The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-04-07
Iowa Legislature.
Dies Mo1NEs, March 81, 1864.


The session having closed, presume THU
correspondence will herewith also close.
l desire, however, to explain an act Of the
recent Legislature which may be . matter
Of considerable inquiry in many parts Of the
State. refer to the purchase Of the Cap
itol building-that is, the building hereto
fore used in this city As the Capitol.
In 1855. company was organized in
this city. known A. tho Capitol Association
the object of which was to erect building
in this city which would be used nv the
State. after the location Of the Capitol her..
for the purposes ola Oaqitol. This A's'ci-
alton borrowed from James D. Eads. Of the
School Fund. the sum Of $40 900, giving, a.
security therefor. mortgages on some city
lots. both vacant and iunroved. The
building Vas erected, and rented to the
State at the nominal sam af 81 90 per an.
nun. In the crash Of 1857. the property
mortgs sed to the State became almost worth.
less. The question presented to the Leeis.
lature WAS purely financial one--s quss-
ton Of dollars and cents.
The settlement and compromise secure to
the State the Capito, building. ever eight
hundred acres Of land in Warren county,
and some eighty in Polk. besides var;ous
ots in the CITY. the whole estimated ut
$40 900. Had the State declined the adj
justment and noceeded to foreclose and
collect, it Is doubtful, whether one.half this
amount could have bean realized, ~ the
company ia hopslessly insolvent. - we'll in.
dividually ~ collectively. The nine hun
bred acres secured to the State was not
mortgaged, and is given to the State ~ IN
inducement to compromise. And now.
this perplexing question is settlsd, and ~
moved from the halls ofleeislstlon, and. in
my opinion. tire State is the gamer, 6nan.
cially. know that future General Assem-.
bliss should thank this one for disposing o.
the subject. a,
One other act Of the Legislature I alst
wish to refer to. II was charged that the
recent General Assembly was unfriendly Ia
country newspapers. am willing to al.
NIT that, in the defeat Of one or two bills
the House, at least. subjected itself to the
charge Of unfriendliness to the country
press. vet. in the passage OF one aos, " exon
Grated and redeemed itssM. The price a.
lowed by law for publishing tho delinquent
80 l;.a, :. At present only ten cents DC
scri2tion, and there Is now no law govern
ing tho price far othsr'legal advertisements
The law just passed increases the pay t.
twenty cents . description. and fixes tn
price of legal sdvertising at one dollar To-
the first, and City cents for each subsequen
insertion.
The great failure Of this General Assem-
bly Was in not efecting settlement, fins
permanent settlement, Of the title difficulties
in the Des Noines VALLEY. These trouble.
and doubts have retarded the advancement
Of this valley more than oil the financial re-
wilson's and civil wars the country has eve.
seen. There is no valley in the great Wes
which presents greater inducements to 10
Element than this one. and vet the title +
half the land above the Raccoon Fork is il
controversy, either between the Des Nome
Navigation Company and the railroads, o
between the railroads and the settlers; and
consequently, thousands Of bread and beau
tiful acres remain vacant and unproductive
The session closed at o'clock in thu
morning, Tuesday, goth, and the member
are now, many Of them, at their distan
homes. The parting was exceedingly 81
fecting. Many Of the members gave fro
vent to their feelings in copious foods o
tears, whilst others left their Halls singinI
the "Battle Cry Of Freedom" Every lars
} word had been forgotten, and Heaven
J CHOICEST blessings invoked in behalf Of oil.
! D l..
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