Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-09-23

U
great deal of clothing and supplies,
comforts and little home luxurles, to
the boys at the front.
Entitled to the warrants.
Attorney-General Remley has given
an opinion to the auditor Of state that
the state university is entitled to have
the warrants for $4,000 Of the one
tenth of mill tax for library purposea
provided for by the last legislature.
The tax was originally provided for
five years for building purposes, but
was extended one year for library,
$4,000 to be used in repairing the
burned building and Sal, 900 for books,
us may be required from time to time.
The warrants bear no interest and this
$4,000 cannot be paid till June 10, 1902,
but the warrants will be negotiated by
the regents to pay for the repairs and
for the purchase of books, so the uni
versity will enjoy the benefit of the
library so much sooner.
Crop Reports.
The September crop reports, COM
piled by Director Sage, of the Iowa
weather and crop service, show good
condition throughout most Of the
state. The corn crop is estimated at
"a bushels per acre, average for the
state, which is slightly above the aver
age for the past Is years and five BUSH
els per acre above the average output
for 1897. If this estimate holds good,
the Iowa corn crop this year will be
about 2S0,000,000 bushels, or 100000
more than last year. The wheat re-
ports show an average Of IS bushels
per acre of winter wheat and 10 for
spring wheat. This would give total
wheat harvest of "A, 1s7,s 14 bushels, or
o,b24,76O bushels in excess of last years
crop. Oats are 20 bushels to the acre,
total yield Of 141 $4,000, or o,a04,0o
more than last year. The average
yield of barley is 20 bushels per acre,
total yield 14,2es,4e2 bushels; Of rye,
II bushels per acre, total yield 1885,
e6s. The hay crop is also reported
largely in excess of 1897. These re-
ports are only preliminary, and while
they are made mostly by practical
farmers, they may be modified by later
returns from actual harvests and
husking.
Many Seek Divorce,
The district court Of Polk county
has become almost as notorious for d.
vorce proceedings as Sioux Falls, 8. D.,
though the laws of Iowa are not so lax
In this direction. Fourteen applica-
lions for divorce were fled in one day
recently, all residents of Des Moines
at one time or another. The chief
cause was desertion, though several
other statutory causes were mem
toned. In such cases it is nearly al
ways an agreement to disagree" be-
tween the parties, and desertion Of
two years being the easiest cause, that
Is the one given in court, though It Is
really only incidental to the real cause,
which the parties do not wish to give,
or which is insufficient under the law.
Important improvements.
Several improvements have been de-
termined upon during the past ten
days that will be of great Importance
to the city and state. The city library
trustees have purchased the half block
adjoining the old arsenal building, pur.
chased from the state for library
site, and on this spot, on West First
street, between Locust and Walnut
streets, will be located the finest IL
brary building in the safe. Competi-
ton will be invited for plans and
liberal prize will be awarded for the
best plan. The building will not be
ready for occupancy in less than three
years, but 1t will cost about s125, 900.
The erection of a large union passen-
ger station by the Des Moines Union
Railway company to accommodate the
Wabash, Great Western & Des Moines,
Northern & Western lines, has stimu-
lated the other lines to provide better
station accommodations. The Rock
Island will build $100, 900 station next
year and 1t is understood that the
Northwestern and Burlington viii ar
range to use this station also. This
will bring all the railways within one
block Of each other and will greatly
accommodate travellers to or through
Des Molnes.
The Cigarette Tax.
The cigarette mulct tax of $500
year, imposed by the legislature, may
proveto be uncollectible. Four dealers
In this city paid it, but one refused to
do so, on the ground that he had
brought his cigarettes into the state
from st. Louis, Mo-, in original pack
ages and that they were, therefore, an
article of interstate commerce and not
subject to state tax or control, as they
weresoldin the original packages. The
case has not been finally decided by
Judge Bishop, before whom it was
brought, but he has intimated that If
1t is clearly proved that the cigarettes
were sold in the original packages, as
shipped from the state of Missouri, or
any other state, the state mulct tax
cannot apply. In this case no other
dealer would pay the tax, of course, un-
less he wanted to sell cigarette paper.
1t is even intimated that the dealers
who have paid would be able to recover
the amount so paid from the countyif
they had not sold cigarette paper.
County Attorney Howe has made every
effort to enforce the law and collect
the tax, but he admits that 1t appears
very doubtful.
F. W. RIcKNELL.
Found In the River.
Marietta, o., Sept. 21.-The body Of