONS upon the state Treas

Pc uisstons upon the state Treas
nry.
We have received-nearly five months
SITTER the adjournment of the Legislature
the first printed copy of the Final Report OF
the Committee OF Ways and Means on the
condition of the State Treasury, and OF the
books in the Auditors and Treasurers Of
fees, aud other matters pertaining to the
States fiscal affairs There appears to have
been no hurry to spread this document be-
fore the people, as FIVE months have been
occupied in getting out a pamphlet Of
twenty-eighs pages. The Committee was
composed Of D. Q. Branham, Hamilton
Smith, Morton c. Hunter, Jas. F. Harvey,
VIM. Major, aud J. J. Shields--men whose
characters viii give the public confidence in
their statements. With the understanding
that the three bills for the future protection
Of the treasury and providing for the pun
ishmsnt Of the illegal use, hereafter, of the
public money, should be passed and ap-
proved by the Governor, the Committee
consented to suppress the publication of
many Of the iniquities and faults they had
discovered. The past was declared to be
irreyocable; the great consideration was to
surround the Treasury with guards for the
future protection of its funds. With assu-
RANGES of an honest administration for the
future, they consented that bygones should
bebygones, and their report was cut down to
the mere skeleton which is now printed.
Deluded and canght in the trap set by the
wiley Regency Of ofhce-holders at Indiana
polls, the arduous and most valuable labors
of the coamittee have proved almost abor-
tive; their report was emascnlated; the bill
for the punishment of future frauds was de-
feated by the adroit cunning of Gov. VIII
lard and the Regency, under provision Of
a constitution-which seems designed for a
series of traps and pitfalls to catch the Leg
islature in The whole result of the most
able and strenuous efforts ever made by the
Legislature to secure the State funds, was
TO double the salaries Of the incumbents and
leave them freer than before to depredate
upon the public money. Ii it were not a
grave matter, deeply affecting the pockets
Of the people, and destroying the political
morals of the State, the issue of the at
tempt by the honest representatives of the
people to subject official felons to the terrors
Of the law, would appear ludicrously farci-
cal Instead of being reduced to honest
courses of Official duty, they succeeded in
making the hard labors of the committee
ridiculously abortive, aud got their legal
pay doubled, with an extended license TO
plumber. The committee saw with chagrin
and amazement, themselves discounted and
baffied by bold stroke of usurpation
on the part of the Governor, who, in COL
fusion with the ofice-holders, arbitrarily
vetoed bill, from corrupt motives, on the
pretence that he believed II to be unconsti-
tuticnal. when hs was unable to fish up, by
any sort Of sophistry the shadow of plau-
sible reason for the belief.
Bat there was probably a special personal
reason-bes;iss lis alliance with the clique
Of Official ncumbents-inciting the Govern
or TO this desperate and unwarrantable act.
The committee state, In their report that
they found during their searching investiga-
ton that Go7EREoR WILLARD-by what
authority OF Under what pretense is not sta
ted-had drawn, in 1857 and 1858, from the
United States Treasury, moneys due the
State for Swamp Lands sold by the United
States, TO the amount of Sls,642.34, OF
which there was no account in the State
Treasurers or Auditors books. When the
committee began to overhaul them in Janu-
Gry, 1889, some OF the money had beer
more than eighteen months in the Gov.
ernor's hands. The money was received a: