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

INAUGURAL ADDRESS,
DELIVERED BEFORE THE EIGHTH GENERAL As.
ssxBLY or rue STATE OF IOWA, wEDNks-
DAT, JANUARY 18th, 1850.
GsntIemen Of the Senate,
and the House Of Representatives.: n
The people of Iowa have placed in your
hands, for the time being, the law making
power of the State, and therefore they look
to you, that, during the time you hold this
trust, such policy shall be pursued and such
laws enacted, as will tend to promote the
honor and the welfare Of the State.
The office to which have been elected, and
the responsibilities which have assumed as
sociate me with you to certain extent in this
work, by imposing upon me, among other
duties, that Of communicating to you such
information, as will aid you in the perform
ance Of your duties, and recommending to
you such measures as in my opinion will, if
adopted by you, advance the public welfare.
Under government like ours. where the
people are the source of all political power,
the laws are necessarily fair reflex OF the in
telligence and morals of the people; and
therefore it becomes of the first importance
that the standard of intelligence and morality
should be raised as high as possible. In this
view it has been the settled policy of the State
to foster and encourage in all suitable ways,
the education of the youths OF the State, so
that when at q more advanced period of life,
they take part in the direction and control Of
public affairs, they can do so understanding
ly, and with an intelligent regard to the
public welfare. Under our constitution the
| subject of education has been almost wholly
withdrawn from you, and placed in the hands
of board specially constituted for that pur-
pose leaving with you, however, the power
ofrevIsing and amending their action. This
board has just closed a session at which they
have made such changes in and amendments
to the school laws as they deemed expedient
and proper, and in my opinion it would be
prudent for you to interfere with their action
only in case you shall find, upon examination,
an overpowering necessity for so doing.
| Not emily is it highly important that the
voice of our people, as expressed through
the ballot-b box, shall be enlightened and in.
telligent, but it is imperatively necessary
that the offerings Of that voice be correctly
and honestly reported. In a government
like ours, without privileged classes, and
where the laws affect all alike, we need not
fear that majority of our people will delib :
erately pursue policy intended to operate
iniuriously upon the public welfare, because
by so doing they would be acting contrary
to their own best interests. We, therefore,
feel at all times safe in submitting quietly and
cheerfully to the will of the majority fairly
and constitutionally expressed, confident that
if at any time, FROM any cause, the people are
Il Id ,nko tbov hov ho "
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 cor
rectly and honestly the will Of the majority,
if corrupt and interested men are enabled to
substitute their will for that Of the people,
then the assurance of safety derived to US
from the honesty, the intelligence, and the
interests of the people, no longer exlsts-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
purpose of promoting their own private in
forests rather than the public good. We
cannot, therefore, guard with too much care,
the sanctity and purity of the ballot. box. In
my opinion, there is no measure so well cal.
culated to effect this object, as carefully
prepared and we'll guarded registry law; and
I respectfully recommend that measure to
your consideration. 1t may be objected by
some that the operation of such a law is bur,
densome to the electors. | am satisfied that
the supposed difficult, in this respect is much
over. estimated, and even were it not, | can
not conceive that any elector who properly
appreciates the value Of the privilege he en-
lows as such will deem burdensome any rea.
sonable amount Of time and attention that il
may be necessary for him to bestow, in order
to prevent his honest vote from being destroy
ed by fraudulent one.
! The institutions for the care of the insane,
and for the education Of the mute and blind
will, doubt not, receive from you prompt
and cheerful attention and support. Estab'
ished 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 unfortunate, you may rely
with confidence upon the approval by our
J people, Of all reasonable and 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
consideration, the State University, at Iowa
City. 1t is based upon grant made by the
Congress of the United States to this State,
for the support of such an institution, and,
having accepted the grant, we are bound by
q proper sense of State pride, by our duty
properly to execute the trust confded to us,
and by the interests of education, IN which
are involved the best interests of the State to
render the institution such an one as will be
creditahle to the State.
The condition and affairs of the penitentia-
nv, located at Fort Madison, will necessarily
engage your careful and serious attention.
The safety of society requires that the build
ing be such as will afford proper facilities for
the safe confinement 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. Ag-
riculture will be for many years to come, as
it has been in times past, that interest which
underlies and supports all other interests in
our State; and any aid that can legitlmately
be given to it, should be given generously and
not grudgingly. have not sufficient infor-
nation touching this institution, to enable me
to make any specific suggestions in regard to
it, and can only recommend the whole mat
ter to your careful and friendly considera-
ton.
The present condition and future manage.
ment of the permanent school fund of the
State, deserves your serious investigation and
deliberation. Under former and existing
laws, this fund has been lent to individuals,
and in many cases, either through the care.
lessness or dishonesty OF the officers by whom
it had been lent, the securities taken therefor
have proved to be entirely inadequate, so that
large losses to the fund must ensue. By a
provision of our Constitution, all these losses
fall upon the State, and become funded debt,
! nnon which the State must forever nav the