The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-02-10
FROM DIES MONIES.
Special Correspondence.
Des Moines. Feb, lth 1870

EDS. COURIER
Two of the most i'm
portant bills that will probably beac-
ted Upon by the present General AS
sembly, have already received the
consideration of the Senate, and so
fara that branch Of the Legislature
has anything to do with them may
be SAID to have run the gauntlet safe.
y, although the Capitol bill still re.
mains to be put upon its third read
ing tomorrow, but with the fact al
ready plainly demonstrated that the
friends of the bill are sufficiently nu-
merous to insure its passage in the
Senate.
Yesterday the Senate went into
Committee OF the Whole to consider
the bill changing our present system
of county government to the Com
missionersystem. The bill gave rise
to an animated discussion, but devel.
oped but few tenacious advocates of
the old Supervisor method of county
government 1t is very evident that
a majority in both branches of the
present General Assembly arc of the
opinion that ourpresent slow moving,
cumbersome, and expensive system
Of county Legislation ought to be
numbered among tho things that
WERE" If the opitaph of the present
supervisor system fails to be written
by this Legislature it will be because
members fail to harmonize their con.
fiicting views with reference to de.
tails, and not because a majority de-
sircs to perpetuatc the existing law
giving to each township a member Of
the Board, and to each county an
Elephant Of the most huge proper
tions, the head, trunk, and tail of
which reaches into the most remote
corners, and neither of which can be
moved unless all move ut once.
The bill as dnally passed by the
Senate provides for the election of
three Supervisors, no two OF whom
shall be from the same township, in
each county; such Supervisors to be
chosen by vote Of the people at
large. Herein, to the writer, is the
Objectionable feature of the bill
Provision should have been made for
districting the counties, each district
to be entitled TO one or more super.
visors. The indications now are that
if the bill passes the house, it will be
with this amendment, in which the
Senate will, as its second choice, un.
doubtedly concur.
The Capitol bill, which occupied
the time of the Senate in Commit
tee of the whole to-day, as finally
agreed upon and ordered to be en-
crossed and read third time to NOR
row, Saturday, provides for the cleo
tion of six Commissioners, of whom
the Governor shall be President, " be
shall have supervision of the erection
of a now Capitol building, said build
ing not TO cost over one million Rv,
hundred thousand dollars, it being
fully understood by both friends ans
enemies of the bill that the stealings
or to use a less harsh phrase, the in
cidental expenditures, will, when
added to the above deplete the pur
ses Of the tax payers of Iowa to an
amount OF not less than three mil.
lions.
The friends OF the bill went into
the contest like a well drilled army
with the plan of battle fully ma
,ured.
If at the close of the present ses,
sion of the General Assembly the
unwelcome fact should stare the
already tax burthened people of Iowa
in the face, that in addition to pay.
ing for a magnificent Capitol build.
ing, they must also foot large appro-
priations for the various public insti-
tutions, rs well as for new and I'M
necessary projects, they should un-
derstand that these are only tho
hungry litter of which the Capitol
bore is tho father.
OCCASIONAL.