Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-03-16
DOlNGS AT THE CAPITAL.
DEsMo1NEs, March 2, 1860

Withrow's bill, as amended by Mr.. William
sons insertion of a section to restore the oil
prohibitory law Of 1866, which has beel
sustained by the able decision of Hon. Judg
Woodward and an associate Justice on tn
Bench, and under which Chief Justice Wrigh
and the whole Supreme Bench have mad
many conGrmatory decisions. The bill, il
this form, will probably not pass, but 60 to
committee again.
Iwish it were in my power to convey, in
short letter, any correct idea of the debate Oh
this question. But suffice it to say, tn
discussion ranged
From grave to gay, from lively to severe"
Mr.. Edwards, yesterday, left the Speaker
Chair, to define his position on the subject
and took a cursory review of the who'll
question OF prohibitory legislation. In hi
view, the failure Of liquor laws was owing tt
the neglect of moral means and the force o
public opinien to carry out the law of prohi
bition. He maintained that, upon the enact
ment of tho prohibitory law, for which h
himselfv voted, the minister in the pulpit ceaset
to preach on temperance, the press was silent
and the friends of the law relaxed effort, til
public sentiment would not coerce the execu
ton of the law. Mr.. Edwards also took tn,
ground that lager beer, wine and cider, o
native production, did not promote intemper
ance like the higher drinks. He argued thai
those who took the other view. might bt
honest but mistaken.
Mr.. Dunlavey, on the other side, urged
Republicans to make it moral question, and
not political. He had seven sons, who might
be led by lager beer saloons to be drunkards
when their father was dead and gone; and
that, in his place, those who called themselves
prohibitory law men went away drunk from
lager beer saloon. Mr.. Dunlavey, who is a
Democrat, further said that Lieut.. Gov. Rusch
had interfered in the House, and had been to
his seat and told Mr.. Gniffke to "spot him.
(Mr. Dunlavey), which he regarded as an
outrage on his own privileges.
Mr.. Cue asked Mr.. Gniffke whether he
(Gov. Rusch) did not ask him (Gniffke) to
take down Mr.. Dunlavey's words, as well as
DR.. Writer'S, and others?
Mr. Gniffke replied that he was marking
down the words of others. Lieut.. Gov. Rusch
asked him to mark down the words of
Dunlavey, too. ....
So that this onslaught upon the Lieutenant
Governor did not demolish him, as was
intended by the fling at him, or misappre-
hension of his design and words to member
who was reporting for his German Democratic
paper, in which Mr.. Rusch only expressed the
wish to have both sides reported in the paper
at Dubuque.
Mr.. Clagget went much further in this
aspersion of Lieut. Gov. Rusch, and said he
had resolution which he intended to offer to
have the author of the lager beer bill (Mr.
Rusch) undergo an investigation for his
This all fell fiat upon the
Indifferent hearers, all parties being weary of
his many words on every question.
1t is difficult to divine what disposition will
be made of this matter, some wishing no
change in the laws on the subject, some
wishing the -old law restored, and others
wishing license law. You will be early
advised of the position of this question from
time to time.
To-day, the House have fought the Harper's
Ferry fight over again, begun in the Senate on
the Coppock requisition resolution. And,
after all the usual parliamentary catches and
fetches of the Democratic members, holding
over the dinner hour long while, the
Republican side of the House carried a sub
stitute of their own, couched in fit and
terms, asking for all information in
the possession Of the Governor in this case.
So the matter of the Coppock requisition will
come out, since the Governor will promptly
communicate all the facts and papers in the
case.
The Scott bridge, below the Avenue bridge,
is in process of reconstruction, with ice
breaking piers. .....
The flag of the nation, with its stars and
stripes, now waves over the Capitol, as a
specimen of Democratic economy, costing, it
is said, over q hundred dollars. The State
never had flag before this economical Legis-
lature was inaugurated. But, as we have nc
militia law or taxes, it may not be piece Of
extravaganza to have flag to indicate the
hours of session, its folds streaming in the
wind, and attracting the eye of all beho.ders
at a distance. HAwK-EYE.
CnNArr On ANRrp DeSm0ines !