Iowa Legislature

DES MOINES, March 31, 1862.

EDITOR HAWK-EYE:

One of the best things of the session “came off” Saturday, the distinguished member from Madison had introduced a bill for the protection of Young Men’s Rights – a very laudable object, to which you will not demur.  The bill provided that young men over 21 years of age, shall be entitled to hold three hundred dollars worth of property exempt from taxation.  Mr. Hardie moved to amend by striking out all after the word “hold,” and insert “a young lady of corresponding age, subject to the Revision of 1860, and he shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges usual in such cases, as long as he holds the same.”  It is needless to add that this amendment met with a most decided support and was adopted, and the bill thus amended, sent to the Senate, where, it is probable, this very plausible “protection” will be outlawed.  If so, in the name of all bachelorhood, I enter a strenuous protest.

To-day begins the last week of this session, and work is crowding upon the Houses from the Committees, and the principal part of the legislation of the session will be done in the few days left.

Although the revenue law has been amended so as to make the penalties much more severe than formerly, and in some cases amounting almost to confiscation, still indications are that there will be much difficulty in collecting sufficient revenue to meet the extraordinary expenditures to be met for the next two years, and the Executive is anxious that some still more efficient measure may be agreed upon by the Assembly before it adjourns.

The Des Moines and Coon rivers are on a tremendous high.  Many houses on the west side of the Conn are inundated.  Steamboats are arriving daily, heavily freighted with goods for the interior.

T. H. S.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 5, 1862, p. 2