The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-12

security for their redemption, with the uu-
Outstanding that Mr.,Dunn was MOTTO cancel
these bills, as he ought to have done, but
preserve them with the understanding that
Mr.. Bowen should again put them in circula-
ton, by his fling the amount of bonds
which he withdrew. This money by some
means or other again went into circulation,
while Mr.. Dunn was Auditor, without the
bonds ever being filed. That made the over
issue, with which Talbot is charged, and
for which he is not in any way responsible,
but the responsibility rests upon Mr. Dunn.
The resolution next charges, THAT large
amounts of the public moneys have been
squandered to enrich officials and partisan
favorites" Is not that. true? Does not the
reports, of the committee OnWays and Means,
Public Expenditures, and Swamp Land
Frauds, show where thousands of dollars
were squandered, to enrich officers, and such
partisan favorites as this man Reynolds Of
White county, where he was alone paid over
81 900, for selecting Swamp Lands.
THE GOVERNORS VETO OF THE EMBEZZLE-
MENT BILL.
The resolution next charges, "that when
the Representatives Of the people sought to
stop these peculations, by the passage of an
embezzlement BILL the Governor of the State
vetoed that bill and thus kept the door of
the Treasury opened to be further robbedb by
dishonest partisans" This brings me now,
to notice the arguments of Gov. Willard,
and his reasons for that veto. But before
noticing his reasons for justifying his act,
let me briefly point out some OF the reasons,
that induced and brought about the necessi-
ty of this new Treasury system, of which
this embezzlement bill formed part. The
bills composing it, were three in number,
to-wit: The Salary Bill, the Treasury Bill,
and the Embezzlement Bill. Under the old
law as it stood, the officers of State, under
a pretext that the salaries were not sufi-
cient, got up a system of perquisites, for
the purpose of reimbursing them for all
losses on account of meager salary, by
which they were enabled to make their of
fees worth to them, thousands of dollars,
| not only without any corresponding benefits
| to the people, butat the expense of the peo-
pie. For example, it cost the State, as APP
pears from the records, during Gov.
| Wright's administration, So, 500 per annum,
when his salary allowed by law, was only
$1,000. 1t cost for Gov. Willard since he
has been Governor S4,446, 46 per annum,
! when his salary was only 81, 500. 1t cost
| for Auditor Dunn while in office $i2,-
/ 298 90 per amman, when his salary allowed
/ by law was 81, 900. 1t cost for Auditor
/ Talbot SO, 80O,26, per annum, when his
| salary was only $1,000. II cost for Secreta-
/ ~ Collins So 65 per annum, when his
salary allowed by law was only $500. 1t
cost for Secre; AIRY Mcclure $6,772, so per
annum, when hIs salary allowed by law was
/ only $500. / give them as mere examples,
of the system. 1t was therefore thought adj
/ visable to give the officers fair salary, and
/ prohibit them from receiving perquisites, but
require them to pay all these perquistes into
the treasury, and let the State and not the
! officers get the benefit of them
The second bill was the Treasury Bill
| The object of this bill was TO correct the
further abuse by the State officers of specu-
lating upon the public funds, and loaning
them out at interest instead of paying them
upon the debts Of State, and then pocket
ing the interest, and if any Of the banks OF
individuals 10 whom the money was loaned
failed, to throw the loss upon State. Ex-
perience has shown US that within the last
| eight years, the State by these unlawful prac-
tees Of the State officers had lost over two
hundred thousand dollars. 1t was there
| fore thought advisable to provide means for
the safe keeping of the money of the State,
| and to prevent its being loaned, and require
it to be paid out on the debts of the State,
thereby diminishing the debt and saving the
interest thereon, so that the State and not
the officers should be benefited, and the peo-
pie eventually be relieved of the burthen of
a heavy State debt, instead of increasing
the debt every year, as has been the case
under the present reckless system of squan-
dering the public funds, while the people all
I the time, have been weighed down with
heavy taxes under the belief that their mon
ey was legitimately applied, but the more
they have paid, the greater the extravaganza
and larger the debt. Experience has also
shown us that scarcely single State officer
with a few honorable exceptiOns) has paid
any attention to the laws, in the disburse-
ment and safe keeping of the public moneys,
but have violated them in the most reckless
manner, the Auditor in many instances
drawing warrants and the Treasurer paying
out money without any authority, and in
direct violation of law, thereby turning the
State officers into kind of Legislature, and
they squlndering the money best suited
Them and thus not only disobeying the laws
actually made for their government bnt die
tating laws for themselves.
We thought that the people had suffered
under that kind of reckless system long
enough, and that it was about time to check
| these outrages upon the rights of the
people, with heavy penalties, and let officers
hereafter know that they could not violate
the la VS. made for their government with
impunity For that reason we introduced
and passed the Embezzlement Bill. The
Salary Bill the Governor signed, the other
two be vetoed, thereby taking advantage Of
all the benefit of the system without sub
hitting to any Of its corresponding restric-
tons. The Governor says he vetoed the
Treasury Bill, because the second section,
which reads as follows, " Sec. ,, From anC
after the first day ofOctOber, 1859, all State
revenue, and all dues accrued accruing; oil
that may accrue to the State, or to any fund
belonging to or under charge of the State
or of any officer thereof required by law to
be paid in money, and ali disbursement:
from the State Treasury shall be paid in
gold or silver coin, or in the notes Of solven
specie paying banks regularly organized an
der the banking laws of this State This
he regarded as unconstitutional for the rea
son, as be contends, it makes the notes o
specie paying banks legal tender, which il