Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-01-22


red, 1t some length, to the law for the
incorporation Of cities and towns-in
certain provisions Of which, it is a
question whether We, as q city, are in
tsrestsd. Az q readers doubtless OBJ
served. this actin common with
nearly oil of the acts Of that leather
headed body, the last Legislature is
made up Of contradictions, sbsurd't'es
and conflicting Inconsistencies. 1t is
one blunder within another, mixed up
In such . manner that-to use q home
" but expressive phrase-no one can
make head or tail out Of it. Section
sixty one, besides being most scanda-
lousy punctuated, leaves the question
- to the time during which the mayor
holds his office in the greatest doubt.
II 10 impossible to tell whether this
section was intended to apply to the
city OF Davenport, or whether it does
apply, although not so intended. We
cannot determine whether we are com
PEELED to hold two charter 'ections,
one on Saturday and one on Monday,
in April, or whether our Mayor is to
be elected rs heretofore under the city
charter; neither is any provision made
for the manner in which VIC are to de-
termIne whether we arc a city Of the
first class,-upon which question, the
main question depends-nor are VI in
structed how to authenticate the fact
when We shall have determined in N
owsNay, the question whether we are
. city of the first class" In a word,
the whole thing is involved in snch a
train of notifications that it will be
necessary to appeal to the Courts, who
in order to arrive at any conclusion,
will be obliged by the process of "con-
struing"-of which the lawyers wot-
and to exceed their authority and make
the law over again.
la this connection it is well to call
the attention Of our readers again to
some of the other blunders OF that or
acular body, the last Republican Leg
islature. They gave us a city charter
under which an election was held, and
various large expenses charged to the
tax payers. The courts decided it
unconstitutional. They gave us a
School law, under which County SUI
p%erintendents, City superintendent,
School Boards and officers, as the
sands of the sea in multitude, were cleo
ted, taxes were levied, districts divided
and cut up and changed and re-arrang-
ed and altered over again, the precious
republican officials each time thrusting
their hands deep into the public pocket
The courts decided that law also I'M
constitutional and all the expense has
gone for nothing. Besides these in
stances which have been more imme-
diately before the people of this city,
there are numerous other cases in
which the Legislature has done equal
injury to the state. They seem to
have been either determined to do
every thing wrong, or unable to do
any thing right. Not a thing did they
touch to improve: but everything
bearing their finger marks, has been
mystified, or turned into gold-for the
lawyers.
They held a long and expensive
session, during which they refused te
examine into the frauds and pecula.
tions which were charged upon the
state officers; they drank brandy tt
the amount of one hundred and fort,
seven dollars and charged it to tho
people, and after voting themselves
extra pay, and filling up the pockets o
lobby members with the moneys of thu
State, to be afterwards divided will
high minded members, they adjourned
and went home, where they will be al
lowed 10 stay.
May We never see their like again
What tho -. II. has lone for w shins