Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-01-20


and. under the Circumstances, With much
honor 70 the eIainent positiorit occupies, but
has been wholly unable toTelieve isseaf Of sits
In rs q; e. GSas j. e much be.
tice to litigants to await its action. and Il is
Thought that some seek this forum a means
OF delay in the settlement of litigated ques7
u BT-BURDENEDs COUNTIES. ~
Credit is the crowning glory of State and q
apnnty. 1t is to each what honor is to man.
what irtue is to a woman, wnat faith is to- q
Christian; no stain should tarnish one or the
otner. There esonle counties indebted be.
creditor and debtor. No oppressive means
BY either In such Gases
r. eet the debtor upon possiblcplane of ad-
ju-tanent asit is tor theadebtor to meet the
creditor upon reasonable plane of accept
ance. Reputation, direct or indirect. should
not be considered for moment. Its cOncep-
ton should bring n blush of shame to every
check, for no advantage obttiEed@by n COM
fnunity or an individual by violence, dishonor
or low cunning, can be permanent Or bene-
est blight thatcan asta shadow over a State
Or acounty. No STATE OrcOunty ever ven tured
upon such course that escaped the unhappy
consequences. In financial history and NOR al
sentiment If is the worm that never dies is
the pestilence that walketh in darkness, and
the destruction that wasteth at MONDAY, and
at lastD1teth Ikea serpent and Stingeth like
arladder." 1t ID the darkness OF. death with
out the hope OF Resurrection The greatest
counties freest from debt, and also those that
shoWgthe greatest disposition TO adjust their
indebtedness upon honorable terms. Few
townships, and still fewer counties. have been
benefited by ltigating their bonded Indebted
ness. for in the end they will have TO pay not
only the original indebtedness with long
accrued interest, but also large fee and heavy
costs, a few vexatiots IocaI fa>vyersebeing t he
only ones Benefited by the delay. Procrasti-
time. and should never be consulted in BUST
ness transactions when it involves the honor
of the individual or the community. Imme-
dlately after the war many OF the counties of
this State were burdened with an improbable
bonded Indebtedness, which has borne heavily
upon the people for years, in some instances
driving them into desperate acts of lawless-
ness. w lille not at all commencing the man
ner in which those debts were created, nor
beliey ng for. q moment in the honesty of
the purposes for which they were created, yet
it having been done, and recognized by the
judgments of the courts of the State, no
ton of. their Judgments. No society, no indi-
V1duai, no propertycan be safe and preserved
IN ttnas commnnl5y where sell h CONSTITUTES
the regularly appointed courts. 1t is always
safer and better for society, as a rule, to live
quietly under bad law. or a corrupt act of a
court, than to offer violent resistance to
either. In well regulated society, evils and
abuses soon correct themselves. In the Ian
guaSe OF MIR. Jefferson, Error is never dan
gerous when truth is left free to combat it."
1t will be wise in those defaulting counties to
adjust upon equitable basis their indebted
ness, having learned by this time, from q veX-
atous and costly experience, that in the post
ronenent of an evil no permanent or salts
factory relief Is had. 1t is more honorable,
and more in accord with all elevated standards
of commercial transactions, to settle fairly,
even though unable to pay, than to have no
settlement at all. e q
OTHER LEGISLATION RECOMMENDED
think Il general Registration law should be
enacted, but before this can be done the Con-
ed. Section 5, Article 8, of the Constitution,
limits the power OF the Legislature to enact
egistration laws to cities and counties of GER
tain numbers OF inhabitants. The Lcgisa-
ture should consider the propriety of am end
ing the Constitution in the manner and form
provided in that instrument as regards regis
tratlOn. 1t Is evident that muchilleyal voting
is done at every regular election in cities and
towns of all Sizes and often in the country.
The ballot box should be preserved from the
tive restrictions, prohibitions and penalties.
An impure ballot is a crime against society
and good government and should be con
demned by all political parties.
Whatever is necessary to perfect the militia
laws should be considered by the Legislature
ulated militia is of great value to the peace of
society and the stability of the State. but
by our fathers and law makers, commencing
with the message of Gen. Washington, in 1894,
and ending with the last Congressional report
of 1880 feel assured that your body will not
overlook this important feature OF
our State Government. -
For many years tine Penitentiary has been a
source OF great embarrassment to past Legis-
latures, costing the state each year a large sum
of money. Such has not been the case for the
has been a demand and employment for ev-
cry able bodied convict, either inside or out
side of the Penitentiary, until during the last
winter. Under the present law the lease or
contract system has been abolished and the
cOnvictS withdra wn from outside labor. 1t
viii be well for this body to consider the pro
priety of restoring hat system, and engaging
in renunerative labor those convicls for
whom IL demand Is not had in the Pen
itentiary. / am informed there are 200
comparatively idle. These must nee
G -sarily be of heavy cost to the state. The
evil should be rcmedied at an early day; first,
on the ground of economy second the
naoroie of the convicts, as idleness is always
the parent of discomfort and insubordination
The true theory of success in the manage.
1neut of a PenitCntiary, or any large body of
men, is in Keeping them constantly and wise
" enga ged in reInuncrative employment The
$ +, used as not to impose additional bulthens
OF taxes upon them. They have the right TO
believe that the Penitentiary can be and
should be made self supporting institution
They, paying the expenses of the Peniten-
tiarv should be heard and consulted as to the
IN anner in which convict labor should be en-
pIoyed. There are, in the minds of many,
serious objections to such labor being used
outside OF the Penitentiary. upon the ground
ton with free labor. The Legislature should
consider this question calmly and weigh it
earefnlIy but at the same time it should not
whole people by the clamor of few. In con-
this question, the Legislature should
so act as to dosful justice to the State, as well
as to those opposing the outside of such
labor. Whilst not seeking primarily to make
the Penitentiary so much a money makingin
stitution as one of punishment and reforma-
ton, yet it should not become. for want of wise
legislation, an onerous burden to the State.
The Legislature should guard the State
The law authorizes the employment of a
Chaplain at the Penitentiary, paying him $500
a year. That sum being insufficient to en-
ploy the whole time of competent Christian
minister, 1 think the sum should be in
creased. If a Chaplain is necessary at all, his
moral and spiritual comforts of the convicts.
The State pays the present Chaplain $500, and
some church in this city pays the balance of
his salary. The State should not engage in
such partnerships, especially not so when it
is evidently at the cost and loss of that class
who are wholly unable to help themselves.
The obligation the minister owes to the
church and its membership is of greater force
than that due the criminal, and if either must
suffer, as it often happens, the criminal will
ALWAYS be that one. The State should not be
to such neglect, and should not en-
courage it longer. Such joint engagements are
beneath the dignity of the state, and such
is unworthy of consideration. Sep
arste, in this instance, church and State, and
both will be benefited.
OUR STATE FINANCES. t4---s
1t is gratifying, indeed, to know that the
of the State are in a satisfactory con-
dition. The embarrassment that unavoida-