Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-03-02
DOINGS AT THE CAPITAL.
SENATE CHAMBER, Desmoines,
February 21st, 1860. {

concur in the principle. know Of no Ratur,
right why debtors should be compelled t
sacrifice their property at less than two-thrd
: its value With Mr.. Caldwell, l say, 81
Gods fair footstool is not worth to the credito
two-thrds of it's acknowledged value, then
am opposed to affordng any facilities t
recover claims Clagget, and Williams, Q
Dubuque, opposed the BILL
Mr.. Shipman, last evening, introduced
resolution authorizing the Secretary of Stat
to furnish the House some stationery, &c.
furnished the Senate. Now the sc" means
gold-pens and knives, which, by small
majority, the members of the Senate appro
priated to themselves. 1t was not a party
measure, however. The vote upon Mr.. Ship
mans resolution stood 26 to 26, with Gov
Baker in the chair The friends of the reso
luton thought themselves beaten, when Mr.
- arose, changed his vote and said "aye. v
Thus the members will have an opportunity
to take home to their wives and gals q
mice little pen-knfs."
Yesterday, the Senate had under consider
alton the bill of Mr. Wilson, of Jefferson,
repeating section 1st, chapter IS, of the
Session Laws of 1858, in relation to Railroad
Companies, and reviving the section Of the
Code which that law repealed or modified.
From the discussion ELECTED, judge the
principle of civil corporation and county
subscription is involved, prohibiting counties
and municipal corporations from voting stock
or bonds to such companies. The bill was
read the second time, and postponed until
day The bill will undoubtedly pass, as
the test vote was large in its favor.
! A resolution was adopted instructing the
Committee upon County and Township
Organizations to report a bill separating the
Offices of Treasurer and Recorder, retaining
the present Treasurers. Such a bill will be
reported and pass the Senate, and think the
House. An amendment, making the Recorder
County Auditor, was lost, but think will be
ingrafted into the bill. There seems to be an
increasing determination to curtail all fiscal
powers of the County Judge. Whether the
Commissioners or Supervisors system will
supercede the present cannot determine. l
am more than ever convinced of the necessity
of this change. Iregret there are no petitions
from our county upon this subject. There is
also an increasing opinion in favor of the
creation of a Court of Common Pleas, giving
County Judges jurisdiction in civil and
criminal cases. The arguments in favor of
this measure are numerous. The strongest
and best | have heard is that it relieves the
District Court of vast amount of business,
which, in most counties, 1t is wholly unable
to dispatch. For instance: Many, very many,
important suits, commenced on the Chancery
side of our District Courts, are necessarily
put off, put over, postponed for months, aye!
for years. and the time of the Court occupied
in the hearing of $40 appeals and petty
breaches of the peace, and other things that
ought in reality never to go beyond Justice
of the Peace. Our dockets would be very
much relieved by the establishment of such
Court Arguments have been advanced in
opposition, but | have heard no convincing
objections.
This morning. Joint Committee was
appointed to proceed to Fort Madison, with
full powers to investigate the affairs of the
Penitentiary, and to inquire whether the
asked for appropriation of $3.50, 900 could not
be better expended at Desmoines in the
construction of new one.
The Committee to investigate the affairs OF
the Insane Asylum, consisting Of Messrs
Patterson and Anderson, of the Senate, Hall,
Wright and Bemis, of the House, and your
humble correspondent leave here for Mt
Pleasant, on Thursday morning,
There is an evident disposition on the part
of many Democrats to shirk the latter invest
igation. They proposed it, hoping the Re-
publicans would oppose the proposition.
They know full we'll that their repeated
charges of corruption, &C., have been without
the slightest foundation in truth, and are now
disposed to take the shack track" With
full report from an impartial Committee, they
know their occupations gone
Numberless petitions are coming in from all
sectionsoft the State upon the whisky question.
Also, from the northern part of the State,
praying for diversion of Land Grant to the
McGregor Railroad. Il Co.,. .-5- .... r.
Tomorrow, the great Democracy meet in
Convention in the Representatives Hall
Tomorrow evening, they will hang thei,
diaper. on the outer WALL Douglas Democrats
are pouring into the city in generous quanti
ties. Among the number l notice Judge
Thayer and D. S. Biles, Esq. The delegation
to Charleston will consist in part of D. O
Finch, Ben. Samuels, Col. Preston, and
think Judge Thayer. There are nearly al
many candidates for empty honors as there
were in the Republican Convention.
There are some few candidates already il
d8he field for State offices to be filled the presen
jyear. Among them would mention the mai
who wanted to succeed Mr.. Harlan in the U
il S, Senate, this Winter, and who is now at tn
head Of the new Republican organ in this city
who aspires to succeed Elijah Sells. pre-
i dicted that this new paper was to be more tn
organ of aone-man party than a great people
party. For this reason was it in part that
set my face against the proposed scheeme. " 3s
!, wish to say here and now that no man in tn
State stands as high as our present Secretary
{, He is universally conceded to be faithful
9 prompt, honest and ,obliging. It is true tia
ho has filed the Office for two terms. Wha
= of lit? a venture the assertion, withou
+ detriment to others, that no man in, tn
$ Republican party can Ipoll as many votes .
! .n,,r ourn Elijah I Of ,,s .nomin ate him