The Evening critic., 1882-02-14
IOWA INkLINGS.
Opening the Greenbnck Campaign
RaiIroad-pass NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Industry and Cereal Wealth of
Iown-Cyclones. TheetricaIs. etc.


Dies MONIES, Iowa, Feb. II, 1882.
State politics are on the wane, but in the
meantime the festive Grecnbacksr is
abroad in the land seeking to seduce the
wavering veter from the narrow path to
the broad highways of unlimited imitation;
and, truly, If there be any virtue in vigor-
Gus perseverance, the disciples of this fleet
ing fantasy of prospective future reward in
the way of ofice-holding, are worthy
full need of praise and of some show of
success. However, let the reward be rated
by full share of merit. All through the
summer months and fall, the Grcenbackers
have been waging a battle, against no OPP
position, in our neighboring State of Mis-
souri,, and now, forsooth, the campaign
opens in our own domain. Gen. James b.
Weaver, the whilom Iowa Congressman of
emerald-hued notoriety, sounded the key
note several evenings since in what he was
pleased to style lecture entitled
"HOw the Few Cypress the Many"
1t was the same old story, and, il my
memory serves me- | heard him deliver
the very same remarks last summer, with
scarce change of sentence The tenor of
his plant has neither ebbed nor flowed,
but with the same old invective he assailed
the national banking system, the railroad
and telegraph monopolies, with, perhaps,
another one which he called the sugar
monopoly of California. The General ham
dies his case well and makes very plaus-
ible argument, keeping his audience in fine
humor relieving the dull tedium of figures
and statistics dry by freely interlarding
anecdotes in his remarks. A severe sick
ness frVn which he has but recently re-
| covered has taken some what from the Gem
erals girth and relieved him of an appar-
emily uncomfortable rotundity, which puts
him in good fighting trim for the winter
| campaigns which he proposes to wage in
the lecture field. Greenbackers are none
too thick in this region, although in this dis
trict we did have Greenbacker in the last
Congress- which, by the way, was the same
| in which
Gen. weaver Distinguished Himself
| by exchanging, in debate, such gentle,
sweet and comely phrases with Sparks
from the Sucker State, and thus so deeply
wrought his name upon the scroll of fame
that of all those who sought the empty
honor of leading the Greenback hosts on to
battle and defeat he alone was chosen.
Politically, Gen. Weaver leads a hope
most tantalizing in its forlornness, but, per.
sonally, he is genial, clever gentleman.
/ heard little incident the other day
which shows the characteristics of the man
in a glowing manner. During tie late un-
pleasantness Gen. Weaver, like true son
of the Hawkeye State, espoused the Union
cause and enlisted iu the Second Iowa Vol
unteers, and was chosen first lieutenant of
his company. After short service in the
field the company lost its captain, and
Lieut.. Weaver was next in the line of pro-
motion, but with a magnanimous gener
osity seldom witnessed he waived his
Right to the Coveted Place
in favor of the second lieutenant, who was
his senior in years, because he had fam
lily, and, therefore, would need the increase
of pay which went with the office more
than he. The Second Iowa participated in
many serious engagements, among which
was the battle of Corinth, as well as the
preceding and succeeding skirmishes
which led to and resulted from that bloody
conflict in which the rank and file of the
Second Iowa were sadly decimated, and
Lieut.. Weaver found himself, afrer two
weeks of hard fighting, by successive pro-
motion, the colonel of the regiment, and
when the "stars and bars'' went down at
AppomattoX he commanded a brigade
Probably the one theme which has ex.
cited most attention of late, especially in
railroad and legislative circles, has been
| the
Free-pass Agitation.
On the 10Th of last month Hon. Charlie;
|
County, introduced a resolution making
. certain inquiries in regard to the issuance
, of railroad passes to State officials. Thi:
| fell upon the pass-holding crowd of law
makers with all the suddenness of bomb
shell, producing dire CONSERVATION and
most virulent opposition, and as conse
quence of such rashness on the part of Mr.
Aldrich, and as a warning to like indis
Greet gentlemen, the pass-holding member
/ very unanimously saddled the resolution.
with certain irrelevant and immateria
' amendments in regard to the extension o.
, railroad courtesies to newspaper mon
4 clergymen and reduced rates to conven
. tions, fairs, &C., and asking, with a truly
superb show of gall, ''Whether free trans
S citizens, except paupers, mendicants OF
| other proper objects of Christian charity
| | and benevOlence."
/. Mr. Aldrich's resolution, thus hedged il
q with the above amendment and others,
anything more absurd and nonsensical
with great flourish of chin melody of
a virtuously indignant variety, was sub
mitted to the Board of Railroad Commis
sioners, body of very proper gentlemen
who draw salaries of s., 900 per year wit
{ commendable regularity, and, in return
. travel over the railroads on free passe!
\ keep themselves loaded to the muzzle wit
1 the latest railroad stock quotation, and, a
. late developments show, an extra supertn
, quality of what Artemus Ward used to cal
|. sarcassum. These honorable gentle
;. men, with coolness bordering on cor
= tempt, treated the resolutions in a mos
= supercillious manner and proceeded to ds
: molish them after the most approve
= fashion, and, by way of final crusher, sus
r gested the advisability of the legislature
- Wiping Out the Whole Free-pas
. system,
, If they could if they could not, to pass
law making it a forfeiture of office for an
State official to accept pass except raiir0a
commissioners. This last clause was th
climax to the most sublime specimen
- cheek probably ever officially presented |
n coordinate branch of State govern
4 ment. This sarcastic document tickled I'll
= pass-holders immensely, and was the sui
> ject of general conversation, the suppositio
being that the author Of the original res
Il luton was most effectually shelved, but n,
: 50 he returned promptly to the attacl
y and later and richer developments may |
looked for in the great system of dea,
heading Office. holders. The subject is eel
tainly pregnant with abundant possibilitie
e. and Mr.. Aldrich seems to be plentifully SUI
!. piled with grit.
A I0wa's Wealth.
n According to the census of 1880, low
}. stands second in the list of cereal-pr