Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-09-13
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Besides the annual salary, a leading item,
in both these accounts, is for swamp land
services. BY law they had TO sign the
swamp land patents, as the President Of the
United States had to the sign the land office
patents. The partisans of the Governors
in the Legislature, contrary to the express
provision in the constitution, voted them
16 cents for each patent signed. J. Both
these Governors knew that the acts of the
Legislature were unconstitutional, and
whilst they were ready to veto other bills
on account of CONSTITUTIONAL objections.
yet when they themselves were to profit by
unconstitutional legislation, they had no
dissent to express.
Then there is that postage item, which
figures SO prominently in the State officers
accounts, Wright's charges. under this
item, are amazingly improved upon by
Willard. For nearly six years the former
charges S294 40. but the latter, for two
years, charges 1851 80.
= The expenditures for the Governors
house require more notice than the other
items, for they exhibit one of the modes
by which State officers SO largely increase
perquisites.
For the convenience of the Governor
the State purchased houseI near to tho
State House. 1t is known as the Cover
nor's house, and to keep it in repair. and
make additions to its comforts. the Gener-
al Assembly has usually appropriated from
So00 to 5000 a year. Daring Mr.. Big
gger's administration of three years he ex-
pended on the House S760 92.f But
Govemor-Wnght improved on what Mr..
Hendricks calls Bigger's extravaganza, by
purchasing carpets. furniture. fuel, and
'sundries," items which the law did not
authorize. but which constituted part of
his family living expenses, and which,
therefore. should have been. paid ont of his
annual salary. Governor Willard i'm
, proved on Governor Wright by adding
f many additional items of his, living ex-
penses down even TO candles, ice. and such
, articles. Contrast the course of these men
with that Of James Whitcomb, vino, mp to
! 1S49. had expended on the Governors
house but sl,O5O -, disappears from the
Auditors Reports.
/ Governor Wright's conscience, howev-
er would not let him rest for not having
done better for himself during the first year
or two, and hence he remembered how
much he had laid out for furniture, fuel,
DC, and in 1857 prevailed on his friends
in the Legislature to pass another uncon-
stitutional act for his relief. by which the
foregoing sum of Sl,206 IS was given to
him. .TtsegfYF HBnFL
THE SWAMP LAND FUND.
But these Governors were not content
with the large sums thus obtained. The
General Government hal ,neeusly sold
swamp lands belonging to the State to the
amount of S36, ,4S0 06, which it repaid TO
the State. Instead of using this money to
pay interest on our State debt in New
York, and replacing it with our money
here to the Swamp Land Fund, and thus
saving more than one per cent. it was
brought from Washington. OF this sum
Coy. Wright received S11,652 30, and
was owing when the matter was examined
into last session S277 80. How long he
had the rest nobody can tell. Governor
Willard received SlS.632 81, and when
the matter was investigated, was owing
one thousand dollars. He commenced re-
ceiving this money on May Is. 1857, and
received portions along until September
20, 1858. Now the law requires tho
Treasurer of State when any money is paid
to him to write a receipt for it, take the re-
ceipt to the Auditor of State, who receives
it and gives one of his own for it, and the
Treasurer then hands the Auditors receipt
to the person paying this money This
course is required that the Auditor shall
know when any money is paid to tho
Treasurer, that he may enter it on his
books. and thus one officer act as check
on the other. But Coy. Willard, whose
official duty it is to ''see the laws faithfully
executed." makes private arrangement
with Mr.. Jones, the Treasurer, by which
the law is violated M seIe Fh
The law as further check. requires the
Treasurer to report to the Auditor every
month, yet the sums received by Gov.
Willard were never reported to the Audi
tor until in january, 1859, after the CON-
mittse of Ways and Means had procured
from Washington City statement of the
whole fund paid over to the State and to
whom it had been paid .9s hsti
When the Chief Magistrates of our State
thus invade the public treasury, is it any
wonder that inferior Off ,ers seize upon
their example as pretext for trampling
down all legal barriers. and boldly take
whatever it is possible to get. They know
that such Governors. although it is their
sworn duty to see the laws faithfully execu-
ted, are too much implicated to hold
strong reign over them Hence we may
expect. as most certainly tho reader viii
see when the accounts of these inferior of.
6cers are set FORTH that a more reckless
grasp upon the treasury is held by them.
and that nothing but the Embezzlemeut
bill of the ast General Assembly can
wrench it from them. - l.. B.
TALK WITH A SoUrHERSEa.--Bayard
Taylor writes to the New York Tribune:
AT White River Junction. where we