The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-04-04
LETTER rRO1 DIES HOMES.

We nads : brisftsi 70 Dss Moiass during
Iris vesk. The TSslfth GenssAl Asssnbly
isrsaching The sndaof ID lAbsrA Nest Of
The imper1aat apasurss kass been disposed
oG The e>lAs loass bill has fallen into It
lesst : to years. sleep. A registry lav re-
mains 70 b passsd, and i viii BE- doos besors
the body sdjourns. Il he's alfssdy paassd the
Senate. The railroad Hobbies hass manly
dispersed. The main 6ght il over and the
enti-raiIroed men were not victors. Some
gentlemen Of the opposition vii continue to
eprins spasmodic and bunccmbe anti-railroad
measures Up 70 the very eve Of adjournment;
but the yots Is we'll defined now, and the fate
Of Ill these measures is beforehand deter
mined. !,
The Circuit Court bill passed with strong
pressars Of ne lsvyes ef the Stses sins ~ !
fasor. WheaAr that il it, ssroegest recon-
incubation and chief merit We are not IA
miliar enough with the judicial needs Of all
parss az The Stats, TO declare advisedlJ. That
is our impression, however, and i will ap-
pear to most that that isn't merit enough to
justify the passage Of the law, and the crea-
ton of an entirely new order Of the Judiciary
in Iowa. Il seems to us that the measure
had best been RENTED to the decision Of the
Constitutional Convention two years hence.
But apart from anv consideration Of the bill
itself, We want just here to pass upon in Sc
verest condemnation the whole system OF leg
islative "rings," cliques, combinations, bar
gains and sales. These are the bane OF
legislative bodies, and it is too grievouiy ap.
parent to any one who has been for any
length of time 1t Des Moines during the win
| ter that the present Legislature is not spots
! less on this score. There has been too much
Of lyon 60 for my bill and IN 60 for your
BILL and if you don't support mine, ! won't
support yours The people Of Iowa and
the republican party protest against this style
Of legislation. We want to be understood
here. There are many members of the Sen
ate and House who have stood out bravely
against all these ring and mutual support
movements. And those that participate in il
do not appear to do 70 from any purpose Of
fraud or corruption. They have nnhappiiy
got the idea that this is the only successful
style of legislation; that bills cannot be got
through without it. We protest against all
this in the general and in the particular. 1t
is subversion of all just legislation. Laws
that the people want their representatives are
bound to enact and laws that the people do
not want should not be passed at all. There
is no need of Rugs for any honest and proper
legislation. In this Circuit Court bill il APP
pears that certain democratic Senators we're
willing to sell themselves to the support Of
the bill in return republican Senators would
sell ont the republicans of Lee and Des
Moines counties to democratic Judge.
And the sale was made, and democrats
we're jubilant over getting . Democratic
| Judge in the Circuit Of Lee and Des MONIES.
That game was checkma.ed. That this is so
is due almost solely to the honest, earnest,
and up,irine resistance of Hon. n G. ADAMS,
of Burlington, member Of the House. But
no Republican, not in . dishonest and i'm
proper ring, should have been a party TO the
sale /; and no Republican, not in such ring,
or party to the sale, should have made
himself party to it, by voting to ratify the
sale after it was made. Now, we call the
| attention Of the Republicans of Lee and Des
Moines counties, and the Republicans OF the
State as we'll, 10 the fact that Senator Pow
ers Chairman Of the Judiciary Committee,
j who was chief fugler OF the sale, and Reed
1 of Dallas, and Paterson, and Bulls Of Win
neshiek, and Chapis, and Griffith, and Haw
ley, and Moore, and Needham Of Mahaska,
and Oliver Of Manona, and Rice, and Wolf,
of Cedar, and Wright-Repubican Senators
al-voted for the sale, or TO rat!fy it after
it was made-the sale Of the Republicans of
two counties to buy the votes of Democratic
Senators in support of q bill. Thu other Re
publican Senators repudiated the sale.
The Republican party in Iowa, With oil its
strength, cannot afford to do wrong. When
| the above named gentlemen ask further hon
ors and office of their Republican constitu-
ency, let this sale of@the Republicans Of two
counties be remembered.
| A large number Of bills have been passed,
| or otherwise disposed Of, during the past
| week. Night sessions are held, and the dis
patch of business thus facilitated. Despite
some sharp debates the session has been to
| its members an active and pleasant one. 1t
has done much work, and for the larger part
of that work il will win the cordial approval
Of the people Of Iowa. We postpone re>
view Of its labors until they all be eaded, and
chat sboat the personel Of the Twelfth
General Assembly to another day.
s.M.C.