Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1912-09-26


ment has made, he is entitled to the
confidence and support of all citizens,
irrespective of politics.
State Treasurer.
The interest received from state
deposits during the four years that
the Hon. J. F. Gmelich was State
Treasurer amounted to the total
sum Of S2S9,477.49. The receipts from
the interest on state deposits during
the term of Hon. Jas. Cowgirl, DEM
ocrat, as State Treasurer, to Sep
tember l, 1912, already total S347,-
5G1.30. Thus for the three years and
eight months of his term Judge Cow
gill has collected S5S,OS3.S1 more in
terest on the public moneys and
turned same into the state treasury
than did Treasurer Gmelich during
his entire term of four years. By the
end of his term Judge Cowgirl will
have collected at least $S000000
more interest during his term than
did Treasurer Gmelich during his
term, or an excess average OF $780,
10000 per year. Treasurer Gmelich
had the advantage during the greater
part of his term of having included
in the states deposits the sum of
S475.19S13, which was collected by
a Democratic state administration
from the United States government.
1t was received April l, 1905, and
held in the treasury until September
10, 1907, at which date it was paid
out under proper appropriation to
the several counties in the state.
Attorney-General.
In the office of Attorney-General
/ have endeavored to discharge the
duties with efficiency and dispatch.
Never before in the history Of the
state has the business of the de-
partment become so important and
so great in volume. Suits pending
when | came into office and those in
stituted by me have demanded that
for the public good certain interests
be prosecuted and certain laws main
tanned. l unhesitatingly made the
fight and enforced the laws. AS to
whether or not l have given good
account of the stewardship, the record
must speak for itself
Since my incumbency the business
of the department has increased fully
fifty per cent. We have had forty
nine cases in the Supreme Court of
the United States, which is a greater
number of cases in that tribunal than
the entire number handled by all the
other AttOTney-Generals since Mis-
souri, was admitted to the Union.
That is more cases than the Attor-
neys-General from the other forty
seven states have had in that court
during the time | have been in office.
We have had forty-siX cases in the
United States District Courts, some
thirty-odd original suits in the SUI
preme Court of Missouri, and more
than four hundred criminal cases.
During this time We wrote fifteen
hundred opinions, as against six hun
dred and twenty-nine written by my
predecessor during the four years he
was in office.
Out of this great volume of busi-
ness there We're many important
cases and matters which materially
affected the entire citizenship of Mis-
souri,.
Stamp Act or DoweIl Law.
Among the more important cases
which we have conducted might be
mentioned the one involving the
stamp act or Dowell law. This act
required a twenty-five cent stamp to
be placed upon the memoranda of Ger.
tain sales made at certain places and
commonly known as futures. This law
was passed in 1907. but had not been
observed.
The law was attacked on the ground
that it was unconstitutional. After
conviction was had in the lower
court, upon appeal to the Supreme
Court of Missouri we sustained its
constitutiouality by a divided opinion.
The case was carried to the Supreme
Court of the United States upon writ
of error and there we sustained the
law by unanimous decision.
We then visited the exchanges in
st. Louis and Kansas City, in COM
pany with the Auditor, and collected
at one time a fraction less than $780,
10000 from those who had failed 10
observe the law, and placed that sum
in the treasury of the state to the
credit of the road fund. The proceeds
from the enforcement of this law now
amount to over $1O0,00OO0, and are
increasing at the rate of practically
$4,000 per day. This is our official
contribution to the good road move
ment in the State of Missouri.
AarveSter Trust