Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-01-23

jails and has also witnessed their comparative
happiness and comfort, and knows the pros
pect for their restoration in the Asylum, Wi
insist that the most terrible diseases shall m
LONGER be treated as crime, and that the Stat
shall do her duty by providing and caring 10
these, the most helpless and most unfortunat
OF her people. An abundant and unfaii,n
supply Of water is absolutely essential to q!
successful operation of an institution OF TN
Kind A reliance for such supply upon cistern
and common wells would be uncertain "ns
unsafe. and as these were the only resource
heretofore provided, the trustees and Commis
sioners in order to remove the difficulty, nav
undertaken the digging of an Artesian wen
The details of the work for this purpose thu
far will be found in the reports, and recon-
mend that sufficient appropriation oe maue
complete il or TO show its impractlcaoihty.
also recommend that the law requiring u =,
several counties of the State to pay Tor II
sunnort of their own Pauper Insane be
changed as to require such payment TO
made in advance. In this way only Will sue
rayment be prompt and reliable, and Q
state he relieved practically from the burtn
of supporting the institution. i cannot p
ceive the necessity for the two Boards Dent
tees and Commissioners. Either OF tthd by
can easily perform in addition " authori-
duties. the duties of the otheronsidcrable
the consolidation possible CO.
ty would be avoided, ascclamation of fr-
expense. indefinite as to the
The law in regarhaid to agents of this
gitives from ieuch fugitives, and as to
amount of &c duty of the Census Board to
State, wbnses in all cases. 1t is desirable
whetbnnccrtainty on these points should
pay we'd.
t,ficulturc is, and for many wears must
ntnue to be the leading interest in our
State, and any fair and legitimate aid that can
he given thereto, will tend to promote the
public good. With this object the State has
for some years paid considerable sums yearly
to Agricultural Societies of the State and coun-
ties. Whether the benefits that have resulted
from the expenditure will justify its continu-
ance during our present difficulties and embar-
rassmcnt. You must determine. This great in
terest of our State may in my Judgment I've
aided by legislation in new direction. Hith
erto orr great staples for export have been
wheat, corn cattle and hogs. The prices paid
for the transportation of these articles to New
York form large portion of their value at
that point. Indeed, wheat and corn will not
bear transportation to that market during the
season when the navigation of the lakes is
closed. Experience has, think conclusively
shown that our State is admirably adapted to
sheep-grazing, and the value of wool in pro-
portion to its bulk and weight is much greater,
and the price of its transportation to New
York in proportion TO its value, much less
than that of our present staples.
A great drawback upon the growing of
wool is that large numbers of sheep are annu-
ally killed by dogs / therefore recommend
l. - 4
and that the proceeds Of the tax be applied to
paying to owners Of sheep killed by dogs, the |
value of the sheep thus killed. l would ex-
enpt from taxation for period of five years
all sheep not exceeding fifty, owned by any |
resident of the State, ard would also exempt |
from taxation for the same time all capital in
vested in the State in the manufacture of
wooden goods.
am well satisfied that the cultivation of
fax can be successfully and profitably intro
duced in our State. 1t is valuable not only
for the seed, but for the lint, which under a
new process is converted into what is called
Flax Cotton. am well assured that before
the commencement of the rebellion a remuner-
alive price could be paid in our State for the
flax straw which has heretofore been an entire
loss to the farmer, the fibre separated from the
wood and the tow transported to Boston and
mar IfactuTed into Flax Cotton. which could
cotton of the Southern States. In order to
stimulate our people to examine the question
carefully, and if possible introduce among US |
a new and profitable branch of industry. re- |
commend that all capital invested in the man
ufacture Of linseed oil or the conversion of flax
straw into flax cotton, be exempted from taxa
tion for five years.
IL our industry were more diversified, we
would suffer less from fluctuations of prices Of
particular articles, ard if, Us necessity requires
and opportunity offers, we become manufac-
turers as well as producers, we will increase
onr wealth and independence.
The report of the Secretary Of the Agricul-
tural College shows the action of the Board Of
Trustees since your last session. ] would
iladly recommend liberal appropriations for
the erection of the necessary college and other
buildings, If the condition of our finances
would allow, but cannot now do so. The
farm and buildings are in such condition that
failure to make appropriations will not
necessarily work any injury to them. The
only unfavorable result will be delay, and to
that we must submit until our national diff
culties are removed. / heartily approve of
the policy adopted by the trustees of reserving
the lands donated 10y the State and by individ-
uals and the bonds of Story county to endow
the institution, trusting TO the libcrility Of
the State and of individuals in more prosper
Gus times for the erection of the necessary
buildings.
The Report of the Register of the State |
Land Office shows the condition of the various |
grants of Land made by the Congress of the |
United States TO this State.
Very serious and embarrassing questions |
have arisen from the conflicting interests and
claims Of some of the Land Grant Railroad |
Companies and the Dcs Moines Navigation and |
Eailroad Company There have been much |
yacillation and conflict of opinion and action |
among tie heads of the Department of the |
Nation in regard to the extent of the Des |
Moines River Land Grant That Grant has |
I'een held by one Secretary to extend only to
the forks of the River at Dcs Moines City by |
another to the sources of the River in Mime |
sota, and by another to extend only to the
North boundary of our State. One or more |
IF the Secretaries certified to the State as part |
of this Grant large bodies of land lying above |
the forks of the River within the limits Of this |
State, AMI the State subsequently sold and
conveyed many of these lands to individuals.
Afterward the State contracted with the Des
Moines Navigation and Railroad Company to /
prosecute the work of improving the Des
Moines River, agreeing to convey to said Com
pany the title of the State to portions Of the |
land SO certified to the State for that purpose |
as rapidly as the work progressed. Under this
arrangement the title of the State to many of
these lands was conveyed to the Des Moines
Navigation and Railroad Company. Suisse
qnently by settlement with the Dies Moincs
Navigation and Railroad Company the State
conveyed to said Company the title of the
State to the remainder of the lands which had
been certified to the State by the Secretary of
the Interior, and at the same time conveyed
to the Keokuk, Fl Des Moines and Minnesota
Railroad Company its title to all the lands of
said grant which had not been certified to the
State by the Secretary of the Interior, except
fifty thousand acres reserved for certain pur
poses. The Dcs Moines Navigation and Rail-
road Company have conveyed to individuals
large bodies of the lands thus conveyed to
them The lines of three of the Land Grant
Rail Roads, Ghe Dubuque & Sioux City, the
Cedar Rapids s Missouri and the Mississippi
a. Missouri, cross the Des Moincs River above
It's forks and hence arises q cnfict lefMeen