IOWA. 



441 



IOWA. The election of a Governor and 

 Legislature in Iowa in 1865 gave rise to an 

 animated political canvass during the summer 

 and autumn, the main question involved in 

 which was the extension of the elective fran- 

 chise to the colored population of the State. 

 In August a soldiers' convention, which was 

 largely attended, met at Des Moines, and nom- 

 inated a State ticket, composed of officers re- 

 cently in the national .service, and headed by 

 the name of General Thomas H. Benton for 

 Governor. As the convention was ostensibly 

 called and controlled by opponents of colored 

 suffrage, it passed strong resolutions against 

 the adoption of such a measure, and issued an 

 address to the "soldiers of Iowa who are op- 

 posed to negro suffrage," urging them to support 

 the candidates nominated by it. The Demo- 

 cratic convention, which assembled at the same 

 time and place as the above, made no nomina- 

 tion, but endorsed the candidates and resolu- 

 tions of the soldiers' convention. In a letter 

 accepting the nomination, General Benton 

 avowed himself a Republican, and an opponent 

 of negro suffrage, on the ground that the period 

 had not arrived for so radical a change in the 

 political organization of the .State, and that 

 such a change would prove, under existing cir- 

 cumstances, detrimental rather than beneficial 

 to the colored race. 



The Republican Convention renominated 

 Governor Stone for office, and among other 

 resolutions adopted one in favor of making the 

 elective franchise conditional only upon loyalty 

 to the Constitution and the Union, and recog- 

 nizing the equality of all men before the law. 

 An additional resolution, recommending an 

 amendment to the Constitution of the State, so 

 as to give the elective franchise to colored men, 

 was adopted by a large majority. 



The election took place on the second Mon- 

 day of October, and resulted in the return of 

 William M. Stone by a majority of about 

 16,500 over General Benton. The remaining 

 candidates on the Republican ticket received 

 majorities of 20,000 and upwards. Governor 

 Stone received a smaller majority than his asso- 

 ciates on the Republican ticket, from the fact 

 that he was more strongly committed than they 

 in favor of negro suffrage. The Legislature 

 elected stood as follows : 



Senate. 



Republicans 43 



Democrats 5 



15 



Joint ballot. 



126 



20 



Republican majority, 88 68 106 



The total amount received into the treasury 

 during the fiscal year ending November 4th, 

 1865, was $977,825.10, and the amount expend- 

 ed for all purposes daring the same period 

 was $952,739.42, leaving a balance in the treas- 

 ury of $25,085.68. During the war a tax of 

 but two mills on the dollar was levied for State 

 purposes, and a total indebtedness of only $300,- 

 000 was incurred, which was for military expen- 

 ditures soon after the outbreak of hostilities. 

 The total amount of State revenue derivable 



from a general levy of two mills, and from 

 other sources for the ensuing biennial period, 13 

 estimated at $1,311,005.87, and the disburse- 

 ments at $794,923.65, leaving a probable bal- 

 ance of $516,079.22 to the credit of the State. 

 The debt of the State is exhibited hi the follow- 

 ing table : 



Borrowed from permanent School Fund $122.295.73 



Loan payable January, 1868 200,000.00 



War and Defence Bonds, payable in 1881 300,000.00 



Total State debt $622,295.75 



In respect to the number of troops raised by 

 her during the war, the record of Iowa is a 

 highly honorable one. Not only were all her 

 quotas promptly filled by volunteers, but on 

 January 25, 1865, she was credited by the 

 provost marshal general with an excess of 

 12,080 men over all calls. At the convention 

 of State Adjutant-generals held in Boston in 

 July, 1865, the representative of Iowa reported 

 the whole number of men furnished for differ- 

 ent terms of service, of all arms, at 72,348, 

 leaving five regiments and one battalion nn- 

 credited. According to the returns of the 

 provost marshal general the aggregate of men 

 furnished by the State was 75,860, which is 

 equivalent to 68,182 men reduced to a three 

 years' standard. By an official statement ren- 

 dered in October last it appears that the total 

 amount of claims of the State against the United 

 States for expenses incurred in raising and 

 equipping troops, which are properly chargea- 

 ble against the General Government, is about 

 $616,739.07, of which $20,825 had been 

 allowed, $430,326.70 suspended, and $165,- 

 589.23 disallowed. Against these claims the 

 United States are entitled to a credit of $484,- 

 274.80 on account of direct Federal taxes and 

 money advanced in settlement of military dis- 

 bursements. A final settlement between the 

 State and General Government has yet to be 

 made. 



The population of Iowa, according to the 

 census of 1863, was as follows: 



Total number of whites 700,842 



Total number of blacks 1,320 



Total population 702,163 



According to the census of 1865, the popu- 

 lation is as follows : 



Total number of whites 751,125 



Total number of blacks 3,607 



Total population 754,732 



This report does not include returns from the 

 county of Winneshiek. The census having 

 been taken in the early part of the year, the 

 emigration which set in largely after the termi- 

 nation of the war is necessarily excluded. The 

 total population at the commencement of 1866 

 was estimated by Gov. Stone at 775,000, an 

 increase of 100,000, or about 14 per cent, over 

 the United States census of 1860. From the 

 returns of the census taken the following statis- 

 tics are derived : The blind number 259, deaf 

 and dumb 376, insane 613. The total num- 

 ber of dwelling-houses in the State is 114,351. 



