362 



IOWA. 



dam for Okoboji lake, $1,000; mileage of visiting 

 committees, $766; inauguration expenses, $277: 

 additional for National Guard, $5,200; repairs for 

 Capitol, $7,100; for a silver service for the battle- 

 ship " Iowa," $5,000 ; for an exhibit at the Trans- 

 Mississippi Exposition in 1898, contingent on appro- 

 priation of $250,000 by the Government and $500,- 

 000 by Nebraska, $10.000. 



The report of the Code Commission appointed by 

 the twenty-fifth General Assembly was made to the 

 twenty-sixth this year, and some work was done 

 upon it by committees ; but as the revision makes 

 material changes in the law relating to insurance, 

 building and loan, and other corporations, the 

 time of the regular session was insufficient to com- 

 plete its consideration in addition to the ordinary 

 work of the Legislature, and therefore a demand 

 was made early in the year for an extra session for 

 this special work. The" Legislature passed a concur- 

 rent resolution asking the Governor to call the 

 extra session. This he did by proclamation Nov. 7, 

 naming as subjects to be acted upon the code re- 

 port and the provision for replacing the buildings 

 of State institutions that had been destroyed. The 

 extra session was to begin Jan. 19, 1897. 



Political. The results of the city elections, 

 March 2, were generally favorable to the Republic- 

 ans, though there were Democratic gains in some 

 places. Burlington, which has usually been Demo- 

 cratic by about 500, elected a Republican Mayor by 

 about 400. 



The Republican State Convention for choosing 

 delegates to the national convention met at DCS 

 Moines March 11. A set of resolutions proposing 

 Senator W. B. Allison as candidate for President 

 was adopted unanimously. 



The convention for nomination of State officers 

 was held July 15 at Des Moines. The platform 

 was devoted to national issues the tariff and the 

 currency. It approved the St. Louis platform, and 

 said further : 



" We recognize the revolutionary character of the 

 convention lately held in Chicago. We appreciate 

 the dangers of its startling doctrines and the im- 

 measurable disasters that would follow their adop- 

 tion by the Government. We have seen the ruin 

 accomplished by the free-trade declaration of 1892, 

 and we have now heard a demand that the ruin 

 shall be made complete by the overthrow of our 

 financial system and the substitution of an experi- 

 ment that can result only in untold misery and in- 

 calculable loss." 



The ticket follows : For Secretary of State, G. L. 

 Dobson : for Auditor of State, C. G. M'Carthy ; for 

 Treasurer of State, John Herriott ; for Attorney- 

 General, Milton Remley ; for Railroad Commissioner 

 (both terms), E. A. Dawson ; for Judge of Supreme 

 Court, Scott M. Ladd. 



The Prohibitionists met in convention May 13 

 at Des Moines with 300 delegates. The resolutions 

 declared in favor of free coinage at the ratio of 

 16 to 1, independent of the action of the other na- 

 tions, of woman suffrage, of an income-tax law, of 

 arbitration to settle international disputes, of Sun- 

 day observance, of the initiative and referendum, 

 of restricted immigration, and of Government con- 

 trol of railroads, telegraphs, and the like. It op- 

 posed appropriations for sectarian schools and the 

 teaching of foreign languages in the public schools. 

 On State issues it demanded tax reform, nonparti- 

 san control of public institutions, and legislation to 

 regulate charges of railway, telegraph, telephone, 

 and express companies. On the subject of liquor 

 laws, it declared that so-called regulation by license, 

 mulct, or taxation is complicity with crime and 

 corrupting to the public conscience, and that no 

 party not openly opposing the traffic can be relied 



upon to resist the liquor interest. Of the State 

 mulct law it saiil : 



' We denounce in unmeasured terms the so-called 

 mulct law of this State, and we arraign the Repub- 

 lican party which enacted it for perfidy and treach- 

 ery to the vote of the sovereign people cast for 

 prohibition June 27, 1882, and we declare that no 

 one, layman or priest, is worthy of the public con- 

 fidence of the people who aided or abetted the 

 enactment of this infamous statute or who now 

 palliates its continuance." 



William G. Wright was nominated for Secretary 

 of State, J. W.' Wonders for Auditor, E. J. Bye for 

 Treasurer, Samuel Holmes for Justice of the Su- 

 preme Court, F. M. Ford for Attorney-General, and 

 William Pelle for Railroad Commissioner. C. E. 

 Board man was afterward made the candidate for 

 Attorney-General. 



The convention of the People's party for choosing 

 delegates to the national convention was held April 

 22 at Des Moines, with the largest attendance in its 

 history. The majority of the committee on resolu- 

 tions submitted the following only : 



" That the delegates to the St. Louis convention 

 be instructed to do all in their power to secure a 

 union of all reform forces on a common ticket or a 

 platform embodying the fundamental principles of 

 the Omaha platform, and in addition recommend 

 the adoption of the initiative and referendum." 



Another convention was held at the same place 

 Sept. 10, and a platform favoring free coinage and 

 other principles of the party was adopted, and the 

 nomination of Bryan and Sewall was approved. 

 No State ticket was formed, an agreement having 

 already been made to unite with the Democrats on 

 the ticket placed in nomination Aug. 12. 



The Democratic State Convention for choosing 

 delegates to Chicago took place May 20 at Dubuque. 

 A large majority of the counties had sent free- 

 coinage delegations, and on the vote to adopt the 

 platform to that effect presented by the majority 

 of the Committee on Resolutions there were about 

 675 in its favor to about 270 for the minority report 

 against free coinage. The delegates to the national 

 convention were instructed to nominate ex-Gov. 

 Horace Boies for the presidency, and the unit rule 

 was adopted. The resolutions favored the appoint- 

 ment of a Cabinet officer to be known as Secretary 

 of Labor. 



The convention for naming candidates for State 

 offices was held Aug. 12 at Ottumwa. According 

 to agreement, a fusion ticket was arranged, one elect- 

 or at large and two district electors being chosen 

 from the People's party, as well as the candidate for 

 Auditor. It was desired to unite all free-coinage ad- 

 vocates of whatever party. A free-silver Republican 

 was nominated for Railroad Commissioner for the 

 long term. One nomination for member of Con- 

 gress was given to the Populists, and one to the sil- 

 ver nonpartisans. Following is the ticket : For 

 Secretary of State, L. H. Carr ; Auditor of State, G. 

 W. Davis; Attorney-General, William D. Boies; 

 Treasurer, Charles Ruegnitz ; Supreme Judge, R. L. 

 Bolter; Railroad Commissioner (long term), Amos 

 Steckel ; Railroad Commissioner (short term), 

 Thomas J. Denson. 



The platform approved the action of the Chicago 

 convention and invited all voters, irrespective of 

 past party affiliations, to unite in the effort to secure 

 financial 'relief for the country. 



The gold Democrats held a conference Aug. 7, 

 and decided to meet in State convention in order to 

 adopt a platform in accordance with their views 

 and choose delegates to the Indianapolis conven- 

 tion. About 700 delegates were present at the Des 

 Moines convention, Aug 26. Delegates to Indian- 

 apolis and electors were chosen, and resolutions 



