Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-01-22

inard revenue warrants as presented. This
'as done to the. amount Of about $3.50 900,
nd thereby considerable amount of inter
st was saved to thqState As some doubt
xists as to the strie0 legality Of this course,
he matter is laid before you that you may
AXE such action as may be necessary. II
he amount due from the United States gould
,e recovered, it would probably be sufficient
o reimburse the revenue fund and redeem
II outstanding warrants and claims on the
War and Defense Fund.
In my judgment, all real estate should be
carried on the tax books in the name of the
rue owners and this result can be effected
With very little labor and expense, by requir
ng the Treasurers to furnish the Assessors
with complete lists Of names Of all real es.
tate owners, as shown by the last tax books;
10 correct the names enormously entered,
whenever such error is shown upon the pay
ment of taxes, and by requiring all deeds to
be presented to the Treasurer for the trans
fer Of the real estate therein described to the
new owner, before the same can be recorded.
| recommend the enactment Of law for
the new national currency, and 4
Of the present law for receiving
both may be available in payment Of taxes.
As the law now stands, the notes Of said
branches cannot, legally, be received after any
one of them shall have suspended specie pay
ment. A change Of the law so as to author
ize the receipt of these notes, SO long as they
shall be redeemed in legal tender notes Of the
United States, would in my judgment, be
wise and proper.
cannot leave this subject without special
mention Of the Board of Auditing Commits
sioncrs. am well satisfied, that to their
faithful and impartial discharge Of their du-
ties, the State is largely indebted for its pro-
lection against improper claims, and conse-
quently, for its healthy financial condition.
TIE SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY FUNDS.
The situation of these funds demands your
earnest attention. You are their guardians
and custodians. Upon their management de-
pends, to great degree, the educational in
terests Of the State; and upon the proper
education of our youth depends tho welfare
and safety Of our Government.
cannot approve the system by which
these funds are now managed. The princi.
pal received by the State in cash, has been
distributed among the counties, to be loaned
to individuals by certain county officials a,
one time by the School Fund Commissioners
at another by the County Judges, and now
by the County Clerk, subjected to limited
control by the Board Of Supervisors. Would
any of you having large amount of money
to lend, lend it through those agencess Il
not, is il right to do SO with the public mon
ey? Is it not right and proper that you
should do in regard to these funds just wha
you would were they your own private prop
ty? The present system is, in my judgment
a bad one, for two reasons. In tho frs
place, it must happen in many cases that thu
County Clerk is not fitted, by previous bust
ness training, to make safe and judicious in
vestments; especially he may not have th'
necessary legal knowledge to enable him t
determine accurately the sufficency Of tn,
title to real estate offered as security for
loan. In the second place the money ma,
be used to promote personal or political OBJ
jects. A corrupt Clerk will use, and an hon
est but weak one will be sorely tempted 4
use his power to lend these moneys to secur
his own political interest or that of his part,
friends The system, in my opinion, i
wrong in theory, and that it Is unsafe in prac
tice is clearly shown by the large amount o
insufficiently secured principal and delin
auent interest. therefore earnestly recon-
mend that the lending Of any portion of tn
principal of said funds, as heretofore, b
prohibited, and the enactment Of law tina
will require the investment, by the Treasure
| of State, of such principal, as the same ma
| be paid in, in stocks of the United States, 0
of this State. ....
In this connection request your specic
attention to the Report Of the Auditor O
State on this subject.
| SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY LANDS.
The School Lands consists of the i've hur
dred thousand acres grant, and the sixteent
Section. Large quantities Of these Land
have from time to time been sold by count
officers, authorized by law to make such sale!
These sales have been generally made upo
time, the purchaser paying in hand porto
Of the purchase money, and taking cor
tract emitting him to patent from the Stat
upon the payment of the balance with ann,
al interest. Many of these sales were mad
at high prices, before the monetary revulsio
of 1857, and many of the purchasers hay
since the revulsion, failed to pay either th
principal or interest Portions Of the land
have thus become forfeited to the State f
non payment of the purchase money, an
have been re-sold to other parties. But thel
is no sufficient provision Of the law requirin
such forfeitures and resale to be reported
any State officer, and the result is that it
now impossible to ascertain, from any recor
at the Capitol, the number of acres or tt
) particular description Of the several parce
of the School Lands yet unsod.
The condition Of affairs should not be pc
mitted to continue. and recommend the el
actment of such laws as will remove the di
ficulty.
The Saline Lands and Funds are now
part of the Permanent Fund" of the Sta
University. call your attention to tn
part of the Report Of the Register of II
, State Land Office which shows the necessit
for further legislation in regard to the ms
rance Of Certificates of full payment f
! the portion Of these lands already sold, ar
recommend that the Treasurer of the Un
yersty be authorized to issue such ceIti
Gates, and that the power to sell the unso
portion Of the lands be vested in the Tru
tees.
In many cases School Lands were SO
, prior to 1857, at such high prices that aft
, that date, they were not worth the amoul
due on them. The purchasers have ceas'
: to pay either principal or interest. su
; gest the inquiry, whether it would not be w
to provide for the surrender of these Ian,
! to the State, the purchaser being reliev,
; from further liability, by forfeiting paymen
. already made, without resort to legal pr
.. ceedinss.
call your particular attention to the Fl
and able report Of the Register Of the Sta
. Land Office. 1t contains much valuable ]
: formation touching the various land gran
made to the State, and suggest several poin
: upon which further legislation is needed.
THE SOC, 900 ACRES GRANT.
ii As have elsewhere stated, it is not pos
S BILE to ascertain, in any Office here, I
!. amount or the description Of the various pa
: GELS of the land yet unsold by the State
The records Of the Register show the amou
I that has been patented to purchasers, but