The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-01-19
BIENNIAL MESSAGE
GOV. JOHN II. GEAR,
Nineteenth General Assembly Janu.
AIRY, 1892.

Nineteenth General Assembly, Janu.
aIy 1854
The biennial message OF the outgoing Gov.
erner Gears one OF the longest documents Of !
the kind ever presented 10 an Iowa General
Assembly. OF course wc have not room foi |
the Whole Of It We present, however, the !,
moro important portions Of the paper, which |
will hc found below:
Teaw cifixens IL the General Assembly:
In pursuance OF law, herewith present for |
your consideration the reports Of tho state |
officers and the different institutions, showing |
the financial aud other conditions Of tho state |
and such institutions, accompanied with sug- |
gestions Of such measures ~ scem 10 mo to be |
for tho welfare Of tho state and her people.
You assemble in timc Of general prosperity, |
both in nation and State. While the returns |
10 our husbanimen have not, for the year just |
cose1 been 80 abundant In amount OF product |
n in past years, yet tho rcmunerativc prices |
prevalent for what was produced place Iowa on |
high plano OF prosperity.
THE rINANcEA
The Auditors report, herewith submitted,
shows in detail the receipts and expenditures |
fer the biennial period; also the condition OF |
the banks aud insurance companies doing bust. |
ners in he State, accompanied by his snggos.
tion- III regard 10 revenue and other matters
pertaining 70 our financial interests.
1t tho beginning Of the torn there was no
money in tho general revenue fund Of the
State. During the term that fund received
q. l26. 10000. There WAS disbursed s2,035,-
050.3a. leaving balance on hand in general rcyo.
nne Of sol, s50.5l. The warrants drawn against
general revenue amount to III, 0lO,249S7 In
addition there WAS paid for interest on warrants
SlO,W3i5 which makes tho aggregate cost Of
Carrying On the government Of the State for
the term II, $50. 80, leaving an excess Of re-
ceipts over expenditures Of $l76, ISL. IS In gem
eral revenue. During the period just closed
not warrant has been Endorsed for interest
the taxes have been paid promptly. and the
amount IN the hands or County Treasnrcrs 10
slightly less than At the close OF tile last period.
congratulate Won, and through you the peo-
pie OF the State, on the heal,hfnl condition OF
tho finances as compared with tho two previous
biennial periods.
The Auditor estimates that the expenditures
for carrying on the State Government during
the current period will be &l,7s7 81; and that
the receipts OF general revenue ON oil sources
for tho same time will be Sl.2fa 700, leaving 4
surplus OF Gals. 15n, ~ availal.s for extraor.
binary expenditures.
Your consld. ration IL invited to tho advisa-
bility Of making taxes payable semi-annually,
which has been adopted In other States with
good results. Al II Ii now, most Of our taxes,
amounting to over &i0,0O0.O00 annually are
airy. and tho money locked up in the treasury
vaults and withdrawn from circulation until
rald ont on warrants, unless deposited in
banks, in which case it furnishes tho latter
ccrtain amount Of banking capital; the custom
in either case bcng less beneficial than would
be the retention OF half the amount III the
hands OF tho people until near r the time II il
needed. AMI sGg scst,ve. aud often productive,
OF evil to the Ifsasnrers and the Taxpayers.
THE FUNDS.
Tho report OF the Treasurer OF State shows
that NJ the beginning Of tho biennial period
there was IN the State treasury, Of all funds,
$1i,ls7.s7; that the receipts for the period were
S2,5l4.26a 0s, aggregatng ASS. ll9 IS; and
that the disbursements for all purposes were
se4o9, s977l. leaving balance, at the end Of
the term, OF si7s.55l.H.
PUBLIC scHooIA
The report Of the Superintendent or Publ,
Instruction shows the school system or the
State in both its educational and its financial
phases.
The number OF school children reported h
594. $50. or this number 3Si. la3 arr. by APP
proximation, between the ages Of and Is
years. The number Of all ages enrolled in the
schools Is 1855. which shows that much the
greater proportion Of children Of school age
avail themselves Of the benefits OF our ednca-
tional system. The average attendance ia
25i.6SS. The schools Of the State have been
in session, on an average, las days.
There il. doubtless, quite 4 percentage Of
chlldr,n who attend schools other than those o! |
4 public character. Yet the figures have |
quoted show CLEARLY that very many children, |
through the negligence or nnwiliingness OF par. |
ents, do not attend school at all, Int are In |
fair way to grow npin Ignorance. l. therefore, |
earnestly suggest that You consider the expedi- |
eilcy Of cnacftng compulsory education Law.
which should require attendance upon schools |
Of some kind. either public or private. To me |
II does seem ~ II the State shall not have done
her .y.Nxt1 ~sf ~.
have completed her educational system by some |
such enactment.
The interest in the normal Institutes is
maintained, and. beyond doubt, they render |
great aid in training the teachers who attend
them.
The receipts for Ill school purposes through. /
out the State were 5000. 023. CO. and the ex- |
penditures So. l29. 27949; but Of these receipts /
and expenditures about 100000 was Of money /
borrowed to refund outstanding bonds at lower |
rates Of interest
Tho amount on hand aggregated, At the end
Of the tisca. year. &2653, 35655 This sum il, in
my Judgment much larger than the neces sites
OF the schools require. and il would be well TO |
impose home check TO prevent an excessive or |
unnecessary lew OF taxes for school purposes.
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
The report shows the receipts Of special funds |
from Tile state 10 have been els, $50. 81, and |
from ether sonrccs S25a. l6 arg, ocst,ny tl4- |
2li.is. aud the expenditures for special pur- |
pes.s the same amount, leaving no balance ON |
haei
The report OF tho Treasurer shows the ~
caipts OF funds for the two years ended Nov. 8,
ISL for the support Of the college, including .
balance Oh hand. Nov. H. 1879, OF "a, al. 90, TO
have been 81. 7sa55; the expenditures 10 have
been ssS, i6s99, and that there WAS transferred
to other funds "A, sn3. making the aggregate
shnrsements ss,27l.99, and leaving balance
on hand q s35io56.
CT the nine,y-nine counties Of tho State.
ses.nts-,wo are represented in tue list Of stu
deats. The college is rapidly assuming : high
ln,ision among the educational institutions OF
this character throughout the country while
the IMPRESSION Which has prevailed in the
minds OF many sto the g,eat cost OF this inst,-
tuition u the State is being gradually obliter-
a;ea. My own observations justify me in say
ing that there ia no other institution IN the
Stale III which the facilities for acquiring agood
practical education are rendered to our youth,
At the net coat OF books and board.
PUBLIC LANDS.
The report Of the Register Of tho State Land
Office shows IN detail the transactions OF that
department.
There are remaining unsold In the hands Of
the respective county officials, Of the sixteenth
section, 50o.0n0-acre and mortgage school
lands. llS.66l CD acres, beside number Of
town lots, which. when sold, will largely aug
ment the permanent schoo!-fGnd
Special attention IL called tn tho opinion OF
the Attorney General regarding the right Of
ono person to hold leases for more than l6l
acres VI college lands. II il clearly for the in
terest OF the college aud State that these lands
should DO leased in small parcels to actual
settlers, and sold, il sold ct all, aud legisa-
ton should be devised. il found necessary. to
prevent these lands getting into the hands Of
spectators.
STATE INSTITUTIONS
large portion Of the Message h devoted to
review d the condition Of the State reforma-
tory, e,lemosynary and educational institutions,
all Of which are shown to DO ia = healthy and
prosperous condition.
GRADED PRISONS
In view Of the fact that the additional pcni-
Tertiary il partially completed, has not the time
arrived when the General Assembly should IN
augurate system OF graded prisons, no that
those who are convicted OF the gravcr offences
and sentenced for longer terms, and those con-
ylcted second time. should be imprisoned at
Fort Madison. aud those whose terms Of SER
vice are shorter should he sent to Anamosa