The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-07-30


l.e,t newspapers in the State, has been
tor some time airing out some ST orr Re-
pubIiean State officers. Ii last week pub
Ii>hed letter which we give below. Why
don't our county Republican press say
something about The ig1ge steals
LETTER NO. 5.
~ he I'm I'M, T. Smith, State Treas
Allow ms to review a moment We have
shown that you have very important par
ticular,, viz, by charging more fees than
we're allowed by Law. and ID by putting
those fees in your own pocket instead of
in the Treasury
We have shown the salary of tho Attor-
ney General i g 900 per aHuup in iuli foI
ali services as such Attorney General, and
Commissioner OF School and University
lands, aud that the only additional fee al
lowed him, Is fifty cents for each patent on
Swamp lands sold under the law OF
1863
We have shown that your salary is 81 400
per- dnnuD., IN addition to which; you are
aiic.ed 81, 600 from fees on sale of State
a1ds- and fifty cents more on each pur-
hat you seem TO be actually enttled to re-
ceive for your services, is So. 400 per an
nsns exclusive of the fees to which you
may be entitled on purchase OF Swamp
bands. From these, in fair dealing with
purchases, you wound probably derive
about 81 GOO more each year, making your
whole salary 81, 400 per dnRun.
We have shown that you ha sc illegally
charged and received, on School, Univer
flty, Norman School, aud Agricultural
lands, one dollar aud fi.ty cents for each
certificate, and one dollar aud lifty cents
Tor each patent issued, by You, when by
law you were entitled to but fifty cents for
each, you have charged for certificates
that you never made, and had 20 right to
uiake
Suppose VIC now figure n little, Mr..
Smith, and see something hOg much you
have made by this dishonest and illegal
course OF conduct during your term Of Of
fee
During the fiscal year ending Sept. 30ih,
1868, the amount Of State lands sold, was
~ 6G2 93>I00 acrcs.-See page Of your
report for 1868. We have before adyerted
10 the fact that in almost all instances,
whether the amount Of land purchased by
the same person at one time, is large or
small, sou, contrary 20 Law, issue ccrtifi-
cate and patent for each Forty purchased
Now in 2I2 Coz acres, Of land there are
about 1916 Forties The fees You charge,
are dollar and fifty cents for each Ger
tlac0te, and one dollar and fifty cent for
Fatrut on each Forty, or three dollars on
each Forty sold Multiply the number Of
rofiiCs by three, and you will see that for
ia" fiscal year Of 1868, y0n received |if-
tfen thousand nine hnndsed and forty-tight
dollars, fees upon the sale of State lands
During the fiscal year ending Sept so,
1857 the amount OF lands sold by you,
vas 1858 45l &c 100 acres and for the is-
crl year ending Sept. so, 1866, 100 432 90
l01 acres we're sold. We take for all this
Your own figures. rs they appear on page
# your report for 1868. For fees upon
the sale If these lands, you received about
Itooptg fur Thousand dollars.
i Is fair to presume that the sales Of
land from Sept. 80, 1868, to the present
time of Which We have no report yet
IRE ut least as much as during the year
iSGs for the same PERIOD which would
give about 10 900 of land sold since Sept.
20, 1868, upon the sale Of which you have
ctqrged and received for fees, about Iicelre
Th0usand dollars.
Up to the present time therefore, you
have .cceived for the sale OF State lands
t,ace you have been in Office, in fees, in
round numbers, fjfy tco Thousand dot
lars. These figures may not be exactly ac
c1rate, but We think you will find them
very nearly so.
By the law of 1859 you ere bound to
pay all fees iafo the State Treasury Tour
0cn reports for the years y0u hare been an
office. sho,C that you hare not paid q sin
ole d9hiar II moneys receired by you into
the TREASURY
Now Mr. Smith. it is a weak and foolish
rretense on the part Of your friends, that
rs you are bg lar but one of the board of
Commissioners for the sale Of these laLds,
we have no right to call on yOu to account.
In the first place, we prove that you have
deliberately and Systematically violated the
law, the presumption that you have not
violated Law IN other respects, Is therefore
weakened. In the second place, we trace
the the money into your individual hands,
!gou stood at the door and took 1t, the
law requires g3p TO pay it into the Treas
ury; you admit thIt ycu have not done so.
What have YOU done with it? What
share Of it have YOU given to Secretary
Allen ? What dividend have you made
with attorney General Gill? 1t is general
" thought that you must have paid hr.
Gill pretty well, for signing that official
opinion you wrote for him.