St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-01-19
4olitital.
MESS AGE
OF
GOVERNOR RALPH P. LOWE,
DELIVERED To THE
Eighth General Assembly Of Iowa.

Ealow Citizens Of the Senate,
and House Of Representatives:
Representing the Executive Chair,
it becomes my duty, under the Consti-
tuition, to communicate to the General
Assembly, the condition of the affairs
of the State, as administered in its
several departments, and to recon-
mend such measures as to me shall
seem cxpcdient for your action.
The period that has elapsed since
your last biennial session, has been
one of great disturbing causes and
anxious solicitude to all classes of our
citizens.
The first year of this period was
visited with heavy and continuous
rains, which reduced the measure of
our field crops below one-half the usu-
al products, whilst the financial revul-
sion which commenced upon the At
lantc in the fall of 81, did not reach
its climax for evil in our borders, un-
til the year just passed.
You need not be informed of the
disastrous effects produced by these
two causes, upon the hopes and condi-
ton of our people. Ovcrtaken sud
denly and Unexpectedly in this mis-
fortune, with heavy individual liabili,
ties, with no facilities for obtaining
money, their property reduced to a
nominal value, and no demand for ii
at any price, thousands there are who
feel that their homes and their fortunes
are in great peril and that this is Sc
would be worse than idle to disguise
In this aspect of affairs you may rea
sonably expect that strong appeals
will be made to you for remedial leg
islation and | doubt not that their
expostulations will receive your very
considcrate attention, and prompt you
to put forth in your sovereign capaci
ty, such powers you possess, to Sc
cure to them indemnity against unrea
sonable and unjust sacrifice, yet in a
manner that shall guard and protect
the rights of all parties interested.
| would not, however, suppress tho
important fact, that the condition and
affairs of our people are taking fav
" H.
ment of the late monetary crisis, &
large amount of individual indebted
ness has been liquidated-a rigid sys
TEN of rctrenchment has been observ
ed in the social and domestic relations
and expenditures of our people-bu
few new liabilities have been created
no malignant epidemic has prevailed
the industry Of the people the las
year has been very well rcwarde,
with fair harvest emigration i:
flowing in the social condition of ou
people is improving, and we have
abundant reason for devout and CRATE
full acknowledgements to Him whose
goodness knows no bounds, that W,
are once more being placed in a con
dition of advancement and prosperity
CENSUS OF 1859.
You will have before you a nea
print of the census of the past year
taken in the mode prescribed by tn,
act that authorized the same, at al
expense only of about $6lS,7l. l
fixed the population of the State a
642, ,532, being 1923, l6S more than TIN
population when the census was takel
in the year 1856, and will in all prob
ability reach TOO, 900 by the time tn,
federal census is taken during tn
present year. The agricultural sta
tistics contained in the present census
refer to the year 1853, and do the fell
culture Of the State very great injus
tice. On account of the heavy ant
protracted rains of that year, it i
conceded that our crops fell below on,
half their usual amount. Yet, as
result of our industry, we had in cul
tivation over three millions of acres
and, unfavorable as was the season
we cut over 500, 900 tuns of hay-har
! vested over 5000, 900 bushels of whea