Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-09-12
SPECIAL MESSAGE
GOV. HARDWOOD.
Executive OFFICE, Iowa, |
September 3rd, 1S6o.

I
September 3rd, 1S6e. (
You have been convened in extraordinary
session to consider some questions vitality af
fecting the public welfare, which in my
judgment require your immediate action.
When you closed your last regular session,
the belief prevailed very generally that the
strength of the rebellion against the General
Government had been broken, and your leg
islation upon some questions of great public
interest was controlled by the belief. The
lapse Of time has shown that belief to be cr
roneous, and a change Of legislation on those
questions has therefore become necessary.
The provision made for our sick and wound
ed soldiers, and for their return to their
homes on furlough, will, under existing cir
cumstances. prove wholly inadequate. The
largely increased number OF our soldiers that
will be shortly in the field, and the great
length Of time they will be exposed to the
danger Of disease and the casualties of battle,
will render absolutely necessary large in
crease Of the fund provided for their care and
comfort. The extraordinary expenses OF my
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
increase of the contingent fund for extraor-
binary expenses Of this office, as will be SUI.
ficient to enable me to do for the gallant men
who so molly represent our State in the army
of tho Union, when suffering from wounds
and disease, that which every loyal heart SO
anxiously desires should be done, and also to
enable me to carry on successfully the many
new and arduous abors imposed upon this
Office, in promptly responding to all the de-
mands made upon the State for the support
Of the Government.
The laboIs Of the office Of the Adjutant
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 soon have in the field nearly
or quite fifty thousand men, and the interest
and welfare of our soldiers and their friends
require that the records Of that Office should
be fully and carefully kept. The Adjutant
General now discharges in addition to the
proper duties of his Office, the duties Of Quar-
termaster General and Paymaster General
1t is in my judgement impossible for one Off
Ger properly to supcrintend the labor Of these
three Departments. The amount Of labor
and attention required is more than one per-
son can give, and the necessary work cannot
be so promptly done, OF so well done, as if
there was proper division of labor. re-
commend that should be authorized to APP
point an Assistant Adjutant General, who
shall act as Paymaster General. a Quarter
master General can be appointed under the
existing law, and then the duties now i'm
posed upon tho Adjutant General can be so
divided and arranged, as in my judgment
greatly to benefit the public service.
In my Judgment the compensation Of the
Adjutant General is not adequate either to
the labor or the responsibility of his position,
and recommend an addition thereto, either
by allowing him contingent fund for his
travelling expenses, or by an increase of his
salary.
Congress has provided by law an allot
ment system by which our soldiers can set
aside portion of their monthly pay, and
have the same paid at their homes to such
persons as they may designate without risk
or expense. The benefits of this system are
obvious and great. Commissioners have
been appointed by the President under the
law, but the compensation of these CommiS
sioners must be paid by the State, and as NO
Appropriation has been made for that pur-
pose, our soldiers and their friends have not
as yet enjoyed the benefits of the system
One of the Commissioners is now engaged
in procuring the alletments Of our new reg
iments before they leave the State, and ear
nestly recommend such appropriation as will
secure the advantages of this system to ali
our soldiers. ... .........
Since your adjournment Congress has pass
ed a law donating public lands to the several
States and Territories which may provide
Colleges for the benefit Of Agriculture and
the Mechanic Arts. Under this law this
State is entitled to a donation of two hundred
and forty thousand $40, 000l acres of land.
1t is a most munificent donation, and for
NEST worthy purpose. 1t is Of great impor-
lance that immediate action be had by you
touching this grant. BY taking such action
the State can secure the entire amount Of the
lands within her own limits, and consequent
ly control their management and disposition.
Should action in this matter be postponed
until the next regular session, other States
may select their lands within the limits Of
this State, and manage and dispose Of them
in a manner very undesirable to us. re-
commend the subject to your careful consid-
Grafton. ..... .... ..
The regiments we have sent and are send
ing to the field contain very large portion
of our population required by law to perform
labor on the highways. Only these between
the ages Of twenty -one and forty Ave are now
required 10 perform such labor. Yet our
highways must be kept in repair, and we can
only supply the deficiency of labor created
by enlistments, by requiring labor from those
now exempt / therefore recommend that
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 per-
form labor on our highways. .a .u
1t is of the highest importance that the
numerical strength of the regiments from this
State be maintained in the field. Many Of
our old regiments have been much reduced
in numbers and thus the expense of main
tanning 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 sooE be fill.
ed, but in short time their numbers will be
again reduced. To remedy this evil, re-
commend that, with the approval of the
proper Federal authorities, camp Of In
struction 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 proper
ton of that number of men to place in camp