Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-01-27

all the lands in one or two counties. and near.
ly all of those in another county
To permit the munifcence of the Federal
Government to be longer FILTERED away. to
continue to allow the interests of the living
and the unborn children of Iowa to be trided
with, thus to fail to discharge the duty which
the Constitution imposes on the State, as Gus
tOdian of this sacred fund, would, in nv iu1p-
ment, be just cause Of reproach to all Of u.s.
recommend the immediate withdrawal of
all the unsold school lands from marketfor the
present; and that when they are again offered
for sale it be done by the Register of the State
Land Offic, at public sale, at the minimum
price -of six dollars per acre, and to be dis
posed OF only to actual settlers.
THE COURTS.
The Circuit Court system established at the
last session of the General Assembly is of too
recent origin to have afforded sufficient OppOr-
tunity to decide on IFS utility and advantage;
and it would seem advisable to permit it to re-
main without material change at least until
the next General Assembly, which body will be
enabled to pass upon its merits and defects with
the benefit Of more extended experience of
its operations.
Before the converting Of the next General
Assembly, the terms of all save one of the Dis
trict Judges will have expired. / call your at
tention to the opportunity which will thus be
officers. No worse economy can, in my estima-
ton, be practised than the payment of insult
fclent salaries to judicial officers. For the per-
Torrance Of the duties incumbent on them,
high order of legal culture, suitable practical
experience at the bar, and q ripe Judgment are
required. We have no right to expect that
persons thus qualified will retain or take seats
on the bench at salaries smaller than the in
comes of many practicing attorneys far inferior
to them in ability and requirements. must
otIv hat
whole matter of the compensation of judges of
all our courts, and SO adjust it as, in your judg
ment, to enable the State to retain and COM
mand the services of the best men in her trib-
unals Of justice. And, in connection with this
subject, / cannot forbcar to remind you of the
meagerness of the compensation of our District
Attorneys. By the law of 1862, which effected
a general reduction of salaries, those of District
Attorneys were fixed at 5000. Since that time
nearly all the salaries then reduced have been
tions.
THE CRIMINAL CODE.
invite your attention to an examination Of
the Criminal Code of the State. / am led to
this suggestion by the fact of our current his
tory, that, although less frequently occurring
perhaps than in former years, the summary
process known as "lynching" is yet too often
resorted to for the purpose of rudely effect
uating what are supposed to be the ends of
ceedings of this character are usually prompted
by despair of justice being done through the
ordinary operation of the law. That this feel
ing is i'll founded is very probable. Nevertheless,
its existence should arrest the attention of the
and lead to the inquiry whether
there is any cause for complaint at the laxity
of cur laws for the punishment of
crime, and whether the criminal code itself,
in a laudable anxiety to shield the innocent,
has not been made to afford convenient
fc nd fv
coDIFIcArIoN OF THE LAWS.
respectfully call your attention to the con-
dition Of our laws. They are spread on our
statute books for several years, reaching as far
to antecedent enactments. Every man is sup.
posed to "know the law" and ignorance OF
it excuses man. Should it not, then, be
the aim of the legislature so to simplify the
statute book, and condense its bulk, that the
law may be the more easily ascertained by the
citizen? ] would recommend that provision
be made for the selection of commissioners to
be required to revise and codify the laws
of the State, these commissioners to
ity at intervals, and to complete the work in
time for the next General Assembly.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
The constitution, wisely providing that the
sense of the people should be occasionally as
that instrument, requires that at the
general election of the present year the ques-
ton ''Shall there be convention to revise the
and amend the same?" shall be
cumbent on the General Assembly to provide
for canvassing such vote, and ascertaining the
result.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
As provided by law of the last session of the
taI
to the people, of amending the constitution of
the State in section one of article two, sections
thirty three, thirty -four, and thirty-fve of
article three, and section one of article six, by
striking the word "white" therefrom. These
aimed to relieve the cOlored race
from certain disabilities under which they had
hitherto labored in this State. At the election,
which occurred on the third day of November,
1858, there were cast, for the amendment to
Article two chat in relation to the right Of
suffrage) one hundred and fve thousand three
hundred and eighty-four votes; against the
eighty-one thousand one hundred
and nineteen; majority in favor of the amend
ment, twenty -four thousand two hundred and
sixty-five. The other four amendments were
adopted by majorities slightly larger. Thus
was finally accomplished an act Of justice al.
ready too long delayed, the denial Of which,
on former occasion, had cast a stigma on q
State which may truthfully boast that the foot
of q slave has never pressed her soil.
AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES.
1t is proposed now to incorporate the spirit
and substance of this amendment in the feder-
al constitution, and thus make it the supreme
law of the whole land. The Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States have
adopted joint resolution prOp0s-
ing an amendment to that Constitution In ef-
feet, comforting suffrage on every male citizen.
A copy of this resolution l have the honor to
L.. l,ofo I nf 1rYnn
honorable body it's speedy ratification. This
amendment yet requires the approval OF some
six States, in order to its adoption. That this
question. The contest of generations, which
eliminated in the recent civil war, begun in
the interest of slavery, will then have reached
termination glorious beyond the most san
guine hope, in the final eradication Of the last
vestige of human bondage from the polity Of
the republic.
U. s. SENATOR.
On the 9th day of August last, l received
the resignation of Hon. James w. Grimes, as
Senator ofthe United States from the State Of
Iowa, to take effect on the first Monday in De-
cember on which day accordingly closed the
long public services OF an eminent statesman,
whose ability and influence gave him not only
State but national reputation. 1t will,
therefore, become your duty to elect SEN
ator to fill the place thus made vacant.
CONCLUSION.
In conclusion, gentlemen, permit me to con.
graduate you upon the suspicious circumstan-