UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



697 



insurance companies paid $95,000 in fees and 

 $382,165.22 in taxes. 



Railways. Iowa is credited with 207 miles of 

 new railway in 1900. The greater portion of it 

 has been built by the Northwestern and Rock 

 Island, the former having added 133 miles and 

 the Rock Island 105 miles. The remainder was 

 built by the Minneapolis and St. Louis and the 

 Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern in mak- 

 ing short branches. The whole mileage is 9,185. 



The rates of taxes paid on gross earnings, net 

 earnings, and on actual assessments in 1901 are 

 given as, respectively, 0.030, 0.097, and 0.034. 



Products and Industries. The final official 

 report of the national Department of Agriculture 

 on the chief cereals grown in the United States in 

 1900 proves that Iowa is the first State in this 

 respect, having produced 21,798,223 bushels of 

 wheat, 305,859,948 bushels of corn, and 130,772,- 

 138 bushels of oats. 



The year 1901 has been much less productive in 

 cereals. An estimate by the crop correspondent 

 of the State weather and crop service, Oct. 1, 

 shows an average yield of 26 bushels of corn to 

 the acre, or a total of 225,570,000 bushels, which 

 is about 35,000,000 less than the State average for 

 the twelve years next preceding. 



The beet-sugar product in 1900 was 5,687 tons, 

 worth $19,904. During the year ending July 1, 

 1901, the State produced 65,404,842 pounds of 

 butter, worth, at the average market rate of 21.65 

 cents a pound, about $14,160,000. Of the amount 

 57,761,612 pounds were shipped out of the State. 

 Of this, more than 35,000,000 pounds went to New 

 York, probably for transshipment abroad. Rec- 

 ords, the commissioner says, show that shipments 

 have been made of Iowa butter even to Australia. 

 There are 1,382,242 cows in the State, 675,000 of 

 which are connected with creameries, and their 

 value is $37,420,392. The number of creameries 

 reporting was 551. 



The Census Bureau issued a preliminary report 

 on the manufacturing industries of the State, 

 Sept. 20. The figures, with per cent, of increase 

 since 1890, follow: Establishments, 14,819; per 

 cent, of increase, 99. Wage-earners, average num- 

 ber, 58,553; per cent., 15. Total wages, $23,931,- 

 600; per cent., 17. Miscellaneous expenses, $7,- 

 988,767; per cent., 39. Cost of materials used, 

 $101,170,357; per cent., 28. Value of products, 

 including custom work and repairing, $164,617,- 

 877; per cent., 32. 



The coal production in 1900 was 85,202,939 

 short tons, with a spot value of $7,155,341, a pro- 

 duction almost exactly equal to that of the State 

 during the previous year. 



Court Decisions. The so-called " tax-ferret 

 law " has been brought before the courts by per- 

 sons against whom assessments have been made 

 for back taxes on property discovered by the 

 " ferrets " that is, men employed by boards of 

 supervisors to search for property omitted from 

 back assessments. In October the Supreme Court 

 sustained the constitutionality of the law. 



The decision apparently does not touch the 

 question whether county authorities have the 

 right to pay commissions to the ferrets employed 

 out. of the taxes so collected a question which 

 has been before the district courts. 



In the United States district court, at Clarinda, 

 Oct. 28, the law prohibiting the sale of liquor 

 shipped into Iowa from other States in original 

 packages was declared unconstitutional. 



A college of osteopathy, in Des Moines, was 

 successful in a suit before one of the lower courts 

 involving the law providing that the State Board 

 of Medical Examiners shall issue certificates to 



graduates of school, < , osteopathy which are in 

 good standing as sm.-h. The eh.inn m^-d by the 

 demurrer wen; that, the hi , . .,- UM, -on-tii .utional 

 and that the board is soh- Etrbiter of the admin- 

 istration of the law. 



Dedication of a Monument, i ', \Vo,ncriV 

 Relief Corps of Iowa dedici ,.|,i. [^ tin- 



monument which they have ereeini n\ the na- 

 tional cemetery at Gettysburg to the memory 

 of Jennie Wade, the only woman killH <lurin"' 

 the battle. The shaft is 12 feet in height ;.,,-! ," 

 surmounted by a statue of Jennie Wade. Th-: 

 inscription on the face of the monument is: " .Jen 

 nie Wade, killed July 3, 1803, while making Im-a-l 

 for Union soldiers." On the opposite side ap- 

 pears: "Erected by the Women's Relief Corps of 

 Iowa, A. D. 1901." 



Political. The Republican State Convention 

 met at Cedar Rapids, Aug. 7. The party was 

 divided into factions which were opposed on the 

 candidates for the nomination for the office of 

 Governor. Gov. Shaw declined early in the year 

 to be considered a candidate for a third term; 

 and many others were named and urged by their 

 friends. Albert B. Cummins was nominated on 

 the first ballot. For the remaining offices the 

 following were named: Lieutenant-Governor, 

 John Herriott ; Judge of the Supreme Court, Silas 

 M. Weaver; Railroad Commissioner, Edward C. 

 Brown; Superintendent of Instruction, Richard 

 C. Barrett. 



The platform expressed approval of the Na- 

 tional administration and the work of Congress; 

 condemned the measures adopted in certain States 

 for negro disf ranchisement ; declared that the Re- 

 publican policy of protection was the cause of the 

 rapid development of our national resources; fa- 

 vored changes in the tariff to meet changing con- 

 ditions, and also favored reciprocity; recommend- 

 ed reelection of United States Senators Allison 

 and Dolliver; expressed pride -in the elevation of 

 Speaker Henderson; and commended the admin- 

 istration of Gov. Shaw. 



The Democrats met in State convention, at 

 Des Moines, Aug. 21. Following is the ticket: 

 For Governor, T. J. Phillips; Lieutenant-Govern- 

 or, G. E. Ferguson; Supreme Judge, John Short- 

 ley; Railroad Commissioner, A. C. Brice; Super- 

 intendent of Schools, W. P. Johnson. 



The declaration of principles included the fol- 

 lowing : 



" The Democratic party believes that the burden 

 of taxation should be borne equally by all tax- 

 able property subject to the jurisdiction of the 

 State. We pledge our members of the General 

 Assembly to formulate and urge the adoption of 

 such a law as will compel the burden of taxation 

 to rest on corporate and individual property alike. 

 without favor or exemption of any interests. 



" We demand economy in the administration of 

 State affairs, the repeal of the mulct laws, the 

 enactment of a local option law, the abolition of 

 the offices of State printer and State binder, and 

 the contracting for supplies for the State with the 

 lowest responsible bidders." 



The People's party, in convention at East Des 

 Moines, Aug. 23, chose the following candidates: 

 For Governor, L. H. Weller ; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Perry Engle ; Supreme Judge, J. R. McDonald ; 

 Railroad Commissioner, Luke McDowell; State 

 Superintendent, Ira C. Harland. 



The resolutions, after setting forth the evils of 

 trusts, the power of railroad companies, the grant- 

 ing of franchises, etc., said: 



" We extend our sympathy to all peoples strug- 

 gling to establish more representative forms of 

 government and we condemn the concerted action 



