The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-01-10
.KEOkUk. low WEDNEsDA y, JANUARY To- 1853.


~ =
the permanent ahd Indispensable inStitntions
Ct the State: His - Fet, sinoompaete, and
for years will need regular appropriations for
thsensesnt exensee - enk, ~ lHges oa,
lays for additions and improvements Ii has
now accommodations for l4e persons, and IA
additional cells in . short time will be ready
for occupancy
a WArden's house, 4 clerk Office, vault
for the ssfe keeping Of the records Of the insti-
tuition, and a building i04 BY 10 feet, for the
purpose of convict kitcheu, dining ball,
chapel and hospital are about completed.
Tha labor Of the couvicts has been lsased
: at the rate Of 4O3 cents day, per man, the
eontsscs having been made for 10 ysar. from
January lst, 1885. ~
The Warden aaksfor appeopriatioos to COM
plete the yard wall, to consffncta sewer from
the southeast corner Of the yard to the river,
to build reservoir for water on the hill, for
greater protection against fire, to put up fix
lures for the parpose OF warming and lighting
the cells, which is nov indiGerentiy done, 10
enlarge the yard by moving the wall to the
western limits Of the prison grounds: to con
vert the west wing into cells, and for other
important repairs and improvements, amount
ing in al to s4s,108 90.
The expediency OF these appropriations is
respectfully referred to your intelligent con-
siderstiou. earnestly urge upon you the
importance of adequate security against FIRE
by the means proposed in the Warden's Re
port, ss no insurance can be effected; and Of
properly warning and lighting the cells of the
convicts, so that the iMmates eaa be rendered
comfortable, and spend their leisure hours in
reading.
invite your attention 10 the Warden Re.
port, which viii furnish you with detailed
ststement Of the receipts and Disbursements
OF the Penitentiary, and suggest the appoint
ment Of . special committee 70 visit the iusti
tuition, and report upon the propriety of the
appropriations and Improvements recommend
ed. take great pleasure in saying that the
affairs Of the prison have been conducted with
marked success in al the departments
LAxp GRANTS
The elaborate and comprehensive report Of
the Register Of the State Land Ofice, will pre-
sent you the condition ot the various land
grants, which have been made BY CoAgress ut
different times for the benefit of the State. Ii
will be observed that many questions Of an
exceedingly complicated character have
arisen from the conflicting claims Of the par
ties interested in these several grants, the full
and just determination Of some Of which NAV
require judicial investigation. To settle these
questions, however, 80 far ss they cas- be set
tied BY Legislative action, win involte much
thorough and patient labor. A large number
Of our citizens who have settled upon public
lands in good faith under color OF title, nov
End their homes jeopardized on aceount of
claims insisted upon By corporations which
have become the bene6ciAries Of those grants.
These adverse claims in most cases harshlv
insisted upon. will, unless some remedy is pro
yided, ultimately cause great inconvenience,
and perhaps ruin, to large number Of our
enterprising and worthy settlers. II was evi-
IDENTITY the intention OF Congress in all these
grants to preserve lnviolate the rights OF bona
tide settlers settlers, and allow them a fair op-
portunity to purchase .. the minimum price
And the attempts now being made by these
corporations to appropriate these lands against
the rights of the settlers, are, in my judgment,
a manifest departure from the spirit of the
grants. 1 therefore earnestly recommend
such legislation on your part and resort TO
Judicial tribunals, both of which deem essen
tial. ~ viii speedily bring these conflicting in
terests to full and 6nal adjustment
The difficulties existing in the adjustment
Of the Swamp Land claims in the Department
at Washington ARE fully explained in the Reg.
ister' report entertain the hope that these
difficulties will be fully removed within rea-
sonable time, and that the counties will not
be long delayed in procuring the allowance of
their claims.
The law provides that where lands, after
wards proven to be Swamp lands, have been
sold by the Government, the purchase
money shall be refunded to the State, which
goes to the benefit Of the proper county. A
largo number OF warrants for the indem-
nifty money have been issued by the United
States Treasury, and forwarded to this office.
Some Of these warrants, without coming into
my personal possession, have been Improperly
and illegally applied BY parties through whose
hands they have passed, and the counties to
which the warrants belong have, up TO this
time, failed to receive their money. This
matter Is of so grave . character that deem
it incumbent ON me TO call the early attention
OF the General Assembly to it. and there
for ask for the immediate appointment Of a
joint committee to investigate the facts.
JUDICIAL SALARIES.
Your attention is specially invited to the
subject Of judicial salaries. Chapter l9, Acts
of the Extra Session, September, 1882, re-
duced the salaries Of District Judges to 81,
500, and Of the Supreme Judges to $l.soo.
When this act was adopted we were in the
midst Of the rebellion, liable to extraordinary
outiays Of money for IN indefinite period, and
the reduction of salaries was then treGarded
by the Legislature as an important measure
in the general policy Of retrenchment. The
wisdom of such a measure, however, at any
time, may be seriously questioned, especially
| in regard to Judicial officers; for j, should
not be forgotten that upon the purity. ability
and independence Of the judiciary depends
10 great extent our stability and strength as
q nation. These essential qualifications can
not well be secured or coatiaued by system
of compensation which il inadequate to the
proper suppart of judicial officers. Those
best qualified for the bench must, under the
most favorable circumstances, make great pc
caniary sacsi6ceS+ in becoming judges. This
reduction Of salaries in its application to the
District Judges took effect in January, 1883,
with the commencement Of the present terms,
bat in providing for the reduction Of the sala-
RES q the Supreme Judges latter the seve-
raj ter ms Of Office Of the present incumbents
expirs,'' 4 may we'll be doubled whether the
oct takes effect until the close of Justice
L0wess tesn. in January, 1858, inasmuch rs
his is one Of the several terms which viii
not expire until sehet tine. Otherwise the
anomaly would be presented of paying some
judges less compeuaatioa than others OF the
same grade, and for performing the same SER
Nce! This the 0eu4ral Assembly clearly
never intended, and it may well be doubted
whsEAer they could have done % under thS
C0nsaisuti0a. This view u sustained by two
of the Supreme Judges and the ATTORNEY
General, whose opinions will be found in the
Auditors Report. II, tAessfoes, i be correct
that the salaries Of those judges have not ~
been affected BY the operation of this l.w,
the seoasAi1s1iosai-pr prosision aeaiast gins
tt6Soupoen6t5cn a. jsaxee during - rm
| fdr = NJ - olec&sA. viii - eGltra-
| veuS1 81 hgrepsal, vh cd voald 1870 the
salaries Of ~ Ne Ssprens Jadgseat 8, 900.