Daily Davenport Democrat., 1866-01-09

SrArs OF Iowa, ExscUrivs Osstcs,
Dxs Mosnss, January Sth, lees. !


0ea.ismen of tie Ssaats and Hsuse Of R4-
rsssnt0ti yes:
Al the choser representatives Of the -
ple. YOU are convened in obedience 70 ths
rsouiremsnts Of The Constitution, to dis
charge the important duties which devSlve
upon The legislative branch Of the State
l;ovsrnment, and l heartily congratulate
YOU upon The encouraging auspices under
which we meet. From conditi0n Of disas
tsoas and protsaeted var, existing at the
closs Of your last session, the country has
tsiuophantly passed to period Of repsee,
which, through wise counseis and the eoa
tiussd blsss,ng Of Providence, ws fondly
hops usy become perpstual.
In communicating 70 you the condition
Of the State, - required BY the Constitu
on, I desm It exped,ent for your intorsna
ton 20 present, in connection with the
financial statement, an exhibit Of our mill
tasy expenditures from the beginning Of the
var 70 the present time. And msy be
allowed To antlcips this exhibit ~ith the
remark that, considering the sparseness of
our settlements, the absence Of steamboat
and railroad facilities, largely supplied ~
wagon transportation. and that in proper
tion to our population, We have furnished
larger number Of troops than any other
State, promptly filing oil our quotas, our
rsco,d d presents through the entire period
On economy Of expenditure equalled By no
other State in the Union.
There was expended for military purposes
from
Nuy 4 issl TO Nov. :. 1868 ..... :. 6sy. i6s Is
Nov >, 1863, to Nov. 4 is5. ............ lSe3si "
Nov. 4, lo66, to JAN l, 15GG ........... A.Uss u
TLe-s dates express tho periods within
which the above sums were paid, bas not
when they were actually incurred. The
amount incurred from Jan. "a, 1854. 70
Jan l, 1866, is <I4,Yjl 81. Total military
expenditures Tor all pu, poses up to January
/, 1856, are { ,O46.7.5 ".
Il will be observed chat most Of these ex
prnditurcs were inc",red during the period
beginning with the war. aud closing with
the fiscal year 1863. This was Cat sed by
our being compelled. in order to fac ltAts
the military operations Of the General Gov
ernrnent, 10 deirsy large portion Of the
expenses incurred in enlisting, Transporting,
subsisting. quartering aud paying the Vol
unteer force, organized in this State. The
sums thus expended were regarded merely
a. money advanced 70 the United States,
fYr which, under the Acts Of Congress sp-
proved respectively July 18th aud 9Th,
1861. We are entitled 10 reimbursement.
Although We have filled four sevcrL
requisitions Of the President for troops. and
organized four regiments aud one battalion
during the last two years, yet the entire
cost t0 the State v II not exceed one thou
sand dolIs,x. While was anxious Il 1t our
State should pro,nptly discharge its entire
duty in contributing 10 the national defense
in the way Of furnishing men, refused to
defray the expense involved in recruiting
and forwarding our quotas from the State
Treasury and accordingly the expendit-
ures thus made, were paid by disbursing
OH .crs assigned by the War Department
The residue IT the expenditure Of these two
years vas incurred in organising slhe, State
Militia, under Acl 0f the General Assembly
approved March IS. 1864, transt osline arms
and ammunition, expense Of the Adjutant
Generals Office, detail Of ,nen for protecting
Southern border counties from threatened
,aidy in tue fall or 1864, and the winter Of
1916, and for all other military purposes,
except the Sonitary Department.
CLANS AGAINST THE uNlrsD STATES.
desire in this connestion, as briefly az
can, u present the condition Of our claims
against the United States tor reimburse
ment under the Acts of Congress abvye re
ferrcd tO. The sums embraced in these
claims were mostly expended during he
first and second years Of the war from the
War aud Defense Fund appropriated BY Act
Of the Special Session, May 1861. The history
Of our military Transactions during this pe
riod IS too well known to the members of
y our honorable body to require explanation
here. The evidence is perfectly clear that
these clalns are for money unavoidably cx
pended for legitina military purposes
ANA also that they were allowed, audited
| ard paid By the accounting and dis5ursing
| officers Of the State, in strict conformity
with the laws Of the General Assembly,
Upon this point there has never been any
room Tor cont roversy, ~ the accounting Of
licers OF the United States Treasury freely
conc-de. But the real difficulty between us
arises from the feet. that after large share
Of these claims had ben paid by the State
in the utmost good faith. the Secretary of
the U S. Treasury adopted = set ot regols-
tiomsexceedinsy technical and unreasoaa-
blc IN their character, by which tho account,
ing officers 6i that department we're rcqiir-
ed to be governed in examining the military
claims o! the several States. l the bienaial
message Of my predecessor, under whose
administration these transactions occurred,
this conflict is fully explained ~ follows:
'''rlicrs is due this State, from the United
States, foI expenses incurred BY the State
in raising and .Quirping troops, and send
ing them to the field, and for other purpos
es growing out Of the rel elli6h. the esi,na-
ted amount Of t3uO,OO0 There is much
difficulty in procuring an adjustment Of this
claim At Washington. When III, Sc moneys
were expended by the State, there Was no
law OF Congress, or regulation ofthe FEEDER
al Government, prescribing the form in
which proof Of the expenditure should be