St. Paul daily globe., 1895-10-11
OVER THE LINE IN IOWA.

OVER THE LINE IN IOWA.
If one were to judge from the edi-
torial columns of the leading Re-
publican organ in Iowa, a very fierce
contest is on, involving that party
in great danger of losing it's control,
and requiring the greatest efforts to
prevent defeat. Mr.. Babb, the Dem
ocratic candidate for governor, is
very much in evidence on the editor
ial page, which is devoted to lam
basting him without stint The re-
naming editorials are devoted to
Mr.. Drake, the Republican candi-
date, and the adulation here EQUALS
the ululation in the other articles.
If Iowa is the solid Republican state
it is claimed to be, there seems to
be, in the columns of this and of
other papers of that party which
come to the exchange table, an
enormous waste of ammunition.
They take the situation alto
gether too seriously to harmonic
with their claims of success.
If there is cause for this exertion
and anxiety, it is to be found in the
shilly-shallying Of the Republican
party on the liquor question. Con-
vinced by the drubbing they re-
ceived in two successive campaigns
few years ago that the prohibition
policy of that party was not accept
able to the state, the legislature,
the first time it again fell under
their control, rejected the Democrat
ic proposition for a license law, and
substituted what has become known
as the mulct law. A statute, still
in force, enacted after the prohibi-
ton amendment to the constitution
was declared void, prohibits the
manufacture or sale of intoxicants
in the state. This mulct law pro-
| Vides that in counties where a GER
tain percentage of the people petit
| ton for the sale of liquor any per-
son may sell it by paying into the
county treasury a fine of $500. This
is whipping the devil around the
stump with a vengeance. One act
makes the sale of liquor a crime
punishable with heavy penalties,
and the other, in the nature Of an
| Indulgence, permits the intending
violator of the law to obtain i'm
munfty from prosecution for violat-
| ing it by paying a stipulated sum
into the public treasury. Of all the
antics of the Republican party in
the states in which it has truckled
to the prohibition element, we know
Of none quite so ridiculous as this.
| The Democrats are in the field with
their old policy Of a license law, with
some feature OF local option. They
will do well to devote their entire
energies to the issue thus made.
The Republicans are trying to
switch off onto national issues,
though not single person is to be
elected to an office that will have
the remotest bearing on federal
| questions. Senator Allison set the
pace in his opening speech recently,
and Mr.. Drake has been following
it, discussing the tariff and the sill
yer question. Mr.. Babb and his as
sistants in the campaign will be
wise in their day if they take the
position that no federal question is
involved in the campaign, and no
other state issue is SO great as that
of the maintenance of the mulct law
or the adoption Of a license law.
With the varied experience of the
voters Of that state under Repub-
lican legislation, terminating, as we
have seen, in this most ridiculous
and immoral position, it would
seem that the Democrats might go
to the people, with their sensible
policy, which has been so success
fully operated in this state, with
every reasonable anticipation of
having it ratified by the voters.
THE SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE