The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-10-03

gNleAssaEIlI5lIs Is1|
( financiai end 81 the u ~ busins
and the great showing his depart
ment has made. he Is entitled to the
confidence and support Of all citisens.
irrespective of politics.
State Treasurer.
The interest received from state
deposits during the four years that
the Hon. ]. F. Gmelich was State
Treasurer amounted to the total
sum of $3.50, 477.49. The receipts from
the interest on state deposits during
the term Of Hon. Jas. Cowgirl. Dem.
ocrat, as State Treasurer, to Sep
TENDER /, 1912, already total $347.
561.30. Thus for the three years and
eight months of his term Judge Cow.
gill has collected $5S,0S3.81 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 100000
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
$475, 1888, which was collected by
a Democratic state administration
from the United States government.
It. was received April /, 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-Gener
l 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 IL
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 |
or not 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
he United States, which is greater
number of cases in that tribunal than
he entire number handled by all the
other Accomplishments since Mis-
souri, was admitted to the Union.
That is more cases than the Attor-
leys-General from the other forty
even states have had in that court
Turing the time have been in office,
We have had forty-six cases in the
United States District Courts, some
hirty-odd original suits in the Su-
IRENE Court of Missouri, and more
han four hundred criminal cases.
During this time we wrote fifteen
hundred opinions, as against six hun
red and twenty-nine written by my
PREDECESSOR during the four years he
vas in office.
Out of this great volume of bust
less there were many important
asses and matters which materially
ffected the entire citizenship of Mis-
ouri.
Stamp Act or DoweII Law.
Among the more important cases
yhich we have conducted might be
lentioned the one involving the
lamp act or Dowell law. This act
equired twenty-five cent stamp to
9 placed upon the memoranda of GER
lin sales made at certain places and
known as futures. This law
as passed in 1907 but had not been
bserved.
The law was attacked on the ground
lat it was unconstitutional. After a
onviction was had in the lower
ourt, upon appeal to the Supreme
curt of Missouri we sustained it's ,,
onstitutionality by a divided opinion. :.
he case was carried to the Supreme
curt of the United States upon writ !,
error and there we sustained the ..
w by unanimous decision. :
We then visited the exchanges in
t. Louis and Kansas City, in COM
my with the Auditor, and collected 9
one time a fraction less than $780,
900 from those who had failed to
,serve the law, and placed that sum
the treasury of the state to the :
edit of the road fund. The proceeds :.
ON the enforcement of this law now :.
Mount to over $100,O00.00, and are =
creasing at the rate Of practically !.
10000 per day. This is our official ),
to the good road move =
ent in the State of Missouri.
Harvester Trust. n
The Legislature ip 1907 passed a a
demanding that Attorney v
sneral Hadley institute suit against n
e harvester trust. Suit was in O