The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-08-30
From the Indiana Journal.
State AHli =.

x
> overlook the smaller. Hence in the discus
sion Of our Stale aft .irs, the management o
the swamp lands have been chiefly referred
to. In this number | purpose to call at,en
+, ton to The lesser instances. for IL is an old
and true maxim that ssraws show which
way the wind blows. No Governor that We
have had looked more Gully into the mi
nor charges against the State than James
Whiicomb. In examining the vouchers in
the Auditors Office during the last session
Of the General Assembly, found those &C
counts which he had to certify, generally in
his own hand writing. carefully penned.
while those of Cows Wright and Willard
exhibited a haste in the manner they wore
certified. as il they never would take time
70 examine whether they were just or un-
just.
lst. In 1853. the lawyers. to give few
more days of life to Mullin1, who murder
ed his wife ia Putnam county. took An ap
peal to the Supreme Court Before the case
was decided the day of his execution would
have arrived, and to postpone il, Gov. VIII
lard extended the time. For this purpose
he transmitted the reprieve 10 Greencastle.
by sending it by II Achey and paying him
out of the Stale Treasury $50. when it could
have been forwarded by express Tor fifty
cents. or by mail for three cents. Achey
was Democrat. and must have a suck at
the treasury teat.
I'd. In his address At New Albany on
State affairs, Gov. Willard speaks of Re-
publican attorney who wished to charge an
unreasonable fee in certain swamp land cases,
and OF the economical indignation with
which be and the State officers refused to
submit to this extortion. Mr.. Milroy. the
nal the want OF truth in this statement -
But the Governor forgot to name in this
connection other fees that he himself paid
out of that corruption fund. called the con-
tingent fund. Here is a couple of them:
The State brought suit against the New
Albany and Salem railroad company. on a
matter relating. believe, to certain taxes
Although we had an Attorney Genear,
whose special duty it was to attend to such
cases, yet his excelency. without one particle
Of law therefor paid the following fees in
this case:
10 James Hughes s..............S6OO 90
TO A. A. Hammond ... $40 %
was informed that the point Of law involved
q this had been decided in the Supreme
Court in other cases. but OF this have no
ersonal kno Wedge.
Sd. We all know how much attention the
nbject of colonization attracted in tie State
iter the adoption of our present Constitution
he General Assembly appropriated ten
iousand dollars tor this purpose. and ap-
o,ased State sssrhse BssEa IF ad lss Ssss
iov. Wright's favorite project was TO pro
ure gran, Of land from the republic OF
iberia, upon which this Stale was TO es.
ablish lis colony. But the legislature OF
liberia replied tina. it was against good pol
cy to ESTABLISH separate colonies Tor the sew
ral States and foreign countries, but gave
tha. or blacks going there should
lave homes whenever they desired, at the
owest rates the Board could desire. Ihis
vas in 1854 and from. that time 90 fhts noth-
ne ,cas done Yet the Board kept IN exist
,nce asecretary. Rev. James Mitchell, at an
annual salary OF 5000, doing nothing. The
committee on Public Expenditure. in their
eport on this subject. snow that of the ex-
,enditures made there were
70 emlgrants -S3 ,245 90
10 the Secretary .............. o'o@o w
Almost as much for q secretary dong
,othing, as tor the proper aud Legitimate OBJ
ects OF the appropriation.
bill was reported to correct this gross
abuse Of this coon zation fund, but 1t tailed
or the want of constitutional majority,
nearly oil the Democrats voting against n,
among whom was Mr.. Turpie. (See House
Journal 1859. page 1902
4th. The Stale Librarian has in his charge
he State House, aud in this is the Library
.oom and the Governors room. The Ii
,rarian receives a salary OF $500, and has
,ut lt,le to do, when the General Assembly
5 not in session. except to keep record OF
he books taken out by the citizens OF Indt
R,,s t,,r
past the Librarian keeps three laborers en-
ployed at SEQ each per month; Que to make
tires and sweep the room of the Library,
another to do the same for the Governors
room. and the third to help these Here Is
over 500 annually paid out for as nearly
nothing AS could well be. What law there
is for such expenditures | have never been
able to tiud out The salary of the Libra
rian is sufficient for him personally TO attend
to keeping the buildings and grounds IN or
der.
Il is amazing how keen the perceptions of
meu become " hen the lesson taught Is 10
get money out of the pubhe treasury.--
These same lsborers, At the iast session OF
the General Assembly, presented tneir &C
counts to the committee on Wa S and Means,
duly certified by his ExeelieLc The Gover
nor, claiming as many days service as there
were DAYS In tie session. for services ren-
aeied the General Assembly. for sweeping.
splitting k,ndhpg wood. Ne. At three dol
lars per day. their accounts would have
amounted to about 1856. but upon ny state
ment to the comlnilIee that these men were
! regularly employed. the Claims were reject
ed. The Seaate, however, allowed them,
but the House disagreed, aud as 5000 as the
Senate learned the facts. 1t TOO REUSED 10
allow these unjust demands
! For tine purpose OF airing these gentle
men during the summer, the Librarian re-
quired them TO whiss~ash b the ienes encio>-
ing the State House grounds. For TINS SET
vice they made separate charge Out tue
Deputy Auditor refused TO give warrant TO
them.
5.h. We all recollect what financial
opera ions were carried en in postage stamps
of "a trapaFal As.