IOWA. 



010 



animation of the workings of tho system, I am measure crops oat at the northern line of the 



clear in tho opinion that, instead of increasing "- 1 T * *"-- - *' 



supervi-iini,' boards, the best thing to do, in tho 

 interest of good government and economy, 

 would he to reduce the number of boards." 

 The following shows the debt of the coun- 

 iti.-;, and school districts on January 1, 

 1879, so far as returua have been made : 



90 counties $2,876,536 04 



15 cities 2,598,68048 



853 school district! 1,187,158 00 



Total 16,167,374 43 



equal to about 1J per cent, of the assessed 

 value of the State. The above is $1,000,000 

 less than in 1869, and $2,500,000 less than the 

 same debts amounted to in 1873. 



The amount of risks written during the last 

 insurance year in Iowa, ending February 1st, 

 was as follows : 



Risks written by Iowa companies $22,684,886 00 



Bisks written by non-State companies 89, 174,85 4 00 



Total fire Insurance written In 1879 $1 11,838,783 00 



The total premium receipts for the year, by 



seven Iowa companies, were $549,933 80 



Of the non-State companies 1,066,871 6J 



Amount paid for Insurance $1,616,809 93 



The losses for the year foot up the sum of 

 $590,875,divided as follows : 



State companies $187,68883 



Other companies 458,191 78 



Total $590,875 11 



The figures above given have no reference 

 to the county and township mutual fire asso- 

 ciations in tho State, of which there are quite 

 a large number. 



Coal is abundant in the State. It lies on 

 three measures or strata, the upper, middle, 

 and lower, with a dip to the southwest. The 

 coal-field may be outlined on the map by be- 

 ginning at the southwest corner of Van Buren 

 County, where Des Moines River leaves the 

 county, going north near the county line to 

 the northeast corner of Jefferson County ; 

 thence north and diagonally across Keokuk 

 County, following a course parallel to the 

 course of the Des Moines River, cutting off 

 the southwest corner of Poweshiek and north- 

 east corner of Jasper ; thence north through 

 the west half of Marshall to Eldora, in Har- 

 din ; thence westward across the north part of 

 Hamilton and Webster above Fort Dodge; 

 thence a little south direct to the Missouri 

 River. The south line is the State line from 

 the Des Moines River. This will give the coal- 

 fields of Iowa, embracing over three thousand 

 square miles, or an area larger than the whole 

 State of Massachusetts. This embraces the 

 lower coal-formation. The middle and upper 

 coal-measures are thinner and not so profita- 

 ble. At this point the lower coal-measures are 

 reached at a depth of 125 to 135 feet, where 

 the measure is from four to five feet thick. 

 As you go southward it is deeper from the 

 surface, the dip being in that direction. This 



field. It thickens as you go southward. The 

 entire thickness of the carboniferous strata in 

 Iowa is estimated at 1,150 feet. It is esti- 

 mated that a shaft 1,000 feet deep will paw 

 through all the coal-measures in Iowa at any 

 point. This would be in the south and west 

 extremes of the State. Practically the supply 

 of coal is inexhaustible. Its quality is good, 

 and improves as you follow the dip southward. 



The Democratic State Convention assembled 

 at Council Bluffs on May 21st. General A. C. 

 Dodge was chosen President. The following 

 nominations were made : For Governor. II. H. 

 Trimble ; for Lieutenant- Governor, J. 0. Yeo- 

 man; for Supremo Judge, Ruben E. Noble; 

 for Superintendent of Schools, Irwin Baker. 



The following resolutions were adopted : 



Resolved, That tho Democratic party now, as in tho 

 past, insists that our liberties dej>end upon the strict 

 construction and observance of tho Constitution of the 

 United States and all its amendments. 



Resolved, That the State and the General Govern- 

 ments should be sternly restrained to their resi>ective 

 spneres, and to the exercise only of the powers grouted 

 and reserved by the Constitution. 



Resolved, That the policy of the Republican party, 

 by which it inflates the importance of the States when 

 necessary to cover the there of the Presidency, and in 

 turn magnifies the functions of the General Govern- 

 ment to cover the coercion of tho States into endorse- 

 ment of the partisan will of the fraudulent Executive, 

 is a policy full of evil and fruitful of danger. 



Resolved, That such policy is intended to array sec- 

 tion against section, the States against the General 

 Government, and it against tho States in turn, for the 

 purpose of destroy ing the freedom of both, and teach- 

 ing the people to look to a stronger Government as 

 shelter from the anarchy its advocates have planned. 



Resolved, That the evidence of these nefarious pur- 

 poses is furnished by the present attitude of the Re- 

 publican party, which is arrayed against a free ballot, 

 on which depend all the liberties secured to us by the 

 Constitution. 



Resolved, That we view with alarm the determina- 

 tion of tho Republican party, through its fraudulent 

 Executive, to deprive this Republic of its army, so 

 necessary to the defense of its frontier and its protec- 

 tion from foreign and domestic enemies, by vetoing 

 appropriations for the pay and support of our soldiers, 

 unless they can bo used to force voters to record the 

 mere will of the Executive. 



Resolved, That we hail tho Democratic Senators and 

 Representatives in Congress as worthy the heroic line- 

 ago of American citizens in standing firmly for tho 

 American idea in government, as against the despotic 

 theory from which our revolutionary fathers revolted ; 

 and we ask all lovers of liberty'to join us and them in 

 protest against the change in the form of our govern- 

 ment proposed by the Republican party, which will 

 substitute the will of one man for that of the majority 

 of all the peopb. 



Resolved, That we are in favor of tho sultitution of 

 United States Treasury notes for national-bank notes, 

 and of the abolition or national banks as banks of is- 

 sue ; that the Government of tho United States issue 

 the money for the people; and, further, that we favor 

 a reduction of tho bonded debt of the United States as 

 fast as practicable, and the application of tho idle 

 money in the Treasury to that purpose. 



Resolved, That wo favor the free and unlimited coin- 

 age of the silver dollar of 41 2% grains, and providing 

 certificates for silver bullion which may be deposited 

 in the United States Treasury, the same to be legal 

 tenders for all purposes. 



Resolved, That wo favor a tariff for revenue only. 



