IOWA. 



453 



gerous to the peace of the country nnd to the per- 

 manence of the Union. 



14. That it is not only the right but the duty of 

 every good citizen, at the party caucuses, in the party 

 conventions, and at the polls, to use his best efforts 

 to secure the nomination and election of good men to 

 places of official trust; and we disapprove or' all in- 

 terference with the perfect freedom of action of any 

 citizen in the exercise of said right and in the dis- 

 charge of said duty. 



15. That personal temperance is a most commend- 

 able virtue in a people ; and the practical popular 

 movement now active throughout the State for the 

 promotion of temperance has our most profound re- 

 spect, sympathy, and approval. 



16. That we demand the most rigid economy in 

 all departments of the public service, and rigid re- 

 trenchment in all public expenses in all possible di- 

 rections, and the reduction of taxation to the lowest 

 limits consistent with efficient public service. In 

 the direction of such economy and retrenchment we 

 heartily commend the action of the last Republican 

 Legislature in reducing the expenses of the State in 

 the sum of $400,000, and this example set by the 

 State should be followed in all other departments 

 of our Government. 



17. That the Republican party of Iowa demands 

 an honest, faithful, careful, and efficient discharge 

 of duty by all officers, whether Federal, State, coun- 

 ty, or municipal, and requires a full, fair, impartial, 

 and searching investigation into the official conduct 

 of all officials and the business of all officers, with- 

 out regard to party or personal association ; and 

 whenever or wherever fraud and dishonesty are die- 

 covered the Republican party of Iowa demands the 

 prompt punishment of the guilty parties. " Let no 

 guilty man escape." 



The State election was held on October 8th. 

 Votes were cast at this election for members 

 of Congress, State officers, and members of 

 the State Legislature. As the time for the 

 election approached a diversity of opinion be- 

 gan to manifest itself in relation to the time 

 when members of Congress should be elected. 

 The law of Congress requires the election to be 

 held on the same day in all the States, viz., on 

 the Tuesday after the first Monday in Novem- 

 ber. But this law also contains an exception 

 relative to States whose Constitution provides 

 otherwise, so that a change in the Constitution 

 of a State is necessary to make the general 

 election of State officers conform to the rules. 

 The Constitution of Iowa only fixed the day of 

 the first general election of State officers in 

 October of the year 1857, for a part, and 1858 

 for a part, so as to determine the beginning of 

 official terms and harmonize them, consequent 

 upon the abolition of the prior August and 

 April elections. It did not go beyond 1859, 

 or fix any date beyond that. The question, 

 therefore, is whether the Constitution thereby 

 fixed the day of general elections in the future, 

 or intended that the Legislature should do it. 

 The Constitution says in one place that the 

 General Assembly and Governor and the Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor shall be elected in October, 

 except in the year of Presidential election, 

 when it shall be in November. In another 

 place it says the first election for these offices 

 shall be in 1857, an odd number year, so that 

 the election of Governor does not come in 

 the Presidential year at all. After full con- 



sideration of the subject, Governor Gear de- 

 cided to call only the election in October, and 

 the opinion of a majority of his legal advisers 

 sustained this decision. The question presents 

 a different aspect from the case of Colorado 

 (see COLORADO), and arises from an ambiguity 

 in the State Constitution, which was adopted 

 many years before the passage of the act of 

 Congress. The decision of the Governor was 

 also that he would not call an extra session of 

 the Legislature, as the Constitution required 

 but one election, and that it be held in Octo- 

 ber in all years except when a President is to 

 be chosen. Each of the three parties presented 

 a candidate for Congress in each district ex- 

 cept the 6th and 7th, and the result of the elec- 

 tion was as follows : 



Seven Republicans and two Nationals were 

 elected. 



Previous to the election for State officers a 

 consolidation of the Democratic and Green- 

 back tickets was made, by which the candi- 

 dates were as follows : for Secretary of State, 

 E. M. Farnsworth, Greenback; for Auditor, 

 Joseph Eiboeck, Democrat ; for Treasurer, M. 

 L. Devin, Greenback ; for Register, M. Far- 

 rington, Greenback ; for Judge of the Supreme 

 Court, J. C. Knapp, Democrat ; for Attorney- 

 General, John Gibbons, Democrat; for Clerk, 

 Alexander Runyon, Democrat ; for Reporter, 

 John B. Elliott, Democrat. The result of the 

 election was as follows : 



SECRETARY OF STATE. 



Hall, Eepublican 134.544 



Farnsworth, Fusion 123,577 



Walker, Democrat 1,302 



AUDITOR OF STATE. 



Sherman, Eepublican 184,067 



Eiboeck, Fusion 119,223 



Swearingea, Democrat 7,675 



TREASURER OF STATE. 



Bemis, Eepublican 184,279 



Devin, Fusion 123,541 



Fenn, Democrat 1,300 



REGISTER OF LAND OFFICE. 



Powers, Eepublican , 184,757 



Farrington, Fusion 124,812 



Bardwell, Democrat 1,277 



ATTORNEY-GENERAL. 



McJunkin, Eepublican 134,056 



Gibbons, Fusion 118,800 



Jackson, Democrat 7,467 



JUDGE OF SUPREME COURT. 



Eothrock, Eepublican... 134,833 



Knapp, Fusion 126,389 



CLERK OF SUPREME COURT. 



Holmes, Eepublican ... 131,329 



Ennyon, Fusion 120,344 



Gannon, Democrat 1,145 



