Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-09-12
GOVERNORS ri MESSAGE,

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Delivered to the Ioaoq General Assemb
Conpsned IN Eltra Session at Desmoin
% omthe Sd eC September, 1862 5l'eE
3 ."'. ~ ExEcurIvE OFFICE, Iowa.
+'HD I' ''' ','- September Sd, 1862.
Gentlemen ct' the Senate and House of Re
I'd. rtsentatives !iig.H.- jT -u.t b.s! gdl
You have been convened in extraordinal
session to consider some questions vitally a
fecting the public welfare, which, in II
Judgment, require your Immediate action.
"hen you closed your last regular session
the belief prevailed very generally that IL
strength of the rebellion; against the Gener
Government had been broken, and your lie,
islation upon some questions of great publ
interest was controlled by that belief Th
lapse of time has shown that belief to be e.
roneous, and change of legislation on thos
questions has therefore become necessary.
The provision made for our sick an
wounded soldiers, and for their return to thei
homes on furlough, will, under existing Gil
cumstances, prove wholly inadequate. Tn
largely increased number Of our soldiers tina
will be she rtly in the field, and the grea
length of time they will be exposed to tn
danger Of disease and the casualties of battle
will render absolutely necessary a large in
crease of the fund provided for their care ant
comfort. The extraordinary expenses of IN,
office have also been and will probably con
tinue to be largely increased, in consequence
of the new demands that have been and may
be made upon the State. therefore recon-
mend to your favorable consideration such in
crease of the contingent fund for extraordi
nary expenses of this Office, as will be suffi
cient to enable me to do for the gallant mer
who so nobly represent our State in the Army
of the Union, when suffering from wounds
and disease, that which every loyal heart Sc
anXiously desires should be done, and also to
enable me to carry on successfully the many
new and arduous labors imposed upon this
office, in promptly responding to all the de-
mands made upon the State for the support of
the Government. -,
The labors of the Office of the Adiutant
General have been largely increased, and must
continue to be very great as long as the war
lasts and for some time after its close This
State will SON have in the field nearly or
quite fifty thousand men, and the interest end
quire that the records of that office SHOULD be
fully and carefully kept. The Adjutant Gen
eral now discharges, in addition to the proper
duties of his Office. the duties of Quartermas-
ter General and Paymaster General. 1t is, in
my judgment, impossible for one officer to
prope, ly superintend the laobr of these three
Depar ments. The amount of labor and at
tention required is more than one person can
give, and the necessary work cannot be so
done, or so well done, as if there
was a proper division of labor. recommend
hat should be authorized to appoint an AS
sistant Adjutant General, who shall act as
Paymaster General A Quartermaster Gener-
Il can be appointed under the existing law,
md then the duties now imposed upon the
Adjutant General can be so divided and ar
'anged as, in my judgment, greatly to benefit
he public service. g.. f". ..|.t ....
In my judgment the compensation of the
Adjutant General is not adequate either to the
abor or the responsibility of his position, and
recommend an addition thereto, either by
flowing him a contingent fund for his travel
ng expenses or by an increase Of his salary
Congress has provided by law an allotment
ystem, by which our soldiers can set aside a
portion of their monthly pay and have the
same paid at their homes to such persons as
hey may designate, without risk or expense
rhe benefits of this system are obvious and
,reat Commissioners have been appointed
" the President uuder the law, but the COM
,ensation of these Commissioners must be
aid by the State, and as no appropriation has
'een made for that purpose, our soldiers and
heir friends have not as yet enjoyed the ben
fits of the system. One of the Commission
RS is now engaged in procuring the allot-
nents of our new regiments before they leave
he State, and earnestly recommend such
appropriation as will secure the advantages of
his system to all our soldiers.
Since your adjournment Congress has pass
d law donating public lands to the several
;tates and Territories which may provide Col
eyes for the benefit of Agriculture and the
Iechanic Arts. Under this law this State is
ntitled to donation of two hundred and
orty thousand [24O, ,0OO] acres Of land. 1t is
most munifcent donation, and for most
worthy purpose 1t is of great Importance
hat immediate action be had by you touch
ng this grant By taking such action the
State can secure the entire amount of the
ands within her own limits, and consequently
control their management and disposition
should action in this matter be postponed
lntil the next regular session other States may
elect their lands within the limits of this
state, and manage and dispose of them in a
very undesirable to us. recommend
he subject to your careful consideration.
The regiments we have sent and are send
ng to the field contain very large portion of
,ur population required by law to perform
abor on the Highways. Only those between
he ages of twenty one and forty-five years
ire now required to perform such labor. Yet
,ur highways must be kept in repair, and we
AN only supply the deficiency of labor Great
ii by enlistments by requiring labor from
hose now exempt I therefore recommend
hat the law be so amended that all able
bodied male residents of the State between
the ages of eighteen and sixty be made liable
TO perform labor on our highways.
It is of the highest Importance that the nu-
ncrical strength Of the regiments from this
State be maintained in the field. Many ofour
Old regiments have been much reduced in
numbers, and thus the expense of maintain
ing them, in proportion to their. number, is.
much increased while their efficiency is
much diminished. Our new regiments will
90 out full, and the old ones will soon be fill
ed, but in a short time their numbers will be
aeain reduced. To remedy this evil, recon-
mend that, with the approval Of the proper
Federal authorities, a Camp Of instruction be
established at some suitable point in this
State, sufficient to accommodate one thousand
men-that the several counties be required
to furnish their equitable proportion of that
number of men to place in camp under in
structionAthat when men are needed to fiji
the ranks of any OF our regiments, acquisitions
be made for the proper number which shall
be filled as nearly as may be from the men IN
camp, from the counties in which the compa-
nies composing the regiment were organized,
and their places in camp Immediately be sup
piled by new men from the same counties
This is entirely lust to all the counties will