Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-01-20

the revenuo muSS pc provided for by addition
al taxation upon those who have already dis
charged their duty as citizens, by paying the
taxes assessed uponthem, and they are thus
compelled to pay more than their due proper
ton of the public burden. The laws should
provide for the most rigid md exact account
ability Of all officers charged with the collec-
ton, control or disbursement of the public
money. Any vagueness Of the laws which
permits an officer to retain in his hands any
portion Of the public moneys, or to use them
for his private benefit, not only defrauds the
revenue, but introduces among officials lax
ity of morals highly dangerous to the public
interest. The Governor is authorized by
law passed at the last session of the General
Assembly, to institute careful examination
of the accounts of the State Officers once in
each year, and have no doubt the law will
be found beneficial in its operations. But the
amount of money paid by our people into the
State Treasury, is but a small proportion Of
the amount paid by them in the shape of tax
es A much larger amount is paid for coun-
ty and other expenses, and in my opinion the
existing laws are defective in not requiring q
more careful scrutiny of the accounts of those
to whom this money is paid and by whom it
is disbursed. / therefore recommend to your
consideration, in addition to any other meas.
ures your wisdom may suggest, the passage
of law requiring the Judge of each Judicial
District, to appoint once in each year q skill
full accountant in each county of his district,
whose duty it shall be to carefully examine
the books of each county officer, and to state
and record an account between such officer
and his county, and when necessary between
officer and officer. Such examinations by
disnterested persons would, in my opinion,
have decidedly beneficial effect; the ex-
pense attending them would be very small,
and have no doubt the people of the coun-
ties would cheerfully bear that expense for
the satisfaction of knowing that the large
amount of money which they pay as taxes,
are applied to the proper object. 5area
apprehend it is scarcely necessary for
me to recommend to you as close and rigid
| an economy in the matter Of appropriations
as is consistent with proper administra-
ton of the affairs of the State. The scarcity of
money, consequent upon the financial revul-
sion Of 1857, and the failure Of our crops to
| q great extent since that time, has caused the
payment of the taxes necessary to the sup.
port of our government, to be felt as sen.
sible burden by our people, and they have
the right to demand and think do demand
at our hands, that until the present press
ure is somewhat removed, and our fnau cial
affairs have become somewhat more easy
and prosperous, we shall limit the expenses
of the State to the smallest sum compatible
with due regard TO the public interest.
An event has recently occurred in our
sister State Of Virginia, causing in that
State an intense excitement, which has to
a greater or less degree extended through
out our country. l allude, of course, to The
late unlawful invasion of that State by
John Brown, and his associates. The
moving causes which led these misguided
men to that mad attempt, in my opinion,
may be easily and certainly found. On the
4th of March, 1853, President Pierce was
inaugurated as the chief magistrate of "a
happy and united people. The admiDistra-
ton Of his predecessor had been marked by
a settlement OF the agitation of the question
of slavery. growing out Of the acquisition
of territory from Mexico, as the administra-
ton Of Mr.. Monroe had been marked by
the settlement of a similar agitation in con-
nection with the territory purchased from
France during the Presidency Sf MIR. Jeffsr-
son, and as these two sett'" Tents covered
all the territory then baisslng to our gov
ernmen. our penr'" -o,idjy hoped that for q
| long poTlOu VI tlluc3 IulS HtASU anu
Irritating question would be kept out of our
national councils, and that the angered and
embttered feelings always arising from its
food. AS an additional basis upon y hich
pledge of honor of the political party then
dominant in all the branches of our national
government, deliberately given by them at
| syNA Mr. w faI f,u h.
Presidency, that if placed in power they
would resist, to the extent Of their power.
the agitation of that dangerous question,
both in the Congress of the United States.
and out of it. Unfortunately for the peace
of the country, and for the preservation of
those kindly and fraternal feelings which
should always exist among our people, Mr.,
Pierc, and his political friends did not
redeem that pledge. On the contrary, the
first important act Of his administration
was the passage of the Kansas Nebraska bill,
BY which the settlement made during Mr..
Monroe's administration of the question of
slavery in the territory acquired from
France, was set aside, and the fountains of
strife SC recently closed, again opened to
pour forth among our people their bitter
waters. The excuse offered for this wanton,
uncalIed tor and most unfortunate act was
the alleged desire on the part of those who
did it, to settle the question of slavery, then
in a state of perfect quietude and repose,
and is was done by introducing into our
Legislation q new policy which denies to
Congress power claimed for it by the foun.
ders Of our government, and exercised by it
from the beginning; which declares that to be
unconstitutional which the makers of tho
| constitution declared to be constitutional.
and which rests upon the strange assump-
ton that the government of the United
States cannot set up and maintain in the
territories of the United States form of
government demanded by majority of our
people, and identical in the disputed par
ticuIar, with the form of government of a
majority of the States of our confuderacy.-
If the man who did this thing did not know
that their action would again produce among
US agitation, heartburning, jealousy and ILL.,
will, they were so wholly ignorant of the
temper and feelings of our people, as to
make them unsafe public servants. If they
did know, they were unfai thful. In either
view they were faithless to the pledges they
had given, as the inducement for placing
power in their hands, The Kansas Nebras.
ka bill was long pending, and its passage
was strenuously resisted in Congress. Tie
debates in that body upon it were acrimoni-
GUS and exciting the discussions in the
public press were bitter aLds inflammatory,
and when the passions of the people in the
different sections of our country had been
thoroughly aroused, their prejudices in-
famed, and their pride enlisted in the con-
test going on in the halls OF Congress, that
contest was by the passage Of the bill,
transferred from these halls to the plains of
Kansas from the representatives in Con.
gress to our entire people and thus was
cast into the arena as prize to be struggled
for by an aroused and excited people, y
territory which, in size, in soil and in cli-
mate is equal to seme of the most powerful
monarchies of the old world. Did the men
who passed that act expect and desire that
struggle to be friendly and peaceful one.