Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-05-24
Stone and Orwig.

| Suit Has pecH commenced aSaiES'
Governor Stone, and others, by the
Attorney General of Iowa, for the re.
covery of the missing thirty-three
THOUSAND dollars of swamp land bonds
indemnity fund.
On page 81 of the published report
of the Legislative investigating COM
mittee, is the testimony of Mr.. Orwig.
from which the following extracts are
made:
" Very soon after the adjournment
of the Legislature in March, 1864, Gov
ernor Stone made arrangements to
leave Des Moines, and did leave think
the same month !; my instructions from
him then were in substance to trans
act business of the executive Office i'm
such manner that there could be no
complaint made because of his absence.
When he was preparing to leave, the
matter of signing his name was talk
ed over fully. He referred particular
ly to the large number of Land Pat
ents and Notarial and Military COM
missions issued, and said it would be
impossible for him to stay here and do
this business.
He did not instruct me to sign
particular papers only, and many pa
pers came to the Office in his absence
which required immediate action, and
could not have been anticipated.
Specific instructions were impossible.
In pursuance of the instructions Civ
en- me, and as I understood the Gov
ernor's wishes, placed his name to
everything to which | thought he
would place it himself if present. The
understanding was that | should sign
his name to facilitate the business of
the office to prevent delay, and COM
plants that would otherwise be made
in consequence of his absence. And
if at any time | exceeded the authori-
ty he intended to give, it was to shield
him from censure, and not for my ben
eft.
II signed more than nine-tenths of
all commissions, civil and military,
that were issued from the executive
office during my connection with it.
| signed very nearly all the Land
Patents issued by the State Register
of the Land office, to the number of q
thousand or more probably, and con
veying lands to the value of very
large sum of money. ! signed nun
Der OF the certificates to Railroad Com
panies for the completion of certain
portions of their several roads, upon
which they claim lands granted by
Congress. made acquisitions upon
fthe Governors of other states for
fugitives escaped from this State, in
almost every instance in which demand
for them was made ; and also ISSUED
extradition warrants upon the requisi
tons made upon the Governor of Iowa
In these matters relating to arrests i
would have been impossible, in mos
cases, to wait until the Governor coult
be heard from. The papers must b,
passed upon promptly when presented
in order to accomplish their object.
I" signed and issued other procla
nations. / remember now those offer
ing rewards; appointed days 70,
Thanksgiving those for general and
special elections &c. l signed
pardons, reprieves, and discharge.
, from the Penitentiary, and exercised
the pardoning power when thought
justice demanded it, and it was neces
sary to save the Governor from GEN.
sure. j signed the certificates for oul
SIX congressman upon which they now
hold their seats in Congress, and also
the death warrant by which McComt
was sent to the gallows. | appointed
VIM. A. Holmes Trustee of the Ag
ricultural College and Farm for the
purpose of making him President OF
that Institution in place of Mr.. Foster
did this without consulting the Gov.
ernor on the subject. Nearly all the
members of that Board held their office
by commission from me issued in the
Governors absence and without his
knowledge. | acted for the Governor
as member of the Board of Canvas
ers to ascertain the result of the gen
eral election a year ago, and signed al
the certificates of election then issued
Also, as member of the Census
Board to let contracts upon the propo-
sails advertised by the Auditor. ! APP
proved some of the official bonds OF
our State officers, now on file in the
Secretary's office, and nearly all bonds
OF Commissioners to locate Swamp
Land Scrip. An examination of tn,
official papers of every character is
sued from the Executive Office within
the two years last past will show thai
not less than ninety, and probably
nInety-nine out of every hundred, have
the Governors signature to them writ
ten by me-