Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-03-15
JEFFERSON CITY, Feb. %, 1888.

JEFFERSON CITY, Feb. %, 1888.
Hon. J. w. EMERSON, Irontor, Mo-:
M Dear JHtigr-Your kind favor of dat
Both uIt. was duly received and read wit
much interest and pleasure. Decming tn
matter of public Importance, | handed tn
letter to the RepHbiic1A, III which 1t appear
in full on the 9th inst.
Replying, briefly, not for personal rindica
tion-for don't need that, yet the Lord onl
knows how soon may-but only to the Sug
ecstionS so well made a. to probable an
possible errors of commission and omissio
by this General Assembly, have to say:
NO ''BACK-SALARY GRABS'
can be, or will be, countenanced by this Gen
eral Assembly. Section of Article IA of tn
Constitution of Missouri clearly settles al
that sort of thing. Personally, believe tina
''the laborer is worthy of his hire" and if
County Judge earns that much-$5.OO pc
day-he should be paid that sum. 1t is
matter / have not considered very seriously
because it is not very serious matter, Il
VIII appear later.
As to the s'outrage'' contemplated by TIL
various bills pending in the House and Sen
ate respecting an increase of the fees of clerk
of courts of record, can only say that the
present Statute-scction 562I-perpetrates III
"outrage" by allowing clerks i'm cOuntie:
having 5000 or less inhabitants $1,000 an.
nually, and to clerks in counties having more
than 5000 and less than 10000 inhabitants
only S1,100.
don't believe that the "present Legisla-
ture," even remotely, designs to make fool
Of itself by asking the Congress of the United
speak rs San old soldier''-I humbly speak
as one of the Confederate militia. You have
the right have no more.
The Democratic Legislature of Missouri
WILL NOT MAKE A FOOL OF ITSELF
by "coquettinS with the experiment and the
folly of constitutional prohibition" or other
wise in that behalf, or ut all. 1t will not
slower the moral standing of the party and
make jecr of our great State by repeating
the gambling laws ut the solicitation of the
fraterRity," or any one else-haring already
so determined.
The Democratic party in Missouri, being a
Young, healthy and vigorous "stalwaI t."
needs, you well put it, no ''organ" at the
Capital or elsewhere. If Republicans are
now doing the public printing at 4 loss to
themselves, financially, then |, for one, am
willing they so continue, indefinitely, to per-
form that service. We have good COM
poserS, compoSitors, printers, etc, in our
party as have the Republicans; but we should
never object to the award Of Il job to Re-
publican that will cause him to lose money
by the loss of which gain will result to the
State. No malice in this; it's business.
SUPREME COURT RELIEF.
You say you hope "the measure for the
relief of the Supreme Court will be pressed
and adopted;" and you ask for "REIIEF,"
but you do not indicate which of the many
measures now pending you deem "the meas
llre." Every lawyer in this State, and every
other man who may he or has been so unfor-
tunate as to have a difference with another
requiring an application to the courts for its
settlement, is aware of the fact that the con-
dition of the docket of the Supreme Court
amounts to Il practical denial of Justice; but
when we endeavor to agree upon measures
OF relief we presently disagree.
Senate Bill No. 5, introduced by Senator
Heard, and by himself and others ably advo-
Gated as a measure of relief, after passing the
Senate, was defeated in the House. Seven
nf 10 s,rI,
district voted against the bill, and thirty five
out of forty-One personal friends have i'm |
the House did likewise. Their Judgment and |
opposition to the measure induced me to OPP |
pose it in the Senate-together with well |
grounded belief of my own that the measure |
would not afford relief. L still believe, |
and am and always will2be ready to assist i'm |
yindicatfng the level-h eaded boys who de- |
feated the measure, if anybody in the world |
even yourself-should think they erred in |
opposing it.
CIRCUIT COURTS ARE BEING INVESTIGATED,
and there seems to be Il disposition i'm some
quarters to decrease the number Of circuits.
Some of the Judges have much as they can |
do, and some of them have more than they
are able to do: such is the Twenty fifth Cir
cult, and has been for years past. 1t is not |
fair to compare the st. Louis City Judges
with Judges in country districts. In the city
the Judge of the Circuit Court receives avery
much larger compensation than the Judge i'm
the country. He is always at home, and is
not compelled to pay out large sums of mon
Cy for horse hire, hack hire, railway fare no.
tel bills and ether expenses incident to trav-
cling over vast areas of country attending
terms twice year, and in attending numerl
Gus special or adjourned terms, as do the
Judges. IL the number of Judges
be reduced, then the salary of the remaining
Judges should he Increased by at least as
much rs the salary of the retired Judges-in
fact, it would be measure of economy to
increase the salary of Circuit Judges to 81 900
limo on
Judges to attend to the duties of the office
and relieve them from the necessity of dig
ging potatoes and cultiyating pumpkins for
Il living.
But now, nay dear Judge, having looked
back over the preceding lines, find that 1
said that the raising of the salary Of County
Judges from three to five dollars per day was
not a very serious matter: beg now to be
allowed to say that there be
OTHER MATTERS IN THIS STATE
which require the more immediate and care ,
full attention of the Thirty second General
Assembly. "BecauSe why"' |,
The State of Missouri has heretofore issued ,
various railroads in this State her bonds to :
The amount of S23, 101 10000. Upon these ,
bonds anterior to October Both, 1865, the !
State had paid interest amounting to -, ILL., !
$3.50; and, at the same time, there was in
erest past due and remaining unpaid on the
bonds before mentioned, amounting to 49,
M, 2l0.oO, besides the interest due on the first
lay of January, 1866, amounting to $780,
$hN, ana not lncluOlnG the discount on
bonds issued and uttered by the State i'm
1880 to honor her promises (the railways
having failed to meet the interest on their {
iebt to the STATED, amounting to sos, $4,000; r
amounting in the aggregate to $32 So, S36. 50 Il
on january LIST, 1866. a
1t Is practically impossible to ascertain n
rom the official reports of the State Auditor 5
Or otherwise, SO far is | can discover-and | r
nave diligently gone over these reports, to- i
sether with the session laws on the subject | n
from 1852 down to this tfme-how much in
ferest has been paid by the State OIL these v
bonds; but by adding the principal and in p
.ef'st paid ny the state and that yet remain v
ing tobe paid, together with the principal I,
md interest on bonds issued and paid and e
vet remaining to he paid by several counties. G.
townships, cities and towns in this State in r.
I'D of railroads. it will he found altogether h
o exceed SIT COCO GOO or about one-foilrth OF n
he total value of all the railway property in n
he State. :,
Going back 10 1873, the first year the Off y
Il nfr he St.fp