The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-02-09
SENATE.
AFTERNOON, Jan. 81, 1860.
h offered the following ::

Mr.. Coolbaugh offered the following:
Resotced, That the Attorney General be
requested to communicate to the Senate,
whether, in his opinions the General Assem-
bly, has the power, at the present session, to
re-organize the Judicial Districts, and in
crease or diminish the number, or change
the boundaries Of the districts.
Adopted
The bill reducing the rates of interest on
delinquent taxes was then taken up, when
Mr. Wilson, of Jefferson, moved to amend
by excluding taxes for the year 1859, from
the provisions of the bill.
Mr. Bailey was opposed to this bill, thought
it was wrong in principle. Such law would
only operate in favor ofspeculatorS. He be-
leved nine tenths of the State had paid their
taxes 1t was so in his own county. He
was opposed to all relief laws and wanted
the collection laws to remain in statU quo
One relief law led to another, and by com
mencing this sort Of patch work now, there
would be no end to it.
Mr.. Wilson, Of Dubuque, thought the bill
was very proper one, and read letter
from citizen of Dubuque, commencing the
measure.
Mr.. Drummond was opposed to the bill,
because it was necessary that there should
be some inducement for men to buy lands at
tax sale. 1.-THE interest was twenty-five pei
cent, such purchasers would be sure of get
ting fair rate of interest for his expense
and trouble, or get the land ifnot redeemed
He thought the great difficulty was the tax
titles as now, were worth nothing, and he
hoped the Revenue Law would be amended
in that particular.
Mr. Powers thought the bill was emrhat
icalIy relief bill, and some such measure
was demanded by his constituents.
Mr.. Udell was in favor of the bill, and he
| thought it was demanded by the people o.
the State, with the exception, perhaps, o.
| Van Duran county. As strong a Democrat
ic county as his was, he would not hav;
| dared in the last campaign to take ground
against this measure of relief
| Mr. Wilson, of Jefferson, thought the
| theory of the letter read by the gentleman
from Dubuque, was well enough. But il
would not work in practice. Two years ago
bill similar to this passed this body, and
as soon as the news reached his county, the
payment of taxes was almost entirely sus
pended, but the bill failed in the House. and
the very next day latter the news reached
there, pa, ment was commenced again
amounting on that day to $500. The 25 pei
cent. interest was intended as a penalty fol
the on-payment Of taxes, and the principle
was correct A reduction to 10 per cent, a!
proposed by this bill, would dofeat the objec,
entirely He thought the passage of tn,
hill would not advance the interests of the
State.
Mr. Rankin said his constituents were
deeply interested in this bill. He asked why
it was these taxes We're not paid is ther,
any man who can pay, that refuses to pay
his taxes lie believed no one would neglec
to pay his tax because he could make more
by using his money otherwise. There were
| thousands of dollars in the vaults of the
Banks that could not he loaned at ten pei
cent, because no safe and prudent merchant
would borrow it. The financial crisis had
reduced property to its intrinsic value, and
no one could find safe investment for
money borrowed at 10 per cent. Why is il
that the Treasury is now nearly empty, and
the counties so largely indebted to the State :
Simply because the people could not pay
their taxes Go where you will, in town OF