Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-05-10

last issue, the history as given Of
the second Teale bill, which pro-
vides for suits for damage against
the seller, is not correct. The state
ment is made that the bill was sur
reptitiously taken from the files af-
ter it was passed to be engrossed,
and changes were made in it, and
its too jealous friends are charged
with its defeat and they are lectured
in general terms for their dishonest
attempt to secure by strategy what
was found impossible by fair legis-
lation. This is very grave charge,
and if true, would prove that the
'stoo jealous friends in the General
Assembly, of temperance, are un-.
worthy of the confidence of the peo-
pie and a disgrace to the position
they occupy. But the charge is
not true. On the day when the Sec
ond Teale bill was under discussion,
there was good working majority
in favor of the wine and beer clause,
but not a sufficient majority. e.
two-thirds, to suspend the rules and
pass it then-so it passed on file
and came up on the third reading
in it's regular order, and when the
Speaker announced the question be-
fore the House to be "shall the bill
pass? Mr.. Green, of Davenport,
arose in his place and shocked the
House by the bold statement that
the bill had been tempered with and
changed since the House ordered it
to be engrossed. Messrs. Gear, of
Burlington, Rohlfs, of Davenport,
and Beresheim partially corrobora-
ted Green, and there reigned In the
House decided sensation. Green
moved to recommit the bill with in
structions to investigate tho frauds
charged. When the testimony was
all in, Mr.. Teale arose and denoun-
ced the charge as trick to defeat
the bill by getting it down to the
foot of the calandar where it would
not be reached this session. He
said he gave it his particular atten-
ton when it was up before and he
knee it had not been changed; but
the preponderance of testimony
seemed against him, and the bill
was referred back to the committee
for investigation. The committee
examined the matter and they found
that the journal of the House exact
ly sustained and accounted for the
appearance of the bill in every par
ticular, and that consequently the
charge against its friends of tam
pering with it was utterly ground
less, as it had not been tempered
with or changed at all. The next
morning the committee got Mr..
Johnston, of Ringgold-who voted
with the majority to refer-to move
to reconsider the vote whereby the
bill was recommitted to the commit
tee on the suppression Of intemper-
ance. The Speaker ruled the mo-
ton out of order but before noon
revoked his decision Voluntarily
From this time, which was about
twelve days before the end of the
session, the bill was very badly en-
gineered, as is abundantly proven
by its coming up on its final pas
sage on the last day of the session
"a day from time immemorial de-
voted to conviviality, to the presen-
tation of gold-headed canes, and to
the last grand charge upon the cash
box, but never, and uuder any cir
cumstances, to the promotion of
questions of moral reform.
The committee made one mistake.
When they found that the bill had
not been tempered with, they should
have reported it back with that fact,
and so INDICATED the friends of
temperance from the unjust and cru
ell charge of the enemies of the bill.
Then the proof of their innocence
would have become part of the
journal, but the bill would have
been before the House on its second
reading and beyond reach for the
session-for want of a two-thirds
vote to suspend the rule. But the
committee desired the passage of
the bill and took the shortest road
to get it back before the House and
into it's old place ON the calendar,
caring more for the public veal
than they did for making a flourish
of their own selfexoneration.
BRIGGS.
The Advaura In tho Price OF Iron