Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-04-12
Iowa Legislature.

Jouih oii luSSooy ehS ou ihSt' Avn
important bills failed to pass-one reg
ulating railroad tariffs. and the other
for registry law.
The School system has received a
blow from which it will probably be
unable to recover. The enemies of
the township system have at length
got in it an entering wedge, which
when another session of the Legisla-
ture comes round, will enable them
effectually to destroy it. The law has
been amended SO as to enable all sub
districts of two hundred Inhabitants
to establish independent districts.
This will cause bitter wranglings and
neighborhood quarrels, in regard to
schoolhouse property, and in the end
close many Of the schools in the feeble
districts.
The bill to levy 3-S mill tax for the
benefit of the Orphans Home has pass
ed. There is provision Incorporated
into this bill, allowing counties to levy
an additional J mill tax for the orphans
that stay at home. Thus we are COM
PEELED to support such of our orphans
as remain in the county, AMI support
the State institution also. Mr.. Gay.
lords bill was more equitable.
The House passed dog law, but
the Senators looked on it with suspi-
cion, fearful of future, and dared not
pass it. All right. IF farmers prefer
to have their sheep killed by dogs, they
should have that privilege.
The following are the Bank Commits
sioners elected Philip Veile, VIM.
Bickford and Thomas A. Graham
The last named received 65 votes each
and the President declared them duly
elected
The Trustees elect of the Agricultu-
raj College are j. w. Williams, j. f.
Wright, B. o. Stephenson, j. c. Casey,
j. l.. Brooks, I. Amman, A. +. Thomp-
son, John Russell, Peter Melendy, John
CARRIER, B. f. Cue and r. w. Hum
phrey, being one from each Judicial
District Mr.. Humphrey will undoubt.
edly be interested in perusing an arti-
Gle in this paper headed "The Agricul-
tural College," Mr.. Finkbine, there al
luded to, is an architect and builder,
and his report may be relied upon.
"Old John Brown" there spoken of,
is the longtime secretary of the Des
Moines River Improvement Company
and that is recommendation enough for
him.
| The bill locating the Deaf and Dumb
asylum at Council Bluffs was passed
The committee on investigation O
the Emigrant Company fraud reported
The amount of the fraud is estimated
at 100000.
The bill providing for the publica
ton of laws and proceedings of Boards
of Supervisors in county newspapers
! and the bill relating to the lands o
: minors or insane persons sold for tax
d es, were amended and passed TIL
. House Constitutional amendment wa
read and adopted. Bills were passed
refunding to the Cd and Sd Iowa In
fantry money expended for clothing
granting lands to the Sioux City ant
St. Paul Railroad Company the Nc
Gregor Railroad bill the Arsenal bill
to amend the law relative to deeds OF
trust apportioning the State into Rep.
resentative districts to enlarge the
rights of married women to retire
the circulation of State Bank money
explanatory of the law relative to the
loaning of the school fund the law
relative to mill-dams; to change the
manner of choosing Township Trus-
tees to admit idiots and imbecile per-
sons to the Insane asylum, &c.
The discussion of the report of the
committee on the swamp land fund de-
falcation created much excitement.
The houses were crowded with specta-
tors, and the majority and minority re-
ports were ably defended.
The majority report reflects gener-
ally upon r. e. Orwig, the late Gov
ernor's private secretary. The minori-
ty report admits that the majority re-
port is in the main correct, but that
the responsibility for the defalcation
does not rest solely with Mr.. Orwig,
and seeks to implicate the Governor
and Treasurer.
Senator Richards, in defense of the
minority report, declared that the sim
pie Secretary of the Governor should
not be the scape-goat upon whom the
burden of all these malpractices should
rest. The testimony Of the Governor
that for twenty long months no re-
cord Of his official acts was kept in
the Executive Office, was positive, in
dubitable proof of gross negligence on
the part of that official. The fact that
this obscure individual, this mere aman-
uensis, was allowed, without RESPONSE
bility, without establishment of char
acter and without bonds, to thus loose
ly, and at his own discretion, handle
and expend the State treasure, was a
powerful argument towards proving
this criminal neglect on the part of the
Executive. The burden of the Sena-
tors argument, however, was to estab-
lish malpractice on the part of the
fiscal agent of the State. He said this
officer had, by his own testimony,
sworn to taking $39, 900 of the peoples
money, putting it into his pocket. and
for months making no account of the
same officially. He also acknowledges
to have softly received $3.50 as the