Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-21
tho GoyernOr and PerkIns.


Pr We charged the Herald with deliberate
faIsehood in its Statement that the lass I
Legislature increased the Governor
salary to- IS 600 Ii admits the truth
of our charge, and states that the sala-
ry 10 but $1,000 1t asserts that that
sum is allowed by wicked Republican
legislation" but as the salary was fixed
by the Democratic Legislature of 1859,
we shall not dispute the wicked : part /
of the assertion. So much for the salary +
question. But the Herald now says |
that the Governor is paid an allowance |
for house rent in addition to his salary. |
This is correct, and if it had stated the |
truth in the outset, instead of being
driven to do so, il would have been more
to its credit.
Does our neighbor claim that, while
all other Governors have been provided
with residence and its proper furniture,
by the State, that Governor Morton
| should go without or rent one at his own
| expense? Is the actual value of his
| salary so much greater, or his labor and
| duties so much less than those performed
nv his predecessors, that such diserim-
| ination should be made against him 2
The Governors house had become so di.
lapidated that it was utterly unfit for oc-
cupancy, and for that reason, and because
the demands for business property en-
abIed the ground upon which it was
situated to be disposed Of at a high price,
the Legislature directed it to be sold,
and suitable house to be built or pur-
chased for the use of the Governor and
his successors in office; and that, until
such house should be provided for the use
cf the Executive, the Commissioners to
whom that duty was assigned, we're d.
rected to allow him a sum equal to the
rent Of such house, not exceeding the
sum of IS 900 per annum. Whenever
the State shall provide residence, this
allowance ceases. The late residence
of the Governor was sold for $4l 900
and upwards, and the State Treasury is
the gamer to that extent The interest
on that sum, with the amounts annually
required to keep up repairs on the old
house and to replenish furniture, are
more than equivalent to the highest sum
authorized to be paid to the Governor
in lieu Of house rent; so that there has
been no increased draft on the treasury
by the wicked Republican legislation .
Of which the Herald speaks. And we
now say to it, that If it is anxious to go
further into this subject, it can be ac-
commodated We can show that not
only was residence furnished to pre-
ceding Governors, but that in
the case of one Democratic Gov
ernor, at least, his bills for pro.
visions, wood, gas, and other eypendi-
lures that we will not now mention, were
charged to and paid by the State, in adj
dition to his salary. Another fact that
perhaps has escaped the critical observa.
ton of the Herald is this, that the "wick-
ed" Republican Legislature of which
it speaks, were called upon by Aqulla
Jones, formerly Treasurer of State, to
make an appropriation of $500, on
account of an over payment of salary to
Governor Willard, which he would other
wise be compelled to lose. That Legis-
lature made the appropriation, but if it
had been governed by the mean, parti-
zan prejudices that control the Herald,
it would have said to Mr. Jones that he
had no business to pay money out of the
Treasury until it was due. and that,
having taken the responsibility to do 30,
he must bear the loss .asia go
B If the Herald provokes further remark
on this subject, it may also become worth
while to look into the perquisites receiv-
ed by the Supreme Court while its editor
was the shining light of that august tri-
bunal. And there are other placers of
the same kind that can be proftably
worked in showing up the prodigal ex-
penditures of public money under Demo
cratic rule.--Isd. Journal 1a