The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-01-15

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most of the money thus due the State is be-
heVed 10 be amply stcured-bat the time Ol
, its payment is uncertain. This failure to
meet the just demands of the State by these
lessees has been caused by the financial cri-
sis which has existed for the last few months
therefore recommend that the Legislature
make an appropriation to meet the indebt-
edneSs OF the State in connection with this
institution.
The law fixing the qualification OF voters
aud for the protection of the ballot box
against fraud is defective. Our present law
does not insure fair and honest expression
OF public sentiment At our elections, on
very many occasions within the last few
years, in consequence Of his defect in the
laws, citizens-of one county have, on the
day previous TO the election, emigrated TO
smother county expressly to control the
election.
Our government rests upon the action
and will of the majority of her citizens, and
that being the case, it is important that by
provisions of4aw we may be assured that
public sentiment shall have "a fair express
ion through the ballot-box and, without this
/ is secured, we cannot reasonably hope that
miuorities will long submit. Every citizen
, of our State, therefore, without regard to
party, is interested in having an efficient
and effective law guarding this mode of ex-
pressing public sentiment. | therefore res
spectfully recommend the passage of law
inhicting heavy penalties npon persons vot-
ing illegally, and also upon officers of the
election who refuse a legal vote, OF who
knowingly receive an illegal one, and fix
ing the residence in the county necessary to
entitle one to vote, at period that will
make it Improbable for bad men to change
their residences for voting purposes alone.
Had the power of fixing the penalty for
violation of the election law of our State, it
never would be below that of Imprisonment
in the State Prison. That penalty would
deter bad men, and do much to preserve the
purity of the ballot-box.
The commercial crisis which we are now
undergoing, the deprecated condition of the
securities upon which our free bank crculax
ton is based, and the consequent deprecia-
ton of our currency warn rs that in order to
promote the financial interests of our State
to prevent loss arising from the receiving
of paper money, so liable to depreciate
while in the vaults of the Treasury, we
should provide by law a sub-treasury sys-
tenn. The report of the commissioners ap-
pointed by the last Legislature 20 examine
into the debts due the State suggests many
reasons for the passage OF this law. During
the last ten years the State has suffered to
the amount of thousands Of dollars by the
depreciation of the currency while in the
hands OF the State and county officers-hy
the bankruptcy of persons who have become
debtors to the State for money borrowed
out of her vaults; by the suspension Of
banks in which her revenues were deposit
ed for safety by the imprudence and i'm
Il
or failure to discharge the duties imposed
upon them by law. And to guard against
a recurrence Of these losses to give that
feeling Of security to the citizen that the
taxes he has paid are safely kept aud pru-
IDENTIFY disburSed, it has now become ab5o-
lutely necessary that a rigid law should be
passed embodying these PROVISIONS First,
The collection of the debts due the State
in gold and silver Secondly, The erection
of a guitable building, with secure vaults,
for the preservation Of the public money
and Thirdly, Placing those officers having
control of the pnhlic money under such
strict guards that the loaning or disbursing
of any of it, except in the manner provided
by law, should constitute Il felony, and rem
der them liable TO Imprisonment in the
State Prison
1t is manifestly unjust to require an Of
fcer to-execute bond 10 the State, in
heavy penalty, for the secure keeping of
the revenues of the State, when DO prOvia
ion is made specifying the kind OF money
he shall receive, and no suitable place pro-
vided in which il shall be kept. The ne
cessity is great, therefore, of providing for
the erection of building suitable for the
purpose, with vaults sufficiently strong to
guard the public records and revenues from
u
success that has attended the sub-treasury
system in some of our sister States, and in
the federal government / trust that you
will give this matter your early and favor
able attention.
At the last May term of the Supreme
Court in the case OF lgoe az. The State of
Indiana, the law approved February 10th,
1855, regulating the business OF foreign in
surance companies, was declared to he un-
constitutional.
BY reference TO the Auditors books, /
have learned that while the law was en-
forced, nineteen foreign insurance compR-
MES complied with it's provisions by filing
! their seni-annual statements, and ailerward
! making the necessary deposits OF funds or
! securities These deposits were held in
/ trust by the Auditor for the policy holders
| of the companies making them. W hen the
! law was declared unconstitutional these de-
posits were withdrawn, and we are left with
ont any law regulating this important and
growing branch of commercial business. 1T
is now questionable whether there is a law
authorizing the service of process on the
agents Of foreign insurance companies in
suits growing out of contracts made by then
in this State That the magnitude Of this
branch of business may be seen, learn from
d gentleman conversant with insurance in
this State that there is paid annually by
policy holders for insurance in foreign com
panies not less than S25O,0O0, and that th'
amount covered by insurance in those com
panies is about 100000, 900.
l, therefore, recommend the passage OF I
law which will in the first place give to thu
policy holder perfect security, and in th
second foster and encourage bona .fdc insur
ance companies organized by our own citi
zens under the laws of the State; withou
such stringency, however, in its provisions
as to drive from our State good and solven
, foreign companies, thereby cutting of
, healthy rom nPLitiOu