Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-04-26


descended. in both Houses and the
general session Of the l4th General
Assembly is ended The members
are packing their travelling bags
and saying their kind adieux, and
Tomorrow these deserted halls will
only resound to the football of the
janitor. The work Of the session is
ended. Its account is gone to the
judgment day and the people are
the judge, and already the books
are open and what is written there
in is being read, whether it be
good or whether it be evil.
Let the people judge intelligently
and award justly; for the axe is laid
to the root of the tree, and every
tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit must be hewn down and cast
into the fire.
The Fourteenth General Assem-
bly, has done much, very much, that
is good, that was required by the
growing and diversified wants of
the State. It has provided for the
greater security of life in the coal
mines and on railroads; it has done
much to render excessive taxation
impossible; it has done all that
could be done to tighten The burden
Of railroad taxation rendered posi-
BILE by the law of a former Assem-
bly,; it has simpli6ed the practice
of law; it has made plain and def
mite what was ambiguous. In
short, in the wisdom and adaptable
ity to the wants Of the people of its
general laws, it stands foremost
among all the legislatures that Iowa
has had.
So much must be said because so
much is true; but the medal has a
reverse side. The present Assem-
bly, has failed to meet the just de-
mands Of the people on various
questions, and it has done things
which ought never to have been
done, most prominent Of which is
the shocking abuse of the power
which it possesses of legalizing the
past acts of corporations and Off
Gals. Within proper limits and as
originally exercised it was promo
tive Of much good in correcting
honest mistakes and quieting doubts,
but through an excess of good ma
ture in succeeding legislatures, it
has descended through easy grada-
tions till it has come to be used to
legitimatize frauds most monstrous
and inexcusable. Take one case in
point: A bill was introduced to le-
galize certain acts of the Directors
OF the Independent School District
Of Nashua. The facts were: They
issued bonds to the amount Of ten
thousand dollars, being over thir-
teen per cent. of the property Of the
district, when the law forbade an
issue Of over FIVE per cent. They
sold their bonds for eighty-6ve cents
on a dollar, when the law forbade
their sale below par, thus subjecting
the district to a dead loss Of fifteen
hundred dollars, for which there is
no pretense that they ever received
one dollar Of value. A remon-
STRANGE was presented, signed by
portion Of the tax payers in the dis
trict, protesting against any action
by the Legislature. And lastly, liti-
CATION had already commenced,
which fact, though it stood alone,
was ample notice to the Legislature
to keep its hands off.
The bill passed, and thus the l4th
General Assembly invites the peo-
pie to view all law with contempt,
and virtually promises to interfere
to protect the law-breaker from pun
ishment.
have a lcgalizing bill which l
desire to have passed, covering
precisely the points in the above
case, and which I shall get some
member Of the next Legislature to
introduce. l know it will pass. It
is as follows, to-wit:
WHEREAS, Farmer Brown. Of Alaska
county, Iowa, did, on the Goth day Of
January, 1872, sell his farm and stock
for the sum. of twelve thousand dollars,
which money he kept in his house,
and
WHEREAS, Three citizens Of said coun-
ty, to-wit: Messrs. Pike, Pluuket and
Pickerel, who were associated together
for doing a cash business, did, on the
night Of the said 20th day Of January,
enter the house Of the said Brown, with
false Keys, and did take and carry away
the said twelve thousand dollars, and
WHEREAS, Doubts have arisen in re-
gard to the legality of some Of the acts
Of the said three citizens.
Now, therefore,
Be 1t enacted BY the General Asssns5ly
9fshe. State Of Iosea, That the said acts
Of the said three citizens ore hereby de.
clarsd legal.
And this is the whole Of the bill,
TOR nowhere is breyity SO truly the
soul Of wit and the soul Of success
as in the legislature of lows.
A petition signed by the three
cps" will accompany the bill, in
which they will ask to DO restored
to tie status from which they lapsed
by their "slight irregularity." OF
course old Brown will demonstrate,
and ask the legislature to allow