The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-01-16
GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
GentLcrser. Of the Sf~dte
ord knf4Sc of RenrcS nHf ntiilfa

ara happy 10 pe aEie 10 congratulate
you upon the prosperity OF our state. Du
ring mo last two years our people have en-
ioyed Their usual good health and have Sc
cured reasonably abundant harvests. La
Dor has been we'll rewarded, and the pro
ducts % tae labor s1avc brought remuEer
alive prices. The educational interests 0
the State are as prosperous as ever; stnt
peace and good order within our borders
although on one or two occasions some
what lnpesiled, have been maintained.
Let rs render thanks 10 Gcd for these
blessings Souchafses Us durlag the exist
ence Of S. desolatiDg war, .h.st mas *
scourgeA large portion Of our ialid-
FINANCES.
Ou- STATE fu:tnces have never before beei
IN Il u.o.e healthy condition. Our entift
State deb. is only s622 2y5 IS. consisting o
loan from the school Fund Sl22, Ito 10; ioal
Of lsss 500. 900, and var loan OF 1861 $500,
600. q. The SSU0, 900 war bonds authorized
to be sold, $500, 900 remain on hand-nont
have teen offered since the SSoo,0o0 Weri
sold /, and it is believed no further sa.tc
will Do necessary
the ,srort Of the State Auditor show
that tie moneys now in the Treasury. the
delinaue41 taxes, the amount estimated IL
be due from the United States. ana the tax
es for 1855 and 1864, are sufficient 10 pay
the estimated expenditures for the neNt TWO
years, the outstanding Warrants on the
Treasury, ana our entire State dcp'' isav
ing a balance III favor OF Tie treasury %
about $4,000.
Provision, should be made for the re-
demption of the bonds issued III 1898 ana
$751; as they fail due. | recommend that
suffic Gent sum be set aside, annually. Tor
this purpose, and invested, with Its accu-
nulatjons in United state, or other good
STOCKS. hi my Judgment, the amount due
the Sgaocl Fund should be permitted ~
~eTr9,, Is 4 permanent debt OF the state
The state Is trustee of this tullti and liable
for Al losses thereto; and there can be no
safer mode OF investing this amount oi me
fund tn.n the present
Tn reoort ot the Auditor sill shows u
large an.ou,., OF ,ielin4uent taxes. SO ihuch
uf ;h.s - is due .spon real estate VIII ~ a.
ral(v pat, /: bt.t ii is thought. very c9a-
s;dera BE PORTION of the delinquency - que
upon personal property, by petsods no,
owning ally real estate, ihteh VI ii'sii " ia
he lest.
Ifnaer cur revenue law real estate Is as
.essed bjeunially, aud personal property
,pni,ally The assessments are niaue be-
twpeJ tie lst of January and the lst o.
Apr The levy is made III september, and
the taxes become delinquent on the ist o.
February of the next year. II thus hap
oeus .hal persons may bring into the State
Tor sale OF may buy within tho State, large
amoaa.s Of personal property, which are
assessed. to them for taxation; may keep
and use the same, within The state, more
than 1. year, and finally dispose OF II before |
the tGS becomes delinquent; and Il such
pcrso3s 10 not own real estate i'll TIE sainc !
COUNTY m which TIE personal property mas |
assessed, there is no means OF competing
the pay aIens OF the take, due. This defect |
in the law sLo;.ld he ren.ediuG ii Justice to |
the State, and TO tie owners OF reat estate, I
who aiready bear their .ul. share 81 the
pubi-a burdens.
renew the following recommendations.
made .y me to The Ninth General Assem- |
bly,
ssIn order 10 make the revenue CT the |
State moro certain, | recommend that the |
County ITeaSurcrs be required BY law to
pay 81, State Treasurer, 1t fixed times Ger
tam proportions OF .he amount OF revenue
due IL the State, until the entire sun, for
each year is paid, whether the County |
Treas arers have received the entire amount
OF Stale tax or not. At present the State is
wholly helpless a, to its revenue. 1t has |
to eierend wholly upon the officers of the |
Counties for its collection and transmits !
sion, and if the County officers are ineifi |
Client, the State is remediless. Each coun-
ty IS now liable by law TO the State for the
amour o. State tax assessed in it, but this !
liability, without any means of making il
effective. is useless. Ii the counties we're
required to pay the revenue due to the
State, whether collected or not, then the
County Supervisors would be
stimulated to require of the Treasurer a
strict performance of his duties and If, in
addition, you should so change the present
law as TO give County Treasurers in lieu of
salary, q per centum on the amount Of
money collected and diSbursed, or provide |
for township collectors, to be paid III the
same Way, our taxes would, i'll my opin
ION, be more punctually paid.
Il also recommend that it be made the |
I,,ay IF tho Rnarl nf Suparyisors .,f nari, |
county TO employ a competent accountant,
once in each year, to examine the accounts |
of each county officer, and state on account |
between each officer and his county, and |
between officer and officer; and also that
County TreaSurers, and all other persons |
who receive public moneys, be prohibited, |
under severe penalties, from using them |
in any way, or placing them with others TO
be used, for their private benefit
There is due this State, from the United |
States, for expenses incurred by the State
Ill raising and eiuipping troops, and |
sending them to the field, aud for other
purposes growing out of the rebellion, the
nGeh difficulty III procuring an adjust
ment 81 This claim ut Washington. When !
these moneys were expended by the State
there Vas 10 law OF Congress, or rcgula-
tioIl =. ne Federal Government. presc1ib-
ins ~ orii IA which proof ofthe expendi- |
al
Assem- Oily Of this State provided, by law.
for such proofs and vouchers as it deemed |
sufficient, both for the protection of the
State and the United States. Upon prosen
ta.4.n Of these proofs and vouchers, to tho
proper Department al Washington, they
are found not TO comply, ia form. with |
regulations since adopted by that depart
ment; and it is doubtful whether tney viii I
he allowed without some legislation hv
Congress. Some portions of these expen-
ditures, thus made, are also objected to AS |
not coming within the letter of cxistinn
laws Of the United States. Among these
are thesums paid by the State for the sub
sistence and pay of the troops that went
from this State to Missouri, at the request
Of the United States officers, under the
command Of Colonies Edwards and Nor
ledge.
There is, also, an unsettled claim against
the United States, for expenditures by the
State, for the protection Of our people du-
ring the two winters following the massa-
ere on our Northwestern frontier, by Ink
pa-du-tah and his band. The United
States arc also in my judgement, justly
liable for the amounts expended by this
Sfotn in jnrv