History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa, Part 28

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1316

USA > Iowa > Butler County > History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa > Part 28
USA > Iowa > Bremer County > History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa > Part 28

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3. That as a means of relieving the distressed portions of the community, and removing the great stringency complained of in business cir-

cles, we demand the immediate repeal of the specie resumption act.

4. That we denounce as an outrage upon the rights of the people the enactment of the Re- publican measures demonetizing silver, and de- mand the passage of a law which shall restore to silver its monetary power.

5. That we favor the retention of a green- back currency, and declare against any further contraction, and favor the substitution of green- backs for national bank bills.

6. We congratulate the country upon the ac- ceptance by the present administration of the constitutional and pacitic policy of local self- government in the States of the South, so long advocated by the Democratic party, and which has brought peace and harmony to that section. And in regard to the future financial poliey, in the language of our national platform adopted in the New York convention, in 1868, we nrge,

7. Payment of the public debts of the United States as rapidly as practicable,-all the money drawn from the people by taxation, except so mueh as is requisite for the necessities of the government, economically administered, being honestly applied to such payment when dne.

8. The equal taxation of every species of property according to its value.

9. One currency for the government and the people, the laborer and the office holder, the pensioner and the soldier, the producer and the bondholder.

10. The right of a State to regulate railroad corporations having been established by the higher court of the conntry, we now declare that this right must be exercised with due regard to justice, as there is no necessary antagonism be- tween the people and corporation, and the com- mon interests of both demand a speedy restora- tion of former friendly relations through just 'legislation on one side, and a cheerful submis- sion thereto on the other.

11. Rights of capital aud labor are equally sacred, and alike entitled to legal protection. They have no just cause of quarrel, and the proper relations to each other are adjustable by

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national laws, and should not be tampered by legislative interference.

12. That we favor a repeal of the present pro- hibitory liquor law of the State, and the enact- ment of a well-regulated license law instead, and all the money derived from license to go to the school fund of the State.

A State Temperance or Prohibition con- vention assembled at Oskaloosa August 30, and nominated Elias Jessup for Gov- ernor, and adopted, as a platform, the fol- lowing :

WHEREAS, Intemperance is the enemy of all -the drinker, the seller, the financier, the states- man, the educator and the christian; therefore, be it

Resolved, By the temperance people of the State of Iowa, that we hold these truths to be self-evideut, and we do hereby declare them as the basis of our political action.

We recognize intemperance as the great 2 social, moral, financial and political evil of the present age; that it is not an incident of intelli- gence and refinement, but is one of the worst relics of barbarism; has produced the lowest and most degraded form of government; and there- fore should be overthrown by all republican governments.

3. We claim that all men are endowed by their Creator with the inalienable right of free- dom from the destructive effects of intoxicating liquors, and the right to use all lawful and landiable meaus to defend themselves and their neighbors against the traffic as a beverage within our State.

4. That governments are instituted for the purpose of restraining and prohibiting the evil passions of men, and of promoting and protect- ing their best interests; and that, therefore, it is the duty of a government to use all its powers to make it as easy as possible for men to do right and as difficult as possible to do wrong.

5. We believe that the prohibition of the traffic in intoxicating liquors is the only sound legislative theory upon which this vexed ques- tion can be solved and the nation saved from bankruptcy and demoralizatiou.

Therefore, we insist upon the maintenance and enforcement of our prohibitory law, and upon such amendments thereto as will place ale, wine, and beer under the same condemuation as other intoxicating liquors.

6. That this great evil has long since assumed a political form, and can never be eliminated from polities until our legislatures and courts accomplish its entire overthrow and destruction.

7. We hereby declare that, since we believe prohibition to be the only sound legislative policy, and since law is only brought to bear upon society through its officers, legislative, judicial, and executive, we therefore can and will support only those men who are known to be tried and true temperance prohibitory men.

8. We believe that in the security of liome rests the security of State; that women is by her very nature the acknowledged guardian of this sacred shirine; that intemperance is its greatest enemy; therefore we claim that the daughters of this commonwealth, as well as ber sons, ought to be allowed to say by their votes, what laws shall be made for the suppression of this evil, and what person shall execute the same.

9. We believe the importation of intoxicat- ing liquors from foreign lands, and their protec- tion by the United States government, while in the bands of the importer, and inter-state com- merce in the same, cripple the power of State governments in enacting and enforcing such legislation as is and may be demanded by tbe people.

The vote on Governor was as follows:

John H. Gear, Rep. 121,546

D. P. Stubbs, Gr. .38,228

Johu P. Irislı, Dem 79,353

Elias Jessup, Temp. .10,639

Gear had a majority over Irish of 23,193, but the combined opposition vote was greater by 674.

In 1878 the Greenbackers held the first State convention, assembling at Des Moines April 10th, and nominated for Secretary of State, E. M. Farnsworth;

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Treasurer, M. L. Devlin; Auditor, G. V. Swearenger; Treasurer, M. Farrington; Attorney-General, General C. H. Jackson; Judge of Supreme Court, J.G. Knapp; Cleik of Supreme Court, Alex. Runyon; Reporter Supreme Court, Geo. W. Rutherford. They adopted the following platform:

WHEREAS, Throughout our entire country the value of real estate is depreciated, industry para- lized, trade depressed, business income and wages reduced, unparalleled distress inflicted upon the poorer and middle ranks of our people, the land filled with fraud, embezzlement, bank- rupcy, crime, suffering, pauperism, and starva- tion; 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 taxa- tion, the contraction of the circulating medium, the proposed forced resumption of specie pay- ments, 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 legislation.

1. We demand the unconditional repeal of the specie resumption act of January 14th, 1875, and the abandonment of the present suicidal and destructive policy of contraction.

2. We demand the abolition of national banks and the issue of a full legal tender paper money by the government, and receivable for all dues, public and private.

3. We demand the remonetization of the silver dollar, making it a full legal tender for the payment of all coin bonds of the government, and for all other debts, public and private, and that the coinage of silver shall be placed on the same footing as that of the gold.

4. Congress shall provide said money ade- quate to the full employment of labor, the equit-

able distribution of its products and the require- ments of business.

5. We demand that Congress shall not, under any circumstances, authorize the issuance of in- terest-bearing bonds of any kind or class.

6. The adoption of an American monetary system, as proposed herein, will harmonize all differences in regard to tariff and federal taxa- tion, distribute equitably the joint earnings of capital and labor, secure to the producers of wealth the results of their labor and skill, mus- ter out of service the vast army of idlers, who, under the existing system, grow rich upon the earnings of others, that every man and woman may, by their own efforts, secure a competence, so that the overgrown fortunes and extreme poverty will be seldom found within the limits of our Republic.

7. The Government should, by general enact- ment, encourage the development of our agri- cultural, mineral, mechanical, manufacturing and commercial resources, to the end that labor may be fully and profitably employed, but no monopolies should be legalized.

8. The public lands are the common property of the whole people, and should not be sold to speculators, nor granted to railroads or other corporations, but should be donated to actual settlers in limited quantities.

9. It is inconsistent with the genius and spirit of popular government that any species of private or corporate property should be ex- empt from bearing its just share of the public burdens.

10. That, while the interests of the labor and producing classes throughout the nation are identical, North, South, East and West, and while it is an historic fact that the war of the rebellion was inaugurated in the interests of a class kindred to that which oppresses us, therc- fore, we declare that the Government of the United States shall never pay any part or por- tion of what is known as the confederate or rebel debt.

11. We demand a constitutional amendment fixing the compensation of all State offi ers, in-

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cluding members and employes of the General Assembly.

12. We demand a general reduction of all county and court expenses, with a reduction of offiees, to lessen oppressive taxes.

13. We demand that all just and legal means shall be used for the evils of intemperance.

14. We invite the considerate judgment of our fellow-citizens of all political parties upon these, our principles and purposes, and solicit the co-operation of all men in the furtherance of them, as we do believe that upon their accept- ance or rejection by the people, the weal or woe of our beloved country depends.

The Democrats assembled in convention June 7th, and nominated the following ticket : Secretary of State, T. O. Walker; Auditor, Col. Eiboeck; Treasurer, E. D. Fenn; Register of State Land Office, T. S. Bardwell; Judge of Supreme Court, Judge J. C. Knapp; Clerk of Supreme Court, M. V. Gannon; Reporter of Supreme Court, J. B. Elliott; Attorney-General, John Gib- bons. The convention adopted the fol- lowing platform :

We, the Democracy of Iowa, in convention assembled, congratulate the country upon the restoration of home rule to the South and the era of peace brought about in response to the demands of the national Democracy, and make this declaration of principles:

1. In favor of a tariff for revenue only; honest and economical home rule; the supremacy of civil over military power; the separation of the church and State; the equality of all citizens before the law; opposition to granting by the general government of subsidies to any corpora- tion whatever.

2. We believe the financial system of the Republican party has been one of favor to the moneyed monopolies, of unequal taxation, of exemptions of class, and of a remorseless con- traction that has destroyed every enterprise which gave employment to labor, and therefore we denounce it, its measures and its men, as

responsible for the financial distress, misery and want which now afflict the nation.

3. Labor and capital have an equal demand upon and equal responsibility to the law.

4. Public officials should be held to strict accountability, defaulters should be severely punished, and riot and disorder promptly sup- pressed.

5. We deprecate the funding of our non-in- terest bearing debt, and insist that our bonded debt be refunded at a rate of interest not ex- ceeding four per cent.

6. We favor an equal recognition of gold, silver and United States notes in the discharge of public and private obligations, except where otherwise provided by contract, and to the end that the same be secured, we favor the uncon- ditional repeal of the resumption act, and the coinage of silver on equal conditions with gold. We oppose any further retirement of the United States notes now in circulation, and favor the substitution of United States treasury notes for national bank bills.

7. We declare it as our opinion that it is the duty of the government to take immediate steps to improve our great Western rivers, and. that the means provided should be commensurate with the importance and magnitude of the work.

8. Thorough investigation into the election frauds of 1876 should be made, the frauds should be exposed, the truth vindicated, and the crimi- nals punished in accordance with law, wherever found.

9. The management of our State institutions by Republican officials has been and is 1 otori- ously corrupt, and a disgrace to the people; we therefore demand a thorough investigation of the same, and the punishment of all parties who have betrayed their trust.

Resolved, That we accept and re-affirm the doc- trine of Mr. Tilden upon the war claims as a proper adjustment of the national policy con- cerning that class of claims upon the public treasury.

The Republicans held their convention June 19, and nominated the following

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ticket: Secretary of State, Capt. John A. T. Hull; Auditor, Maj. Buren R. Sherman; Treasurer, George W. Bemis; Register State Land Office, Lieut. James K. Powers; Judge of Supreme Court, Col. J. H. Rothrock They also adopted the following platform:

1. That the United States of America is a nation, not a league. By the combined work- ings of the national and State governments, under their respective constitutions, the right of every citizen should be secured at home and abroad, and the common welfare promoted. Any failure on the part of either the national or State governments to usc cvery possible consti- tutional power to afford ample protection to their citizens, both at home and abroad, is a neglect of their highest duty.

2. Against the assaults of traitors and rebels, the Republican party has preserved these gov- ernments, and they represent the great truths spoken to the world by the Declaration of Inde- pendence, that "all men are created equal;" that they "are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that for the attainment of these ends, governments have been instituted among men, deriving just powers from the consent of the governed," which con- sent is evinced by a majority of the lawful suffrages of the citizens, determined in pursuance of law; and in order that this end may be justly and fully reached, the Republican party of Iowa demands that every qualified elector in every Statc, North and South, Democrat or Republi- can, white or black, shall be permitted, un lis- turbed by force and unawed by fear, to vote at all elections at the place prescribed by law, and nowhere else, just once, and no more than once; and that every vote so cast shall be honestly counted, and that every person chosen by such votes to any office shall be freely inducted into it, and effectively supported in the discharge of his duties; and every well informed person knows that with such freedom of elective action and honest administration as are herein de- manded, at least five of the Southern States arc

Republican by a large majority, and that they are row in the hands of the Democratic party, solely through force, fraud, intimidation, and failure to enforce the principles herein set forth.

3. The permanent pacification of the southern section of the Union, and the complete protec- tion of all its citizens in all their civil, political, personal and property rights, is a duty to which the Republican party stands sacredly pledged. In order to redeem this pledge, it placed the recent amendments in the constitution of the United States, and upon the righteous basis of said amendments it will go forward in the work of pacification until peace shall come through right doing, and contentment through justice.

4. The Democratic dogma of "home rule," which seeks to shut out from participation in the political affairs of the southern States all citizens who oppose the Democratic party and are not natives of said States, and i :. obedience to the spirit to which cvery man from the north, of republican sentiments, is termed a "carpet- bagger," is hereby denounced as the worst phase of State rights yet developed, and we demand for the people of Iowa absolute freedom to go whithersoever they may please within the limits of the nation, to utter their sentiments by speech or by press upon all subjects touching their interests, and all matters of public concern.

5. That the armed conflict between the traitors and the rebels who sought to destroy the republic, and the patriots who defended it, was more than a tri: 1 of physical force between Greeks. It was a struggle of right against wrong, of a true civilization against a false one, of a good government against anarchy, of patriots against traitors, wherein the Republican party was the defender of right, the champion of a true civilization, the promoter of good govern- ment, and in whose ranks patriots marched against traitors; and who ever fails to regard the Republican party from this standpoint and in this light, fails to comprehend its character, its achievements, its purposes, and its duties, and whoever treats with the Democratic party from any other standpoint, manifests incapacity

HISTORY OF IOWA.

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to understand palpable facts, and will be ober- whelmed with disaster.

6. That the soldiers who fought the battles of the republic are entitled to special credit for the heroism which they displayed, for their unselfish devotion to liberty and order, and for the great fact that the war "turned out as it did;" and discredit, in like degree, attaches to the traitors and rebels who fought to destroy the nation. Whoever fails to appreciate these facts, is derelict in the duty he owes to the party.

7. That the Republican party is the party of order as opposed to all lawlessness in whatever quarter the same may arise, or in whatever form it may appear.

8. That the wisdom of the financial policy of the Republican party is made manifest by its results. It has brought specie and paper practi- cally together mouths before the date fixed by law for the resumption of specie payment by the government; it has given to all classes money of the same value; it has placed our nation on an equal footing with the other great nations of the world in all matters of financial concern; it has promoted the refunding of the national debt at a low rate of interest; it has maintained the national credit; and any change in this policy which tends to obstruct it in its work of restor. ing specie paymeut, whereby paper currency becomes absolutely as valuable as gold and silver stand ird coin; of reviving business, pro- moting industry, and maintaining the public credit, is hereby denounced as wholly evil and injurious to the best interest of the country.

9. That the organized raid on the treasury by the Southern Democratie members of Congress, for payment of hundreds of millions of dollars of rebel war claims, is an unparalleled impu- dence, and a present danger against the success of which the triumph of the Republican party is our only security.

10. That we favor a wisely adjused tariff for revenue.

11. In the matter of the faithful administra tion of the public funds, the Republican party challenges the closest scrutiny, and iuvites com- parison with any and all other agencies in pub-

lic or private affairs.' Notwithstanding the vast sums, amounting to thousands of millions of dollars, collected and distributed by Republican administration, the percentage of loss is less thau can be shown by any other political party that has ever been entrusted with the control of public affairs, or by individuals in their own private business. This shows that the charge of corruption made against the Republican party is as groundlessly impudent as was the attempt of the Southern Democracy to destroy the Union wantonly wicked and atrociously cruel.

12. The title to the Presidential term was definitely and finally settled by the forty-fourth Congress, and any attempt to open it is danger- ous, illegal, and unconstitutional, and the Republican party of Iowa will resist all efforts not founded on the constitution and the existing laws to displace the present posses-or of said title, and it is a source of sincere congratulation that the firm attitude assumed by the Republi- can party of the country in this regard forced a majority of the House of Representatives to disavow the real but covert purposes of the so- called Potter investigation.

13. That the effotrs of the Democratic party in Congress to cripple aud render inefficient the army and navy of the United States is most earnestly condemned, and all efforts looking to a peruianent reduction of the same, with a view to a future reorganization, whereby the official stations may be in whole or in part supplied by officers who engaged in rebellion against the nation, who hold to the doctrine of secession, and who acknowledge primary allegiance to a State, are hereby denounced as daugerons to the peace of the eouutry and to the permanence of the Union.

14. That it is not only the right, but the duty, of every good citizen at party caucus, in the party conventions, and at the polls, to use his best efforts to secure the nomination and elec- tion of good men to places of official trust, and we disapprove of all interference with the perfect freedom of action of any citizen in the exereise of said right and in the discharge of said duty.

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15. That personal temperance is a most com- mendable virtue in a people, and the practical popular movement now active througout the State, for the promotion of temperance, has our most profound respect, sympathy, and approval.

16. That we demand the most rigid economy in all departments of the public service, and rigid retrenchment in all public expenses in all possible directions, and the reduction of taxa- tion to the lowest limits consistent with efficient public service. In the direction of such economy and retrenchment, we heartly commend the action of the Republican legislature in reducing the expenses of the State in the sum of four hun- dred thousand dollars, and this example set by the State, should be followed in all other depart- ments of our government.

17. That the Republican party of Iowa de- mands an honest, faithful and . fficient discharge of duty by all officers, whether federal, State, county or municipal, and requires a full, fair, and impartial and searching investigation into the official conduct of all officials and the busi- ness of all officers, without regard to party or personal association, and whenever or wherever fraud and dishonesty are discovered, the Repub- licans of Iowa demand the prompt punishment of the guilty parties. "Let no guilty man es- cape."

A fusion ticket, composed of Green- backers and Democrats, was agreed on September 29th, as follows : Secretary of State, E. M. Farnsworth (Greenback er); Auditor, Jos. Eiboeck (D.mocrat); Treas- urer, M. L Devin (Greenbacker); Register of Land Office, M. Farrington (Green- backer); Judge of Supreme Court, Joseph C. Knapp (Democrat); Attorney-General, John Gibbons (Democrat); Clerk of Su- preme Court, Alex. Runyon (Greenback- er); Reporter of Supreme Court, John B. Elliott (Democrat). On Secretary of State the vote was as follows :

J. A. T. Hull, Rep. 134.544 E. M. Farnsworth, Fusion 125,087

T. O. Walker, Dem. 1,302 Hull, over all 8,055

The Democrats held a convention May 21, 1879, at Council Bluffs, and nominated the following State ticket: Governor, H. H. Trimble; Lieutenant-Governor, J. Y. Yeomans; Judge of Supreme Court, Reu- ben Noble; Supt. of Public Instruction, Erwin Baker. The platform adopted by the convention is here given :

Resolved, That the Democratic party now, as in the past, insists that our liberties depend upon the strict construction and observance of the constitution of the United States and all its amendments.

2. That the States and the general govern- ment should be sternly restrained to their respe c- tive spheres, and to the exercise only of the powers granted and reserved by the constitution.

3. That the policy of the Republican party, by which it inflates the importance of the States when necessary to eover the theft of the Presi- dency, and in turn magnifies the functions of the general government to cover the coercion of the States into the endorsement of the partisan will of the fraudulent executive, is full of evil and fruitful of danger.

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History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa, Part 28

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company Number of Pages: 1316

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1316