IOWA. 



407 



with navigable spaces bet w. -ci i. Here, too, 

 opcrarii.ns are in pn:.rrc-s fur tin.- removal of 

 the oi>M ructions, mid $300,000 have hceii appro- 

 priated by Cmitrrc-s toward tin- accompli-h 

 inent of this ohjert. This iinmeii-c work is 

 1 on mid. T the direction of General .1. II. 

 AVil-on, and, if the ncccs-ary appropriation! are 

 made, will he completed, it is thought, in the 

 of the year IM'.'.I. The opening of unim- 

 l>edcd navigation on tho eastern border of Iowa, 



pli-hcd, will give a yet stronger im- 



to the advancement in agricultural im- 

 portance of that. State, and of others along tho 

 head-waters of the great artery of Western 

 commerce. Tho want of cheap transportation 

 for their fanning produce to the great markets 

 of tho country has long been felt in all the 

 [North 



It is within two years that Des Moines, the 

 capital of Iowa, first possessed a railroad, and it 

 is now rapidly becoming the railway centre of 



'ate. Three rival lines to Chicago are al- 

 ready near completion. The Chicago, Rock 

 Island, and Pacific Railway has nearly reached 

 Des Moines, on its way to Council Bluffs to 

 unite with the Pacific road. A railroad trav- 



; lie rich valley of the Des Moines from the 

 State capital to Keokuk, and is ultimately to 

 bo extended to Minnesota. Other lines are 

 projected to form connections with most of the 

 leading cities of the West. This system of rail- 

 ways in Iowa will be of special importance, in 

 view of the rich supply of coal within her limits, 

 to be furnished to the neighboring States. 



The Legislature of .the State, which meets 

 biennially on the second Monday in January, 

 held no session in 1867. The political parties 

 began in the spring a vigorous canvass for the 

 State election to bo held in October. The 



officers to be chosen at that election were 

 Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Judge of the 

 Supremo Court, Attorney-General, and Super- 

 intendent of PuhKc Instruction. Calls were 

 made in April, on tho part of the State Cen- 

 tral Committees of each of the leading political 

 organizations, for conventions to be held in 

 June. The Republican Convention met at Des 

 Moines, on the 19th of that mouth, and adopted 

 the following platform : 



We, the representatives of tho Republican party of 

 lute ot Iowa, in convention assembled, an- 

 nounce the following as the platform of our prin- 

 ciples : 



1. That wo again proclaim it as a cardinal principle 

 of our political faith, thut all men are equal before the 

 law, and we are in favor of such amendments to tho 

 : ution of the State of Iowa as will secure the 

 rights of the ballot, the protection of tho law, and 

 eo.ua! justice to all men, irrespective of color, race, or 

 religion. 



i i at we approve of the militarv reconstruction acts 



1 by tho Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses ; 



tho illiberal construction by unfriendly otticials 



..s these acts of their energy and vitality, we 



demand that Congress nsscmHf in July, to carr'v out, 



trr.i- :'in! original intent 



i nets thr reconstruction of the rebel States 

 upon a sure and loyal l>; 

 8. That the prompt trial and punishment, accord- 



ing to law, of the head of the lato rebellion, for his 



iiifiimi.il- crime-, is imperatively demanded for the 

 vindication of the Constitution and the laws, and for 

 the proper puiii.-hmcnt of the hij.'h.-.t crimes; it U 

 drman.ied l>y ju.-ticc, honor, and a proper regard for 

 tin- protection ot' American citizenship, and by a 

 .hie regard tor I lie welfare and future safety of the 

 Republic; and it is due, not only to the dignity of 

 tin- nation, hut in ju.-tice to the loyal people wno nave 

 been BO heroic: in their devotion to the cause of the 

 Constitution, the Union, and liberty, and to the sol- 

 diers of the Union who survive, and the memory of 

 the heroic dead. 



4. That we are in favor of the strictest economy in 



I'cnditurc of public money, and that we demand 

 at the hands of all our officials, both State and na- 

 tional, a faithful and rigidly honest administration of 

 public affairs. 



5. That the Republican members of the Congress 

 of the United States are entitled to the thanks o: the 

 nation for their firmness in resisting tho conspiracy 

 to turn over the control of the Government to the 

 hands of traitors and their allies, and in defeating 

 the purposes of a corrupt Executive, and thus sustain- 

 ing the interests of liberty, in a great and dangerous 

 crisis in our history. 



A motion was made to amend the first resolu- 

 tion so as to guarantee equal rights to all persons 

 without regard to sex ; but this moti6n was 

 laid upon the table. The convention then pro- 

 ceeded to nominate the following persons to 

 fill the offices designated above : Governor, 

 Colonel Samuel Merrill ; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Colonel John Scott; Judge of the Supreme Court, 

 Joseph M. Beck; Attorney-General, Major 

 Henry O'Connor ; Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction, D. Franklin Wells. 



The Democratic State Convention assembled 

 at Des Moines on the 2Gth of June, the prin- 

 ciples of which were embodied in the following 

 resolutions : 



Resolved, 1. That the maintenance inviolate of the 

 rights of the States, and especially the right of each 

 State to order and control its own domestic institu- 

 tions according to its own judgment exclusively, is 

 essential to that balance of power on which the per- 

 fection and endurance of our political fabric depends. 



2. That we believe each State has the right to 

 regulate the elective franchise for itself, and w^as 

 citizens of the State of Iowa, are 'opposed to striking 

 the word " white " out of our State constitution. 



8. That the existing tariff laws are unjust and 

 heavily burdensome to the agricultural States, with- 

 out being of a corresponding benefit to the Govern- 

 ment, and only of advantage to a few manufacturing 

 States, and should bo repealed or greatly modified. 



4. That all classes of property should pay a pro- 

 portionate rate toward defraying the expenses of the 

 Government. We are therefore in favor of taxing 

 Government bonds the samo as other property. 



6. That we are in favor of repealing the present 

 prohibitory liquor law of this State, and in favor 

 of enacting a well-regulated license law in lieu 

 thereof. 



6. That we arc in favor of an amendment to the 

 constitution of our State in giving to foreigners the 

 elective franchise, after they have declared their in- 

 tention to become citizens of tho United States, and 

 have resided in this State one year. 



7. That we demand of our public officers hi the 

 State of Iowa and in the United States the strictest 

 economy, in order to reduce the present system of 

 burdensome taxation, and we denounce in severest 

 terms the profligacv, corruption, and knavery of our 

 State officers and of Congress. 



8. That tho denial of the right of representation 



