# The Government of Iowa (1911)

THE GOVERNMENT
OF
IOWA
FRANK E. HORACK
THE GOVERNMENT OF IOWA
THE GOVERNMENT OF IOWA
BY
FRANK EDWARD HORACK, A.M., Ph.D.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE IN THE
STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, AND SECRETARY
OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
OF IOWA
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1911
COPYRIGHT, 1911
BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER
PREFACE.
In the preparation of this book it has not been the author's purpose to write an exhaustive treatise on the Constitutional Law of Iowa. On the contrary, he has aimed in these pages to give a narrative and descriptive account of the government of Iowa, divorced as far as possible from legal verbiage and prosaic references to articles, titles, chapters, sections, and paragraphs of Constitution, Code, and Statutes. For the convenience of students and teachers who desire the exact wording of the State Constitution, the text of that instrument has been added in an Appendix.
The tendency, in recent years, of constitution makers to limit the powers of the legislature by incorporating numerous and often non-essential subjects in the Constitution has made many of our State Constitutions lengthy documents. Sometimes we find jumbled up with the outline of the framework of the government subjects which have no place in a written Constitution. Where such provisions occur in the Constitution of Iowa, they have frequently been passed over by the author as unimportant in the study of Iowa government. Moreover, our State Constitution is not altogether systematic in its arrangement. Sometimes the same subject is referred to in several places. ​By the adoption of the topical method it is believed that a more convenient arrangement for study has been provided.
Wherever statutory legislation has supplemented constitutional provisions herein considered, the author has endeavored so far as practicable to make use of such material. Some of the newer institutional forms of democracy which have recently been enacted into law, such as the primary election, the commission plan of city government, and the like, have been included in the discussion. Statutory provisions are, of course, subject to change at any session of the General Assembly; and so, a text-book on State and local government must always be supplemented by legislation enacted subsequent to its publication.
The purpose of the author has been to explain both the organization and the functions of government. Nor has he hesitated to express freely his own opinions relative to the organization or activities of the State. Teachers and students alike must always bear in mind the fact that government in the United States is popular government, and that changes in organization and administration are constantly being made to meet the most recent demands of the people. The old notion that the individual exists for the State has been discarded: we now say that the State exists for the individual. Government is a very human institution and at every point the human element is apparent. It should be the duty of the teacher to instil sound notions of public morality, to teach both the spirit and the letter of the law, and to encourage the pupil to observe for himself the actual workings of government so ​that he may ever after take an intelligent and high-minded interest in public affairs.
The author is especially indebted to Professor Benjamin F. Shambaugh, Head of the Department of Political Science in the State University of Iowa, for his many valuable suggestions during the preparation of this book, and for his critical reading of the entire manuscript. Furthermore, the Maps Illustrative of the Boundary History of Iowa were compiled by Professor Shambaugh in connection with an article written by him for The Iowa Journal of History and Politics. The maps are copyrighted by the State Historical Society of Iowa and are reproduced here by permission of the Society.
The plates for the map showing the accessions of territory from the Indians, made for the Iowa Census of 1905, were kindly loaned by Hon. A. H. Davison, Secretary of the Executive Council of Iowa. Professor John E. Brindley of Ames kindly read and revised the chapter on taxation, and Professor Forrest C. Ensign, State High School Inspector, gave many helpful suggestions in reference to our school system. To Dr. Dan E. Clark, Assistant Editor for the State Historical Society of Iowa, I am deeply indebted for the excellent index to this volume, and for his careful and expert proof reading. To many others who have given me encouragement and assistance, I am likewise much indebted.
FRANK EDWARD HORACK.
* The State University of Iowa,
* Iowa City, Iowa,
* 1911.
CONTENTS :
| chapter | | page |
| I. | The Land and Resources | 1 |
| II. | Population and Ethnic Elements | 6 |
| III. | Early History and Explorations | 13 |
| IV. | The Foundations of Government in Iowa | 22 |
| V. | The Organic Act and Constitutions of Iowa | 26 |
| VI. | Our Civil Rights | 35 |
| VII. | Suffrage, Elections, Party Machinery | 43 |
| VIII. | The Legislative Department | 51 |
| IX. | The House of Representatives, or Lower House | 60 |
| X. | The Senate, or Upper House | 69 |
| XI. | The Executive Department | 73 |
| XII. | Administrative Officers, Boards, and Commissions | 87 |
| XIII. | The Judicial Department | 105 |
| XIV. | The County and its Government | 112 |
| XV. | The Civil Township and its Government | 122 |
| XVI. | The Government of Cities and Towns | 125 |
| XVII. | Amendments to the Constitution | 135 |
| XVIII. | Taxation | 139 |
| XIX. | Education and the School System | 145 |
| XX. | Social and Economic Legislation | 155 |
| Appendix —The Constitution of Iowa | Appendix —The Constitution of Iowa | 167 |
| Index | Index | 207 |
LIST OF MAPS.
Map I. Illustrative of Indian Land Cessions in Iowa
between pages 8 and 9
Map II. Illustrative of the Northwest Territory, the Territory of Indiana, and the Territory of Michigan
between pages 18 and 19
Map III. Illustrative of the Boundaries of the Original Territory of Wisconsin and the Separate Territory of Iowa
between pages 20 and 21
Map IV. Illustrative of the Lucas Boundaries
between pages 28 and 29
Map V. Illustrative of the Nicollet Boundaries
between pages 30 and 31
Map VI. Illustrative of the Date of Establishment and Present Boundaries of Counties in Iowa
between pages 112 and 113
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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