The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-01-20

Minnesota sold seventy-six thousand
acres of school-lands at an average
price ola little over six dollars per
acre. Both Minnesota and Nebraska
have fixed the minimum price OF their
school lands at five dollars per acre,
the latter, by constitutional provision.
Iowa, whose lands, because Of their
greater accessibility, and their aver
age better quality, ought to be worth
much more than those of the States
mentioned, fixes her minimum at one
dollar and quarter per acre.
A short time since, hearing that
some of the school-lands were being
hurried into market, as l doomed
with unseemly haste, and at an i'm
proper season, l caused the Attorney
General TO take tho necessary steps
to stop the sale. That officer at once
applied for and obtained injunctions,
and had the satisfaction Of saving all
tho lands in one CT two counties, and
nearly all of those in another county.
To permit the muniicence Of tho
federal government to be longer frit-
tered away, to continue to allow the
interests of the living and the unborn
children of Iowa to be trifed with,
thus to fail to discharge the duty
which the Constitution imposes on the
State, as custodian of this sacred fund,
would, in my Judgment, be a just
cause Of reproach to all of us.
| recommend the immediate with
drawal of oil the unsold school lands
from market for the present; and that
when they are again offered for sale
it be done by the Register of the
State Land Office. at public sale, at
the minimum price of six dollars per
acre, and to be disposed Of only to
actual settlers.
THE COURTS.
The Circuit Court system estab-
lished at the last session of the Gen
eral Assembly is of too recent origin
to have afforded sufficient opportuni-
ty to decide on its utility and advan-
tage; and it would seem advisable to
permit it to remain without material
change at least until the next Gcner.
al Assembly, which body will be GU,
abled to pass upon its merits and de-
fects with the benefit Of q more ex-
tended experience gifts operations.
Before the converting of the next
General Assembly, the terms of all
save one of the District Judges will
have expired. | call your attention
to the opportunity which will thus be
afforded to increase the compensa-
ton of these officers. No worse
economy can, i'll my estimation, be
practiced than the payment Of insult
ticient salaries, to judicial officers
For the performance of the duties
incumbent on them, a high order of
legal culture, suitable practical ex-
perienco at the bar, and a ripe judy
ment are required. We haveno right
to expect that persons thus qualified
will retain or take seats on the bench
at salaries smaller than the incomes
of many practicing attorneys far
inferior tothem in ability and acquire
ments. ] must earnestly recommend
that you will revise the whole
matter Of the compensation of judges
Of all our courts, and SO adjust it as,
in your judgment, to enable the State
to retain and command tho services
OF the best men in her tribunals OF
justice. And, in connection with
this subject, l cannot forbear to re
mind you of tho meagerness of the
compensation of our District Attor.
neys. By the law of 1862, which
effected a general reduction of salar.
les, those of District Attorneys were
fixed at 5000. Since that time nearly
all the salaries the ncdcecd have
been increased this Office has been
one ofthe exceptions.
THE CRIMINAL CODE.
| l invite your attention to an exam.
ination of the Criminal Codo of the
State. l am led to this suggestion
by tho fact of our current history
that, although less frequently occur.
ring perhaps than in former years,
the summary process known as
"lynching" is yet too often resorted
to for the purpose of rudely effectua-
ting what are supposed to be the
ends of justice. am of the opinion
that riotous proceedings of this char
acter arc usually prompted by des.
| pair of justice being done through
the ordinary operation of the law
That this feeling is ill-founded is very
probable. Nevertheless, it's exist.
enco should arrest the attention of
the legislature, and lead to the inqui.
ry whether there is any just cause
for complaint at the laxity CT our
lays for tho punishment Of crime,
and whether the criminal code itself
in a laudabie anxiety to shield the
innocent, has not been made to afford
a convenient panoply to wealthy
and crafty guilt.
CoDiFICATIoN OF THE LAWS.
| ! respectfully call your attention
to the condition of our laws. They
are spread on our statute books for
several years, reaching as far back
as 1851, and some OF them even re.
ferring to antecedent enactments.-
Every man is supposed to "know the
law" and ignorance OF it excuses no
man. Should it not, then, be the
aim of the legislature SO to simplify
the statute book, and condcnsc its
bulk, that the law may be the more
easily ascertained by the citizens p
would recommend that provisions
be made for the selection of commits
sioners to revise and codify the laws
OF the State; these commissioners
TO be required to report progress to
some authority 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 ascertained as to the
necessity for revising or amending
that instrument, requires that at the
81 II ~ a l.