Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-03-06

would practically reverse former conditions,
aud put the control OF terms upon which
business Shonld be transacted with these
companies into the hands of officers selected
by the public.
1t was a dangerous power that railway man
ayers welded when they controlled the situa-
ton and they abused II. Unless Judiciously
| exercised IL might easily become dangerous
power the people have assumed. and care
| should be taken that no man can justly
charge that they have abused IL.
II Is no wrong to the railway interests OF
| this state that our people desire, They only
demand that their own Interests shall DO fairly
treated.
No one overlooks the fact that 1t Is TO the
railroads we are indebted for tho wonderful
development OF our state, or fails u realize
| that any cause which should cripple them
| would necess trily react upon great business
| interests, the wants Of which they alone can
| supply, We would rever be satisfied with
anything lees than the IN )st efficient of rail-
way service this can be furnished by none
! but Arst class roads, substantially built,
thoroughly equipped and operated by com.
! competent employees.
Upon the perfs elton OF these roads and
! their equipment and the SIKH and care OF
! those who operate them more than money de
ponds. The lives OF multitude OF passen-
gers are constantly oonnded TO their keeping,
| An army OF employees braves the dangers ota
| business Away hazardous, and doubly so on
| infer or roads.
We cannot so too far In demanding safe.
| guards against accidents on railways IL Is a
| terrible charge, Cften made, that the danger
! TO life and limb In n business upon which our
| conf fort and prosperity so largely depend Ia
| greater than that OF soldiers In actual ser
| vice In times of war. |
The yearly record OF the maimed and dead
among those engaged in the operation OF rail.
roads Is appalling indeed.
! IL was worthy tribute TO n deserving class
! when the chief magistrate of this nation
| called attention TO the sufcrings OF these men
| and invoked the aid OF national law TO lessen
i their dangers.
The better Instincts OF human nature every
| where will respond to that call, but with II
must go a liberslity toward the companies
| that will enable them to pay reasonable div
idends on The capital a tually invested In their
business, supply the best OF human devices
| Tor the protection of passengers and EN- loyes
| and pay wages adequate to compen ,ate
! skilled and faithful workmen, and then they
| should be required TO perform tht ir whole
| duty 20 the public. IL IL no easy task to dis
! cover the line Of even and exact Justice be-
tween our people and the railway corporations
! doing business within the state, but II Is not
! impracticable. and those who address them
selves to this great problem, IL they succeed
| In harmoDizing their apparently conflicting
| but IN fact mutually dependent interests so
/
| our state shall have the united aid OF prosper.
Gus business enterprises on all sides, will re-
| ceive, as they we deserve, the appreciation
| OF just men everywhere.
| II is greater facilities for transportation
! that Iowa most needs. She should help
hasten the day when the waters OF our great
lakes will be turned from their course and
| made to mlnRle with those OF the mighty
| rivers that clasp her In their giant arms.
| Iwould not YIELD for moment the just
| prerogative OF the state to exercise In the In
ierest of the public most careful supervision
| OF every mode OF transportation within its
| Jurisdiction, but beyond this, in my Own
| Judge ment, lies still bro tder field OF duty, IA
more important work TO the people OF the
! great Northwest, OF which Iowa is central
| figure, II not the imperial head.
| Already. In the vey infancy OF II, existence
this section surpasses all othes OF equal ex-
| tent In the magnitude OF Its surplus food pro-
| ductions,
| Deprived OF reasonable rates OF Transports
| ton they are OF little value to those whose
| capital and labor produces them, and without
| the IN the commerce OF this nation would be
largely crippled and many OF It's cities cease
| to expand, II they did not dwindle into decay,
Who shall grasp this difficult problem and
| solve 1t in the interest of all our people2 Not
| he who trusts to the Ingenuity of man alone.
| Not those, believe, who rely upon law to
regulate rates upon single mode OF convey
ance that must depend upon private capital,
voluntarily invested. for Its maintenance, but
| 1t will be the men who Sc this nation to work
to complete the connecting link OF a mighty
waterway that shall cut continent In twain
| and open the cheapest of all n ethods of trans
| portatioh from the gulf of the sea.
The constitution of our state provides that
The legislature at each regular session thereof
| shall tx the ratio OF represeE tatiOn and form
| into representative districts those counties
| which are not entitled sirgly TO representa-
| tive, so ne to apportion tho members OF the
| legislature among the several O unties and
| representative districts according TO the num-
Der OF inhabitants therein. .....
The census OF 1885, upon which the present
ratio OF representation was established,
| showed the population of the state TO be in
round numbers !, 753, 900, which should have
| m ado the actual ratio for 100 members 1880
Instead OF adopting this number the leels-
! lature In 1886 enacted that $1,000 should he
the ratio OF representation, and thereupon Of
| vided the state into assembly districts. The
constitution also provides that any county or
| district having one half the number OF inhab-
! itanis Ak d az the ratio OF representation
| shall be entitled to one member and at any
| county having one-half more than that num-
Der shall be entitled to two. No less than six.
| teen OF the districts as then formed contained
| less han Il, 900 inhabit ants, and some having
! but one member had more than 5000. The
last general assembly re. enacted this sppor'
| tionment and division without change.
I r. cannot help believing great error vas
! commit I'd both In the apportionment and d.
| vision of the state so made. To Justify an
apportionment upon basis OF $4,000 TO n dis.
I tfiot required population OF 2,400, 900 inhab.
| itants. This was SOC, 900 In excess OF our ao
tual population, In dividing the ttate into
districts this error grew into actual wrong.
\ So far as the sixteen districts containing less
than half the population fixed by tho ratio OF
1 fhafF AZ al liGh-
! ment, in the Judgment Of many of our people,
was u violation of the fundamental law OF our
! state, while the inhabitants of those contain
| ing the greater number are certainly deprived
! OF a fair and equal represe ntation in the leg
| islature.
No one can rightfully maintain that one
person IN one part OF the state 10 entitled to
\ the same representation in the legislature
| that Is accorded 10 four in other localities,
and yet the difference is even greater than
this between some OF the Districts.
| without reference to party affiliations, we
! can not too stoutly maintain the necessity for
unqualified obedience to the constitution OF
our state and impartial recognition OF the
| political rights OF every one of her citizens.
| II will be the duty OF the present legislature
to establish new ratio of representation
and redistrict the state. This will undoubt
eddy be so done rs TO avoid just criticisms In
| the future.
There Is much In the common school sys
| tenn OF our state of which TO boast, and little
perhaps that can be done In the way of legis-
| lstion TO improve lite condition.
| This, ] regret to say, 10 not the situation
| OF our higher institutions OF learning. II
! they are made to compare favorably with
| those of sister states large sums ot money
must be contributed for their est ,blishnent
and support.
In 1876 two townships OF land were set
apart by the general government for the sup
| port OF q university In Iowa when II should
| become "a state.
| The grant was afterward accepted and II
| II had beef judieously managed would have
| supplied q liberal fund for the support of
the institution II was designed to aid, but the
| lands were sold at an early day and for
| prices which supply but meager annual In.
| come. To this has been added by the state
| limi ed endowm ent, but the permanent funds
OF the university are wholly insufficient for
| its support.
The number OF students has increased
with the growth OF the state until the facili.
| ties which appropriations thus far made have
supplied are wholly inadequate for the i'm
| mediate needs OF the school.
II Is apparent that further aid must be
| provided, and the question arises, in Whist
manner ard to what extent ought tLis be
| given? I'|e
1t seems to me In every sense desirable that
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