The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-13

county Commissioners, showing such bal
ance to be in his hands" After quoting
this section, the Governor said :@ss Thus
did the act provide, when taken in counec-
ton with the treasury bill, that the Treas
urer of State, aud all other officers, having
charge of any fund, common school,
as we'll as others should receive bank bills
from those who owed the State, keep, guard,
protect and pay them out, when the State
had utterly failed to provide any place for
safe keeping" That argument all looks
very nice upon paper, but it lacks one very
essential quality to make it complete, and
and, must say, that that -truth.-Now he
says that the State had required all these
things to be done, "when the State bad ut
terly failed to provide any place for safe
keeping" E s-uss gasas aa5 aI .et2,
1t is certainly very remarkable that he
should have made that statement, when the
first section of the treasury bill provides.
Sec. l. Be it enacted by the general as
sembly of the State of Indiana, that the
room cow occupied, or which may be here
after be assigned to and occupied by the
Treasurer of State, together with the safes,
I vaults aud other proper and necessary means
for the security and safe keeping of the
public money thereto belonging, shall con-
stitute The Treasury ofthe State of Indiana.
And the Treasurer of State shall be requiF-
ed to use the Treasury so constituted, as the
sole place for the deposit and safe keeping
of the moneys of the State Except as here
in after proYidedl I; and the Auditor and
Treasurer of State, under direction of the
Governor, are required to provide such adj
Gitional locks, safes and vaults as may rend-
er the public funds absolutely secure against
fire and burglars. An appropriation is here
by made of such money as may be necessa-
~ to obtain the same The Governor
stating that no safe place was provided,
when the treasury bill, then a Law, not only
marked out the place where the money
should be kept, but required the Auditor
and Treasurer of State under the direction
of the Governor, to provide additional locks,
safes and vaults, SO as to render the public
funds absolutely secure against FIRE and
burglars. And we absolutely appropriated
the money for that purpose. What reason
or sense is there in his objection, when the
treasury bill obviates the very objection
which he argues as a reason for vetoing the
bill. fa Illogical
But he continues and says, more, the
State required of each of these officers bond
for the return of the securities and moneys
which had passed into their hands. To you,
men of Floyd, (meaning Floyd County,
put the question; Would you say to the
man you elected Treasurer of your county,
that he should receive all your taxes in bank
bills, give him no place to keep them, de-
mand bond for thsir safe return, and if
any were lost send that Treasurer to the
Penitentiary !" How lost? The Governor
seems to intimate that according to the bill, if
the money was stolen or lost without the
fault of the Treasurer, for he just uses the
word lost, which embraces losses by fire,
robbery as well as fhe wilful act Of the
party himself, then he must be sent to the
Penitentiary. Is that what the bill says
or is that the construction to be placed upon
it? Most certainly not. II strikes me that
no sane man could ever have given it such
construction. The provision OF the bill is
that II any officer or other person ch@g-
ed or in any manner entrusted with any
money, &C., shall convert TO his own use or
TO the use of any other person or persons or
corporation or shall use byway of investment
in any kind of property, or shall loan with
or without Interest except as allow
ed by law, &C.. shall be deemed guilty Of
embeZzemeut:H Not that he shall be sent 10
the Pententiary, il the money is lost with
ont his fault, but it is when il is lost by his
own willful act in appropriating it to lis
own use or the use of some other person.
Aud L now in turn put the. question to the
people OF =" Floyd County" If they had
prepared safe place for the keeping of their
public money and their Treasurer by his
own wilful act had converted their money
to his own use or the use of some other per-
son in violation of law, if they would not
say he ought to go to the Penitentiary W hen
he took the office with full understanding
Al. IL.
not pointed out by the law, he wouid be
guilty OF eulbezzlement.
q Such were the just, wise, and prudent
provisions of the law, which were enacted
/ to prevent 1.-The squandering and misuse of
the public money, and which he condemns
in such uEmeasured terms. But the Cow
ernOr continues, and says, Again, take
the two bills together, because you cannot
appreciate the one unless, you understand
Elhe other. The first was passed after it was
vetoed, for the reason that the profit was TO
tenure to the benefit of its friends. To them
Fit was of no avail, unless the officers were
| required to keep them (bank- bills) in their
possession. If, though, two millions of dol
lars issued by the banks were TO be lockedup
in the hands OF public officers, have they no
g right to demand specie on a single bill, are
they to he sent 10 the penitentiary If they did
/ ask coin OF lhe banksE 1henAail was ac-
! compiished THAT the schemers desired"
What huGihngging argument to be made
q hy Governor rs Il reason for vetoing hill
/ OF so much importance otie people. How
was the profit 10 enaret 70 the benefit OF the
friends TO the bill The Governor says by
Keeping two millions of dollars locked up
y in the treasury. suppose, then, his object
in vetoing it was, 10 give the State officers,
who were enemies to the bill, an opportuni-
q y of loaning and specializing upon these
two millions of dollars. There is just as
much sense and reason in one supposition
as the other. The bill did not require that
all the money should be kept locked up in
the treasury, except enough to carry on the
State government, and there is where it
ought 10 be, but required that it shonld be
paid out upon the debts of the State, where
it ought to be paid, and thus have the affairs
of the State managed just as any prudent
man yyould MANAGE his The yreaf I'M II