The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-08

b
a cost of forty thousand dollars But in
stead of amending the old one at a cost of
forty thousand dollars what was done2
a new Constitution was made, as was then
claimed by most of the leading Wings, and
which experience has Since shown, was not
half so good as The old one. And instead
of its costing forty thousand dollars, it has
cost the people more than three times that
sum. There were quite a number of Wings
who were in favor of the cali for the con-
vention 10 amend the old Constitution, and
the new Constitution after it was made, but
most of the leading Wings of that day, and
especially those in the convention that
passed that resolution, were bitterly op-
posed to the call as well as the constitution
after it was made and thence their COM
plants of extravaganza. | believe now, il
is generally conceded that all the money
that was expended in the making of our
new constitution, was foolishly spent not
withstanding, Gov. Willard says if one dol
lar has been wrongfully expended or fool
ishly wasted from 1843 to 1852, in vain
have read the public records"
THE SWAMP LAND FRAUDS.
come now to the second resolution, for
which the Republican party is responsible
and of which the Governor so bitterly com
HidluS- AHb ieSOiullOn ID III TIE IOllO W 4DS
words " That the fiscal affairs of the State
of Indiana have been badly managed. That
State officers have been shown to be de-
fauters TO large amounts and suffered to go
uuprosecuted. That large amounts of the
public moneys have been squandered to en-
rich officials and partisan favorites, and
that when the representatives of the people
sought to stop these populations by the
passage of an embezzement bill, the Cover
nor of the State vetoed that bill, and thus
kept the door of the treasury opened to be
further robbed by the dishonest partisans.'
To notice fully all the objections which
| the Republicans urge against the Democratic
party as embraced in this resolution, and to
fully answer the arguments and objections
of Governor Willard in his speech made
against it, it will be necessary for me, like
the Governor, to go back about nine gears,
not, however, previous to 1914, but prior to
the adoption of the resolution, at which
time the general Government made such a
munifcent donation to the people of In
diana. / refer to the Swamp Land Dona-
I ton, made in 1880, when Congress gave to
US without money and without price one
million tlVo hundred and tifiy-tl0O thousand
sir hundred and thirty-eight acres Of land
! the proceedSso f which, orr constitution pro-
I =
and draining the same, should remain a per-
petual fund, the income thereof to be iRUio-
Ltaby appropriated to the support of common
Schools and to no other purpose whatever !;
that magnificent fund iii expectancy, which
Gov. Wright in his messages spoke of in
such glowing terms, and congratulated the
| people of Indiana in their great success in
the cause of education.
| Where now are all these lands and their
| proceeds Where is that magnificent fund
that the people of Indiana have so long
| looked forward to, as a source of education?
these little children Of whom the Governor
so tenderly and pathetically speaks, are cry
! ing all over the land and anxiously asking
and seeking for those lands or their pro-
ceeds, which so justly belong to them.
Where are they? | answer, in the hands of
spectators, and out of which these children
have been robbed by fraud and corruption.
| These lands came to us during Gov.
Wright's administration. Gov. Willard
succeeded him, and in the meantime nearly
every foot of them have passed from us.
! Who is responsible for this great loss
Gov. Willard attributes it all to the election
of Talbot, Collins, & Co., ia 1854, but that
kind of an apology will not satisfy those
little children, neither will it stand the sun
| light of investigation And even Col. Hem
| bricks the Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor in a speech made from this stand on
last Monday, charged all the losses of those
lands, to the fraud of Talbot and Collins,
and for the purpose of confirming it, and
making every body believe that he was sin
cere in his statements, said, that If any man
could point out as great frauds committed
by any D mocrat in office, as by Talbot
and Collins, he would decline the race and
give Mr.. Lane a clear field.
now propose to give these Swamp Land
Frauds a thorough g airing " and if in the
I course of my remarks, shall happen TO
stumble on democrat, whose frauds ex-
coed, or even equal those of Talbot and
Collins, suppose Col. Hen bricks will re-
member his promise. I want it, however,
distinctly understood that | am not the
apologist of either Talbot or Collins in
their Swamp Land Frauds, but We will pres
emily see who are. While in the Legisla-
ture, l voted in every instance in which the
question was presented, not only TO expose
but to burst up their frauds, and the frauds
of all others connected with them in refer
ence to those lands. I freely admit that
Talbot and Collins did about all they could
in their official position to enrich themselves
and those Democratic friends who confed-
Grated with them, ont of those lands, which
by the by, could not nave amounted 10 any
thing, if all others in Office, connected with
the business, had done their duty. But
the history of the Swamp Land Transactions
shows that there were others who were just
as aciLIing souls, and acted out their part full
as well in these frauds as Talbot and Col
Inns.
Now let us commence at the very begin
ming and see who had control over these
lands, and what powers Talbot and Col
Inns could exercise over them, under tht
law. By sec. of Swamp Laad Act, vol
r. S, 1852, page All, it was made the duty
of the Auditors in the various counte:
where there were Swamp Lands, to otfel
them for sale Those that remained unsold
were afterward, under section 81 Of The
same act, made subject to entry. Sector
20 of the same act made it the duty of th'
= Governor to appoint some suitable and con,