The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1860-01-21

nj THE HOJN3 ~ REPRESENTATIVES,:
fl The people Of Iowa have placed in your hands
. for the time being the law making power Of TIL
III State, and therefore they hook to YOU that tsl
ring the time yon hold this trust. such course o
j policy shal be pursued and such laws enacted a
Twill tend TO promote the honor and the wellar,
= of the State. Aff
. the responsibilities which have just assumed
i associate me with You 70 certain extent in thi
/ work, BY imposing upon me, among other duties
: that OF communicating to you such information
as will aid youin the performance Of your duties
ii and recommending to you such measures as in
9 my opinion will, il adopted BY yon advance tfe
. public welfare.
: Under government like ours, where the peo
Pile are the source of all political power, the laws
are necessarily fair reflex Of the intelligence
!. and morals Of the people; and therefore it be-
comes Of the first Importance that the standard
Fof intelligence and morality should be raised Al
high as possible. In this view it has been the
settled policy Of the State TO foster and enconr-
age in All suitable ways, the education Of the
youths of the State, So that when at a more ad-
vanced period of life, they take part in the a.
rection and control Of public affairs, they can do
80 understandingly, and with an intelligent re-
gard to the public welfare. Under our consti-
tuition the subject Of education has been almost
~uuhs WltHAlaWH AIOLl yOu, Auu placeu Ill tlo
hands OF board specially constituted for that
parpose, leaving with you, however, the power Of
revising and amending their action. This board
has just closed a session ut which they have made
such changes in an amendment to the school law
as they deemed expedent and proper, and in my
opinion il would be prudent for you to interfere
with their action only in case that you shall ind
upon examination, an oyerpowering necessity for
4 80 doing.
l -. :AL II Il.
of our people, as expressed through the ballot
box, shall be enlightened and intelligent, but it
is imperatively necessary that the utterings Of
that voice be correctly and honestly reported
In government like ours, without privileged
classes, and where the laws affect all alike,
we need not fear that majority Of our people
will deliberately pursue policy irtended to op-
crate injuriously upon the public welfare because
BY 50 doing they would be acting contrary to
their own best interests. We therefore feel at
all times safe in submitting quietly and cheerful
ly to the will of the majority, fairly and consti-
tutionally expressed, confident that if at any
time, from any cause, the people are led into err
ror, they have the sagacity speedily to detect and
the honesty promptly to correct the error. But
if through fraud or violence the ballot-box shall
cease to report to us correctly and honestly the
will Of the majority if corrupt and interested
| men are enabled to substitute their wi. for that
rived to us from the honesty, the intelligence,
and the interest Of the people, no longer exists
our confidence in our government is lost, and we
| feel that we are at the mercy of dishonest men,
who seek the control Of our affairs, for the pur-
pose of promoting their own private interests
rather than that Of the public good. We can
| not, therefore, guard with too much care, the
! anety and purity of the ballot-hox In my
| opinion there il no means 50 wei calculated to
fnaffi. .ss oft.i1x
| we'll guarded registry law and l respectfully re-
commend that measure to your consideration
1t may be objected to by some, that the opera
ton OF such a law is burdensome to the electors
am satisfied that the supposed difficulty in this
| respect is much over-estinlated, and even were
it not, | cannot conceive that any elector who
appreciates the value Of the privilege he enjoys
as sach viii deem burdensome any reasonable
amount Of time and attention that it may be ne
| cessary for him to bestow, in order to prevent
his honest vote from being destroyed BY fraud
ulent one.
The institutions for the care Of the insane, and
for the education Of the mute and the blind, WILL
| doubt not receive from you prompt and cheer
ful attention and support. Established as they
have been, in answer to the requirements Of
those better feelings Of our nature, which prompt
US to protect the weak and succor the nnfortu-
| nate, you may rely with confidence upon the APP
proper efforts on your part to make them useful
| and efficient means for carrying out the noble
purposes for which they were created.
would also recommend to your favorable con-
sideratioa the State University, at Iowa City,
1t is based upon grant made by the Congress
| of the United States to this State, for the sup
port Of such an institution, and, having accepted
the grant, we are bound BY proper sense Of
State pride, by our duty properly to execute the
trust confided to us, and by the interests Of edu-
cation, in which are involved the best interests
of the State, to render the institution such an
one as will be useful and creditable to the State
The condition and affairs Of the penitentiary,
| located at Fort Madison will necessarily engage
your careful and serious attention. The safety
of society requires that the building lie such as
will afford proper facilities for the safe confine
mont of those vicious persons whose liberty is
| dangerous to the lives and property Of peaceful
and law-abiding citizens.
| An agricultural college was originated at the
| last session Of the General Assembly, and has
| since been located in Story county. Agriculture
| viii be for many years to come, as it has been in
times past, that interest which underlies and sup
ports all other interests in our State; and any
aid that can lcgitimately be given it should be
| given generously and not grudgingly. l have not
sufficient information touching this institution TO
| enable me to make any specific suggestions in
II,
matter to your careful and friendly consideration.
| The present condition and future management
| of the permanent school fund of the State de-
serve your serious investigation and deliberation.
| Under former and existing laws this fund has
been lent 10 individuals, and in many cases, Ell
| ther through the carelessness or dishonesty of
the officers by whom it has been lent the securi-
ties taken therefor have proved to be entirely in
| adequate, 50 that large losses TO the fund must
4 d., xR %St..<srr all
these losses fall upon the State and become
| funded debt upon which the State must forever
| nav the interest MANY Of the loans thus made
are now, or soon will be, falling due, and it be-
comes matter Of grave Importance to deter
mine in what manner the moneys when paid shall
| be again disposed Of. consider the present
system open to much objection Not only are
losses of the principal constantly occurring under
| it, which the State is bound to make good, but
even the interest is not promptly paid 50 that the
active fund for the support of schools il fuctaa-
/ ting and uncertain. am strongly inclined to
| the opinion that better policy would be to di-
rect the payment Of the principal az It falls due,
into the State Treasury, to be used as other mo-
news for State purposes, binding the State 10 pay
the interest on the same for school purposes In
this WAY the money would, in the first instance,
20 to the benefit Of all the people Of the State
alike by lesscning to that extent the amount OF
money 10 DC FalSpa Dy lAAAaoiA hu siiS nattsSss
would in like manner, be paid by the people and
be applied directly to their use in the support Of
the public schools. If this shall be deemed
Objectionable, | would recommend that the mo-
new when paid in. be invested either in stocks
of the United States in the best stocks Of IN
terest-payng States. In case you shall deem i
pl oper 70 adopt this or similar policy, II will
be advisable to vest in the officers to whom the
money shall be paid, in the frst place, discre-
tionary power to grant indulgence OF time 20
those borrowers whose loans are amply sc-
cured, 20 as not to cause unnecessary hardship or
distress during our present financial difficulties.
would also suggest to you the Propriety OF =
! careful examination Of our revenue system, with
view to ascertain ii il cannot be made more
certain and efficient Any system OF revenue
which permits large amounts OF taxes to become
delinquent and to be ultimately lost to the State
must be defective, and must operate Hnjnstiy and
unfairly upon our people The deficiencies thus
created in the revenue must be provided Tor by
additional taxation upon those who have already
discharged their duty as citizens, by paying the
i II. ~