The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-01-26

' Company SO falling to have the length q
e road completed ia manner and time as a fore
r said.
1 Ifafer a full and careful investigation. an
making all due allowances for the stringenc
t OF the times, it appeared that anv of thes
0 Companies have failed to comply with th
Requirements ofthe people, and are now un
5 able, either through msmanagement or o h
e er cause, to go forward with the great worl
, committed to their charge, then it Will be
come your duty to make such disposition O
, the land granted to such delinquent Gonna
ny or Companies, as shall secure TO tn,
States the penefit of the grant and give I,
the people along the contemplated line all h,
advantages ola direct eastern outlet tba
they would have possessed If such defau
had not been male cannot dismiss tni,
subject without advising the passare of az
act tha shall require majority Of the Boar
OF Directors Of all corporations organized un
der and in virtue of The provSions of on,
laws, to reside and keep their olIire of bu,i
ness within the State
CAPITOL BUILD,vG.-This structure was
erected at the expense ofthe School Fund
borrowed by six gentlemen Of Dcsmoines
City for that purpose, for the repayment of
of which with the per cent interest. they
gave mortgages on their individual proper-
ty.
The amount Of money thus obtained from
the Superintendent of Public instruction
with ten per cent. interest. up to this date
(not paid }, is So. 1870. The building cost.
including the lots and interest M TO this
date S53, 1851. The divided public scnti
mentin regard to the particular site II sbould
! occupy, precluded the possibility of building
1 Mt the common expense of the town o.. eoan-
tv These men are quite unable to supplv
the State with so lar~e and costly a building
for nothing. The State ought not TO con
sent to become a'pensioner upon that bounty.
1t cannot do so without compromising its
magnaninIity. She ought to own this buil-
dng-it is convenient, substantially built,
and worth the money it cost The State
has been in the occupancy Of the building
over two years-made important changes
and improvements upon the same-ipconsis-
tent, perhaps, with the legal rights of the
proprietors-and it will now answer the pur-
pose of State House for years In view
ofthese facts it is gravely suggested wheth.
er the interest and honor ofthe State would
not be quite as well subserved by directing
the mortgages against these men to he c,nrel
! ed. assume the liabilities to the School Fund
and pay to them the difference between this
fund and the cost of the building.
! JAS. d. EADs, LATE SUPERINTENDENT, &c
| Under your legislation was instructed to
appoint Commissioner to settle with the
sure'ies Of this de(auting officer upon the
basis therein specified. Robert A. Russell
Esq. comnetent person. was assigned to
this duty, but failed. after several attemnts. to
negotiate such settlement upon anv terms
whatever; whereupOn dre,ted
SUIT to be instituted against the said Eads
and his securities for some sal $50, ~, being
the amount ofhis supposed defalcation. AL
though the cause was expected to have been
tried last month the result has not yet trans
pired.
,ro1 ftrr- T,rv,.rc>>cvr
as could have been desired The year 1853
was mostly employed in preparing and pub
fishing the result the survey in the eastern
portion of the State which made a large vol
line in parts and has drawn from the sci
en'ific world the most satisfactory teStimon-
ais of its merits. Charged as was with the
| distribution of some two or three hundred
/ comics Of this work in foreign lands, | was
able. through the agency of the Smithsonian
! Institution, anil the assistance of Professor
Hall and Aagassiz to make such a distribu-
! ton as will in nv opinion, tell largely for the
interest of the State
| 4 list ofthe nations, societies, institutions
and scientific journals, &C., to which copies
We're sent, will he found in communications
from the State Geologist to the Executive,
herewith submitted for your inspection. and
! from which YOU will also learn other details
in respect to the present condition, as we'll
Nc well as important suggestions bearing upon
the future of this enterprise.
At the time Of the last appropriation the
State was more largely in error with the ex-
penses of the survey than was anticpated;
the payment Of which absorbed so much of
the appropriation, that. there was not a suffi-
cheney left to form an effective organization
for working ont the Geology Of the western
part of the State. and hence in part the little
progress made the last two years.
INVESTIGATING cOMNIssIONs.-Under the
law Of 1853 requiring me to appoint commits
sionerS to investigate the State and Eyecu-
tive Offices, | appointed MessrS. John 4. Kas-
son, j. NJ Griffith. and Thomas Seelev
whose reports will he laid before YOU Their
examinations have embraced the transactions
of several years, and their reports contain
much valuable information and statistics not
elsewhere found Indeed very cursory in.
J spection Of their reports will show full and
satisfactory. and at the same time with abil-
ity and thoroughness, the investigation has
been conducted. making it unnecessary, per
hans, ever to 60 back Of their reports fOI
additional information in regard to the man
ner in which the business Of these Offices has
been conducted. They present in my judg
ment. many important suggestions respective q
the Executive administration. some of which
may require legislation, and to which | ask
your careful attention.
Among the more important topics present
ed by them for consideration, / mention thu
following:
OFFICE OF SECRETARY OF STArE-Tn this
!, office are deposited most of the Bonds execu
ted to the State. No provision of law exist,
; far recording them. Many Of them secure
the State against malieasance in Office in very
lar~e amounts. and one Of them being fo
rver S20O.0G0 The Commissioners SUCCESS
hat it should he required bv law that III,
: officer charged with the custody Of any su"i
bond should immediately on fling it in hi
office deliver it to the Register of the Stat,
{ Land Office to be recorded in volume ken
, for that purpose. and that such ropv am
certified transcript from it should he mad
: prino tacie evidence Of the contents of tn
5 original in courts Of justice in this State
t The original and the copy being thus kept il
\ separate departments would diminish tn
? hazards Of loss bv fire or otherwise
: SrATE LAND OFFICE appears bv thci
t report on this Office that sundry books ar
e still wanting to comply with the terms of TN