Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-01-31
DEs MONIES. Jan. 81, 1873.

ana cost PIE OF money. Every
reader Of the BULLETIN can estimate
for himself. OF the ~ titles or bills
constituting the Code, the House
has passed the odd numbers, up to
and including the Eth, thus show
ing commendable industry. The
Senate has passed six of the titles,
but only four Of the whole series
have gone to the Governor. Those
passed by the House, above six,
have yet to be acted upon by the
Senate Upon the most liberal esti-
mate, not over one-fourth of the
work on the Code has been accom-
pliShed in the first two weeks, and
how it is all to be finished in thirty
days is the interesting question.
The cost ofthc legislator is eleven
hundred and twenty-five dollars per
day, and when the cost of publish
ing the new Code-ten thousand
copies, at 1925 per copy-with the
inevitable contingent expenses at
tending, is added to cost Of the SEES
sion, it will be seen that the luxury
of the new Code will cost snug
little sum. However the experience
of all ages proves that business
travels at faster pace as the end
Of the session approaches, and that
must be remembered in making up
our estimate. 1t is now the constant
practice for members to demand
the reading of every word of the
text as furnished by the Commits
sioners-even the old law, that has
been the law Of the State for dozen
years. This is right that mem
bcrs cannot be deprived of, yet it is
without excuse, for the new Code is
printed and in the hands Of all the
members, and all the old law is fur
nishcd them for the express pur-
pose Of enabling them to read up
and compare during the 30 hours
out of "a that the Assembly is not
in session {; and when they neglect
so plain a duty, and demand the
reading Of all the old law, during
session, they are neodlessly piling
up cost against the State, and they
should be held responsible. Other
members are continually calling Z
halt, and offering amendments to
the text, wholly Incompatible with
the drift of the law, and which even
slight knowledge of the preceding
or succeeding chapters would have
obviatcd. 1t must all be explained
to them, and that takes time-pre-
cious time. 1t is but reasonable to
expect improvements in all these
particulars, and to expect much
greater progress during the next
two weeks than we have seen dur
ing the last.
Some of the friends of hanging
are hoping to quietly dispose of the
law passed last winter, in the same
manner that some other important
laws have been dropped out of the
new code; but ! am not prepared
for such a back down as will be re-
quired to reach such result. The
strongest vote ever reached in the
Senate against the abolition of-the
Death Penalty, is but twenty !; in
the House, but twenty-siX and as
there is some interest manifested in
that votc-somc people thinking the
law was passed by intidels and the
dangerous class of rcligionists, and
opposed exclusively by the safe and
orthodox denominations append
the following statement, showing
the religion, as given by themselves,
of those who voted for and against
the law passed last winter, so far as
l can positively ascertain it at this
writing.
For the law-Mcthodist, 8; Bap-
fist and Presbyterian, 6 each; Con-
gregationallst, Orthodox and Uni
vcrsalist, each; Liberal, I; Blank,
5; Independent, Episcopalian, Prac-
teal Christian, Protestant, Luther
an, Eclectic, Golden Rule, Christian
and Free Thinker, l each. Total:
80.
Against the law---Prcsbyterian
and Lutheran, 3 each; Methodist,
Liberal and Blank, each; Old
School Baptist, Universalist, Con-
grcgationalist, Eriscopalian, Disci-
pie of Christ, Christian, Latter Day
Saint, No Profession, Nature, |
each. Total, 81.
From this it appears that fully as
large a per cent. of the vote for the
law was sound, as of the vote against
it; in fact, that intelligent men are
affected in about the same manner
by great moral truths, without much
regard to their outward affiliations.
The developments in the Rankin
case, thus far, are unsatisfactory.
One thing is now evident: his de-
mand for an investigation was pure
buncombe, for just rs soon as it
came close, he refused to answer.
While there is unbounded sympa-
thy for his family, there is but little
expended in his behalf. All that
he has disclosed avails him nothing,
and leaves us all in doubt whether
he has told the truth at all. He
would have stood much better, if he