The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-09-29
Further about the same subject.

Further about the same subject.
FALSE CHARG NO. Z.
Tn the Auditors report of Nov. I, 1857,
''he certifies the State Indebtedness to be
S293,943 SO. In March, 1S4S, the State
borrowed the further sum of 5000, 900 Cast
the interest on the sum reported due from
the State by the Audit,r, on the LIST of Nov.
1857, and the interest on 5000, 900 and you
find the interest amounts to more than $685.
900. This shows, then, the following facts !:
Due by State, Nov. 1, 1857. .$2e3,S43 %
Add loan by State. .......... 100000 90
Add interest $4,000 90
Total State indebtedness of S549,s43 9S."
They then, by the most extraordinary fig
ures, add another 100000 to the State
debt, Of their own free will, and call the State
debt ''ncarly 100000"
[see page IA, of pamphlet speech.
. THE TRUTH.
The want Of candor, and palpable dishon
esty, of this charge is made apparent by the
following fact:
1st. In their preceding statement of the
State debt under democratic rule, they nut
it at $79,795 Is, and say not word about
interest paid or unpaid, although the Audit
or's report of Nov. l, 1854, contains items Of
funded debt and interest account to the
amount of over $l7 900. But under Repub
lican rule they carefully,-we should say
| neutrality-suspicious. an interest account
| $4,000! Yet that same Auditors report
| in order to make up the total liabilities
| above, contains this item:
''To this might be added the interest or
the above loan, due Jan. 2st, 1853, $16,.
544 81" and this very item goes in to make
the total Indebtedness ,rtified by the Aud
itor as stated in the charge. Thus they frs,
duplicate, and then compound, their own
conjectural interest!
I'd. The fact is, the States whole debt
to-day is only 5000, 900, the Republican ad.
ministration having paid off the Philadelphia
debt of 500, 900, created by the democracy
in 1847. Besides this school fund which
the democrats put into the State Treasury,
as above stated, in addition to the taxes
raised by their high rates of assessment
the Republicans and Democrats combined,
with great unanimity in 1856, at the Extra
Session, took $40, 900 more to save it from
EADS, the Democratic Superintendent OF
Public instruction, who was squandering it
SO rapidly as to alarm every honest man in
the State, of either party, and this was used
by the State as directed by law. With the
balance of this five per cent Fund not dis
trlbuted to counties to be loaned, Repub-
lican administration paid off the old Demo-
cratic debt and interest amounting to $751;
500.
On this amount so retained by the Demo.
cratic and Republican administrations, the
State is bound in honor and good faith to pay
interest for the support of schools. 1t has
done so and will continue to do so. But the
so-called debt is only payable to itself no
person or corporation but itself could bring
suit for it, none but itself can control it, or
fix the time and manner of payment. 1t
can in no constitutional sense be called a
debt 1t is styled debt by these roaming
politicians only to swell the magnitude Of
their false charges, so as to make out
seeming color of a case of violation of the
constitution. That they do not believe it to
be so is evident from the fact that this very
loan Of $4,000 which was effected to give
the people of the State time to recover from
the crisis of 1857. and pay their taxes at
later day, was supported in the Legislature
by 25 democrats for it, and 10 against it,
there being majority of Democrats sworn
to support the Constitution of Iowa, who
supported it in both Houses by their votes.
While these are the facts Of the case, the
published certificate of the State Auditor,
dated Aug. IL, 1859, shows that, counting
both this State loan and the School Fund used
by the State, and all outstanding warrants,
as State liabilities, the total amount is
$372,555 81
While the taxes now due the
State, and the cash in the Treas
ury at that date, amounted to the
greater sum of 3S7, 361 IA
Showing the assets to exceed
the debts by $l4,S05 %
You will also observe that Republican
Administration has, in the whole years,
used only two sums from the per cent.
fund. One was taken to save it from being
embezzeled by Democratic Superintendent,
gbo j. row sued hx, the State for about 40