IOWA. 



445 



mined by the national census of this year, com- 

 pared with similar returns for 1880. 



* Decrease. 



County Debts. The total debt of Iowa coun- 

 ties for 1890 was $3 643_814, of which all but 

 $426,963 was a bonded debt. The increase of 

 the total debt in ten years has been only $651.- 

 241. Of the 99 counties in the State, 36 are 

 without debt. 



Legislative Session. The twenty-third Gen- 

 eral Assembly convened for its regular session 

 on Jan. 13. A prompt organization of the Sen- 

 ate was effected, the Republicans having a ma- 

 jority of six in that body ; but the House was 

 not permanently organized for more than five 

 weeks. This delay was caused by the presence 

 in the latter body of two factions, each having 

 fifty votes (the Republicans on one side and an 

 alliance of Democrats, Union Labor men. and 

 Independents on the other side) neither of which 

 was willing to concede the speakership to the 

 other. On the first day 'of the session confer- 

 rees of the two factions agreed upon a basis for 

 temporary organization, which conceded the Re- 

 publican claim to the speakership, but the Dem- 

 ocrats and their allies in caucus refused to ratify 

 the agreement and would accept no compromise 

 that did not concede that office to them. Nearly 

 100 ballots were taken without result for a tem- 

 porary clerk, the first officer to be chosen, before 

 either side weakened. On Jan. 27 an agreement 

 was reached, by which the Democrats named the 

 temporary Speaker and the Republicans the 

 temporary clerk, and the minor officers were 

 equitably divided. The following was an im- 

 portant part of the agreement : 



That at no time from the acceptance of this propo- 

 sition to the final adjournment of the House of said 

 twenty -third General Assembly, and at no time dur- 

 ing the session of said House, will either party pre- 

 vent from voting, unseat, or offer or consider any prop- 

 osition to unseat any one whose name appears on the 

 list prepared by the Secretary of the State of Iowa, and 

 now in use in the roll calls of this body, on account of 

 any obiection to the apportionment act of the twenty- 

 third General Assembly, creating the district from 

 which he was elected. 



The temporary organization was no sooner 

 complete than a similar contest began over per- 

 manent officers. Having yielded once, the Re- 

 publicans were in no mood to concede the per- 

 manent speakership to their opponents. Nego- 

 tiations were without avail, and ballot after 

 ballot was taken without result. Finally, on 

 Feb. 19, after half the session had been wasted 

 and the pressure of public business demanding 

 attention could no longer be resisted, another 

 agreement was made, in which the Republicans 

 again yielded the principal office to their oppo- 

 nents, 'obtaining in return the clerkship, nearly 



