450 



IOWA. 



The total operating expenses of the roads in the 

 State are $12,565,950.33, varying from $1.44 

 per train mile run to 75 cts. The difference be- 

 tween the operating expenses and the earnings 

 is $8148,545.34. The expenses of six roads 

 exceed their gross earnings. Fifteen roads 

 sho\v an excess of earnings after deducting 

 operating expenses, interest, taxes, and rental, 

 amounting to $4,923,687.81 ; the other roads 

 a deficit of $508,636.40 ; net income, $4,415,- 

 001 41 add to which the rent of leased roads 

 above interest, etc., $1,180,172.40, making 

 $5,595,173.81, a net earning per mile on the 

 entire lines in the State of $1,345.98. The 

 total amount of taxes paid is $594,912.65. 

 The companies own 2,953'88 miles of road run 

 by them; 1,203*27 are leased and run mainly 

 by foreign corporations. The total number of 

 niiles of steel rails laid on roads is 905-54. 

 The total number of wooden bridges is 1,219, 

 the length being 139,552 feet; of iron, 54, in 

 length 13,942 feet; of trestle and pile bridges, 

 5,386, in length 527,904 feet; of stone bridges 

 and culverts, 333, the length 5,596 feet. The 

 total number of miles of fence built is 3,890; 

 the number required, 2,738. The number of 

 locomotives used is 976, four fifths of them 

 weighing over 40 tons. The total number of 

 passengers carried in the year was 7,511,770 ; 

 carried one mile, 280,274,228 ; tons of freight 

 carried, 6,804,338 ; carried one mile, 1,514,983,- 

 462. Of this tonnage, 31 per cent, was grain, 

 5 per cent, flour, 1 per cent, provisions, 8 per 

 cent, animals, 18 per cent, lumber and forest 

 products, 10 per cent, coal, 1 per cent, salt, 2 per 

 cent, iron and steel, 2 per cent, stone and brick, 

 1 per cent, manufactured articles, and 20 per 

 cent, merchandise. The average rate of trans- 

 portation of passengers is 3 cts. per mile. 

 During the year 17 passengers were killed from 

 causes beyond their control, 3 from their own 

 carelessness ; 6 employees from causes beyond 

 their control, 23 from their own carelessness; 

 of others there were 3 killed at stations and 

 highway crossings, 22 walking on track and 

 trespassing, and 6 stealing rides. Total num- 

 ber killed, 80 ; injured, 223. The Iowa roads 

 have received from land grants by Congress to 

 aid in their construction, 4,069,942*56 acres. 



A new State Capitol has been in course of 

 construction for some years. Its greatest 

 length will be 263 feet, and its greatest width 

 246 feet. It is estimated to cost not far from 

 $2,000,000. The sums expended on it have 

 been as follows : during the first year of con- 

 struction, and up to December 31, 1873, $374,- 

 325.88; in 1874, $264,524.26; in 1875, $210,- 

 649.86; in 1876, $275,000; in 1877, $225,000. 

 Thns far the total expenditures have been $1,- 



A convention to organize a State Liberal 

 League, to cooperate with the National Liber- 

 al League, assembled at Des Moines on March 

 3th. Twelve counties were represented. A 

 constitution was approved, officers were chosen, 

 and the folio whig resolutions adopted: 



Resolved by the Liberal League of the State of Iowa, 

 in Convention assembled : 



1. That the exemption of church property from 

 taxation is unconstitutional under the provisions of 

 the Constitution of Iowa, which reads as follows : 

 " The General Assembly shall not grant to any citi- 

 zen or class of citizens rights, privileges, or immu- 

 nities which shall not upon the same terms be 

 equally shared by all citizens." 



2. That the exemption of church property from 

 taxation is unconstitutional under the provisions of 

 the Federal and State Constitutions, which provide 

 that no person shall be compelled to support any 

 religion or church. 



3. That the Sabbatarian laws are unconstitutional 

 and void, and are impossible of execution, being op- 

 posed to natural law ; that no one should be com- 

 pelled to labor or not labor on any day. 



4. That a republic should never create by law a 

 privileged class, for the reason that privileged class- 

 es always become tyrannical, and it is the duty of 

 a republic to make all its citizens equal before the 

 law. 



5. That we would most scrupulously respect the 

 right of church-goers to enjoy their worship at any 

 time unmolested; and that we demand that they 

 equally respect the right of those who do not wish 

 to join them to enjoy themselves with equal freedom 

 at all times. 



6. That the Bible being regarded as a book of sa- 

 cred character and religious authority by only a part 

 of the people, it is to all intents and purposes a sec- 

 tarian book ; therefore we protest against its use in 

 the public schools. 



Resolved, That we deny the right of any civil offi- 

 cers, as such, to take any notice of any religious days, 

 festivals, or observances. 



Resolved, That the employment of chaplains, as 

 such, and the payment for their religious services by 

 the civil authorities, and at the cost of the public, is 

 but an adroit evasion of the Federal and State Con- 

 stitutions, which forbid the compelling of citizens to 

 support religious services against their will. 



The National Greenback State Convention 

 assembled at Des Moines on April 10th, and 

 organized by the election of E. N. Gates as 

 President. The nominations of candidates 

 were as follows : For Secretary of State, J. B. 

 Welsh ; for State Treasurer, M. L. Devin ; for 

 Auditor of State, G. V. Swearingen; for Reg- 

 ister of Land Office, M. Farrington; for At- 

 torney-General, C. H. Jackson ; for Judge of 

 the Supreme Court, J. C. Knapp. The fol- 

 lowing platform was unanimously adopted : 



Whereas, Throughout our entire country the value 

 of real estate is depreciated, industry paralyzed, 

 trade depressed, business income and wages re- 

 duced, unparalleled distress inflicted upon the poor- 

 er and middle ranks of our people, the land filled 

 with fraud, embezzlement, bankruptcy, crime, suf- 

 fering, pauperism, and starvation ; and 



Whereas, This state of things has been brought 

 about by legislation in the interest of and dictated 

 by money-lenders, bankers, and bondholders ; and 



Whereas, The limiting of the legal-tender quality 

 of greenbacks, the changing of currency bonds into 

 coin bonds, the demonetizing of the silver dollar, 

 the exempting of bonds from taxation, the contrac- 

 tion of the circulating medium, the proposed forced 

 resumption of specie payments, and the prodigal 

 waste of the public lands, were crimes against the 

 people, and so far as possible the results of these 

 criminal acts must be counteracted by judicious leg- 

 islation : 



1. We demand the unconditional repeal of the 

 specie resumption act of January 14, 1875, and the 



