Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-10-07

'nlcA IDe Ianu was soiu3 III a'l amoununR
0 moro than 100000 for which amount no
ccount is rendered nor can any person tell
1here it is. This assessment was made for
he purpose of raising funds to pay the ex-
euses of litigation concerning the Swamp
ands. How was it applied ~" .+
Sd. The county Judge says that Judge
ieascn agreed to give Messrs. Richman and
)'Connor 81 900 each for defending Swamp
and suits, but believing it was too much,
hough satisfied that they could recover it, he
,aid them in full $500, thus showing
aving to the County $500. Tie truth is
hat Judge Meason agreed to give the attor-
lies $500 each and if the claimants Of the
wamp lands would pay an assessment they
we're to have $500 more. The assessment
vas paid but not applied, and instead Of
aving to the County $500 the County off,
;ers have put it away and paid out of the
$500 more than Meason agreed to
pay.
4th. The County Judge and Treasurer
never made any exhibit of this fund, as the
law required they should do, semi-annually,
and consequently no one but themselves
could ever know how this fund stood, or
why it was not loaned out to individuals as
the law required. Look at the communica-
ton signed s'Reform" in the Journal of
the 10Th of August and you will see the
reason for the course adopted by the Coun.
ty oficers-a desire to keep fund on hand
to loan to banks or individuals. We quote
q part of that article:
"Why do we pay such enormous taxes! What becomes
of this money? Nothing be more desirable than a
thorough investigation of whatever may have tendency
diminish this evil few years sincc when our farmers
and business all felt though they were making
money, made but little difference them whether their
heavy light The farmer was blessed with
fine crops and fine prices his land doubling in value
in three years. and made but little difference
to him whether his taxes twenty hundred dol
lars per year. but aas financial crisis has swept over
our land and all who have had either heavy light
pay have been compelled deprive themselves
only of the uxures but of of the comforts Of
lite, to meet those demands.
when individual finds that his income not sufficient
to meet his expenditures the proper place for him to COM
reform is in his own household, right upon his
own hearthstone. When a reform is demanded In the
affairs of county, that reform should commence in her
Court House, in her county offices. will therefore
say all persons of both political parties who not only
ask but demand, change in the administration Of the
affairs of county, to be on the ground at the COM
ing conventions Discuss this subject of reform fully,
fairly and canddly then select from among the best
in both parties candidates possessing the requisite
qualifications for either ofce-men whose sympathies
and feelings with yuurselves who for the past two
years. have borne portion of the burdens to
not men Cike most Of the imcumbents) whose names
1a fo,,nl fha TO
the city in which they live AS general rule, the
old Democratic doctrine of rotation in Office works we'll
There may however, be some exceptions to the rule but
my opinion applied with such peculiar force "a
the present time. By selecting men who have been
forced economist in their own matters during the pres
ent crisis may expect them to carry that feeling into
office with Them and give the benefit of it but, by
nominating the present ncumbents. who have been living
during the hard times upon fat offices, we can have nc
such hope 1t will not only &c benet tothe county, Out
benefit to the present ncumbents themselves, to let 80
public and scratch for themselves awhile with the
majority. Why the present incnmbens disposed like
leeches to hold to county Offices! 1t Is Iact per
haps generally known to the people OF the county
that the higher the of the county the more u
crarive the officers Moneys collected by the County
Judge Treasurer frequently remain in their hands for
months is either deposited by them in some of our
banking houses interest loaned out to individuals at
higher rate will here venture the assertion and
speak knowingly about this natter that the amount o.
received upon the county funds the two officers
above alluded in the shape of swamp land funds and
general revenue &C. during their present term of office
has amounted not less than three thousand dollars and
would be surprised if it exceeded fonr thousand
This is and above their annual Salaries and
properly belongs to the Treasury Of the County"
The above is from the pen of Democrat
--one who knows what he is saying and
would not make an untrue statement. In
order that no one may be deceived as to the
requirements of the law, we here insert it,
and defy the County Judge and County
Treasurer to show that it has been complied
with, or that any attempt was ever made by
the Judge or Treasurer to report the state Of
the Swamp Land Fund, except as the same
in the annual report Of the Judge.
Here is the law
"The County Judges and Trcasurers shall have power
Jointly and it is hereby rendered their duty in all cases
where the be done without injury to the work of
said land to loan any swamp land funds that
he in their several treasures at ten cent interest,"
approved real estate security for such times as they
may deem advisable and the County Judges and Treasu
shall make and separate public exhibits
of the condition of the swamp land fund.- showing the
received, the amounts expended for what pur
poses and to ,rom paid the amounts loaned and to whom,
and the amounts hond-whch exhibits shall be filed
with the County Clerks to be by them recorded in books
kept for that purpose"
Now we say that no exhibit as required
by law was ever made, and we charge upon
those officers that they purposely omitted
to make these exhibits, in order that the
true situation of this fund might be kept
from the public, thereby enabling them to
use this fund to ''strengthen the eut-posts %
It is said by the County Judge that about
SO 500 Of this fund was loaned to the coun-
y. Now as nobody can tell when it was
loaned we have the right to infer that it
was loaned on the day that the report was
made or but short time before and that it
would be paid in soon after the report was
made, thereby keeping the money at all
Zines on hand fol the purpose of accomo-
lating the friends of the County officers in
hape of loans, at such rates as would buy
Up the borrower and get his influence at the
,olls, on election day. The only pretended
oans were to Kincaid and Miller, $3.50,
When at the same time the Swamp land
und owes them a large mount, and to Mr..
Ioyt, Levee Commissioner, $1,000, for the
purpose of building levee on the island;
nd we suppose that on the list Of Jan. 1860
he Swamp land fund will pay into the
for the use of the Swamp land fund
he interest then due from the Swamp
and fund to the Swamp land fund! This
8 a kind of inanciering we do not UNDER
tand. 1t may be all right for the County
Ulcers to use this fund as their private af-
airs demand, yet we cannot understand
7hy when this fund is applied to the pur-
ose for which it is appropriated by law
must be borrowed from the County off-
ers. Eafs .aa.9 as'
49, 5-'.'" FINANCES. f-f
In speaking of County finances as we'll
$ the Swamp land, we speak of the County
Ulcers as public agents and not as private
,tizens- With their private charasters va