The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-10-27
An examination of the reports

two periods" An examination of the reports
made during the time of the Republican rule
discloses many Interesting, not to say start
ling facts, connected with the manner Of
these expenditures. For instance: During
the four years of Republican control the Sec
rotary of the Senate and Clerk of the House
of Representatives received for their services
as such officers Il little more than $4,000.
Whilst from 1876 to 1880, four years, these
officers of the two bodies under Democratic
rule received only 81, 1888. 1t may be said that
the conditions were different, but upon ex-
animation we find that it was not so. A. new
constitution had gone into effect in 1866, which
made it necessary to conform the laws to the
requirements of that new instrument.
In that or the succeeding year the general
statutes of the State were revised. In the
year 1876 another new constitution had been
adopted by the people, and it was necessary
to conform the laws as they then existed on
the statute books, to the requirements of that
instrument; and in addition thereto a re-
vision of the general statutes of the State had
been made; the conditions were exactly the
same. We find the officers linen of integrity
and high standing in the community, accept
ing from the State for their services ten
times as much as the Democratic officers &C
ceptcd for corresponding services.
In the matter of printing, large sums of
public treasure were ruthlessly and wantonly
squandered upon political favorites during
the time of which 1 speak. From the years
1866 to 1872 they paid for the printing of the
general assembly Sl34,0O whilst the Demo
cratic party, in the sixteen years that fol-
lowed, paid only $50, 900. 1t cost the State
$4,000 less for sixteen years under Demo
cratic rule than it did for eight years under
Republican rule.
l might go on, fellow-citizens and enum-
crate other items which go to make up this
sum of more than 81 1900 600 as the cost of this
General Assembly, showing to whom and by
whom these extraordinary expenditures were
made, but it is a matter of record; it is a
part of the Legislative history of the State.
In the case of the State ex. rel. Doane VS..
Draper, 43 Mo-, 900, a Republican Supreme
Court rendered a decision which was a COM
plete condemnation of the Republican meth
DDS of public expenditure. The relator in
that case sought by mandamus to require the
Auditor to audit an account charged to have
accrued to Doane in his lifetime as Chief
Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Doane, the clerk, had died; he was succeeded
in the Office by Colby; the claim was for
Sl,2S3 against the State for copying the
journal of the House for the printer, as re-
quired by statute, and this is what the Court
says about it.
Each days proceedings Of the House are
written out by the Chief Clerk or some Of his
associates on sheets of paper which are fast
ened together in the form Of a roll and read
to the House the next day. On being ap-
proved, this roll is passed to a clerk who
makes a fair copy of it in a book. This is the
book referred to in the statutes as the journal
to be copied for the press at Is cents per 100
words. No copy Of this book icas cuer made BY
anyone. so far as appears. But Colby, under
the resolution of the House, gathered up and
arranged the aforesaid roll Of rough minutes
and delivered them over to the Public
Printer, from which the printed journal is
composed. This is all that Colby appears to
have done under the resolution. The Legis-
lature has seen fit to fix 81 per day as suitable
compensation to the Chief Clerk of the House
for his daily services during the General
Assembly, and we find nothing in the statutes
which allows US to conjecture that they in
tended to provide the further allowance Of
more than $40 a day as a mere perquisite."
This is the law as laid down by the Supreme
Court; what was the action of a Republican
auditor, the Treasurer and Secretary and
clerkl Notwithstanding the Supreme Court
"a oaiu pLhub 90 POI udy was Ouc I'LL v Luc
services of the clerical officers of these two
houses, we find that they took from the
Treasury more than Sl5, 1000 during those four
years, in excess of what the law, as inter-
preted by the Supreme Court, said they should
have.
In 1854 the State embarked in a system Of
internal improvements-the construction of q
number of trunk line railroads through diff
ferent sections Of the State, and during the
time that these roads were in process of con-
struction loaned its credit to various rail-
way corporations to the amount Of $25, 7O1,-
600. That credit consisted in delivering to
these various companies the bonds of the
State, or by guaranteeing the bonds of the
railroad companies and delivering them to
these companies in pursuance of the pro-
visions of law. Individuals, counties and
cities subscribed large sums towards the con-
struction of these roads, so that at the time Of
the first default in the payment of the inter-
est upon the bonds of the State the roads had
cost about S45, 900, 900.
In addition there had been given to these
roads by the State 1,S24,0OO acres of land,
which had been granted to the State by Con
gresS for the purpose of constructing these
roads. The roads made default in the pay
ment of the interest on the bonds loaned by
the State, and thereupon, by virtue of a pro-
vision of the law under which they had been
given, the roads became the property of the
State. In 1866, when the Republicans held
full sway in every part of the State, they con-
ceived the idea of selling the roads-then the
property OF the State; accordingly it was
done. But howl At the time of the sale the
Pacific Railroad owed the State
S11 ,OU0, 1000; the North Missouri Railroad,
81 600, 200; the Iron Mountain, So, 800, 900;
and large sums by the Cairo and Fulton Rail
road aud the Platte Country Road. The sale
of the Iron Mountain Road was made by three
commissioners appointed by the Governor un-
an act of the Legislature authorizing the
sale of the road, and on the Sth of November,
1866, in pursuance of notice given received
in writing for the purchase of the
road and its franchises as follows, to-wit:
From Messrs. Dinsmore & Co...........Sl,0 or, 600
W. FREMONT. .'..'--'...."'-'.. -. l,UU,oD
j. A. Sumner Il 10000
The Southeast Missouri Railroad Com
p1ny. ........-....-.-.. ............ 6OO,OU
But the road was not sold to the best bid
der, as they were required by law to do, but,
ON the contrary, knowing the great value
of the road, its franchises and appurtenances,
and the utter inability of the said Mckay to
pay the amount necessary to construct and
complete the road Zone of tho main objects to
be accomplished by the law providing for the
sale), and well knowing that Mckay was the
and worst and most irresponsible bid