The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-10-04

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Here is constant increase of the interest
we h-ve To Pay; each year adds TO it from
$4,000 to $50. 900; steadily upwards the
amounts have climbed till nov they are
nearly tr'cs what they were a. first. What
is the explanation of this mysterious addi-
ion TO our iaxesl Has the Democratic
party doubled the State debt. or stolen the
money? One or the other must he the
case. There is no half way house between
these alternatives. They have aided to our
taxes every year. more or less to pay the
interest OF debt which they are sUOrn not
10 incvr0s'Y 1t is strange. What has be-
Come of The money? The Democratic Of
flcers tell us we have got to pay it. but they
never tell US where it goes.
THE SWAMP LANDS.
In 1850 the United ates gave to Indi
ana all the swamp and overh,wei lands
within her limits, cOndi,ion that the
State would drain them and make them fit
for settlement. This donation amounted to
952. .63S acres. a most noble and generous
sitt Among these so called swamp lands
were thousands of acres of the finest land
in the State. dry. rich, and we'll situated.
we'll worth $5 an acre. The whole dona.
tion, with any thing like honest management.
would have yielded to the State 3 100000
Gov. Wright repeatedly boasted that these
lands would adj 8 900. 900 to our school
fund. for 10 that noble purpose were the
proceeds to be dedicated. The Democratic
party made all the laws and appointed all
the officers that controll these lands. and
what has become Of them? Erery acre
gone! Not one solitary dollar has ever en-
tered the school fund. And worse than all.
the draining has cost the State nobody
knows how much money. Tor the Democratic
officers won't tell, and the draining has ner-
err been done! Strange as it may appear it
is fact. that all the draining that has ever
been done on these lands, though every foot
Of the land has been given to pay for it. and
thousands of dollars in addition. has not
benefited them particle. Hardly single
ditch has been completed. and hardly one
Of them has filled the law. Yet the Dem
ocratic administration has taken them of
Democratic contractors. given up all the
land to pay tor them. and added in some
cases as high as SIC. 900 to help out the
land in paying for nothing This is plain
true statement of the way this vast and gen.
erous donation from the General Govern
ment has been anaged 1t has been made
a stealing placer for Democratic officers and
contractors from the State. One of them,
Jacob Merklc. stole $4,000 Gov. Willard
has admitted. and the Cove nor re appoint
ed the thief. as he naivaly stated in his New
Albany speech. "to keep the State from
losing more money" Probably that was
the reason he also dismissed the suits insti-
tuted against the thief to recover the stolen
money He did 1t, and his friends dare not,
and never did. deny it. But this is nor all
Gov. Willard took out ct the fund 8 s 900
which he kept for year. and 81 900 Of ii
he has yet. with no more right to il than
he has 10 the watch Of his neiyhbnr on H.
linois street. In plain English. it is stolen
money. In all lis speeches and explans
tions he has never attempted to explain why
he keeps il. This is significant. He should
either pay it over or be prosecuted as de-
faulier. But this is not ALL Democratic
Swamp Land Commi>si rners have issued
fraudulent certificates 10 prominent Dem
ocrats. by which the luter have been en-
ahled to enter large bodies of these land
without paying ONE SOLITARY CENT
Merkle tii this sort Of work with p NJ.
Kent. r. A. Eddy. Democratic Commis-
sioner of Lake county. il was proved. ira
dcd tie lands off for cattle. horses and gro
ceiies and got these fraudulent certificates
O cover the swindIe. This has been the
wav this fund. which might have opened
he doors Of schools and the wy to educa-
ton and useful life to 100 900 poor igno-
rant children. has been managed by the
Dem ocrstic State administration who have
had the constant control OF it. One Oppo-
sit,on of6rer. Talbot. was concerned in
these steaIings. but he acted under Dem
ocratic Governor. with Democratic Swamp
Land Commissioners. Democratic swamp
land spectators, and under Democratic
laws, and He is A DEMOCRAT himself.
was then. and has been ever since. though
he i,ined the fusion" of 1854 with thous-
ands of other Democrats who have since
gone back This is the Swamp Land case
briefly stated.
THE TREASURY sYsTKA.
i In order to stop the constant and glaring
;m;smauayemen. of the State funds. the Re
pub,cans in 1859, with the aid of few
democrats, passed . series Of laws mskicg
Ii, utterly impossible tor any State officer to
uss the Stat. funds for private advantage.
or political purposes. These laws we're en-
forced bv what vas called the "Embezzle'
meut bill." which made il q felony to stea
or otherwise misappropriate the funds Te
compensate the officers for the loss OF Per
/ c,;xi,es their salaries were doubled. but By
the Embexxlemeut bill they were prohibi'ee
from taking anything bat their salaries. s.
much the Republicans did. Now what die
ths Democrats do? Gov. Willard approves
ali the bills, including the ''salary" one