The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-10-11
NOTES FROM THE CAPITA
Des Moines. October 3. i 600.

NOTES FROM THE CAPITA !
Des Moines, October o, 1900.
The ballots to be used at the COM
ing November election will be the
same size as that of 1896. There wi
be seven state and national tickets
upon the ballot this fall, viz: Repub-
Sfcan, democratic, social labor, social
democratic, peoples, prOhibitionist,
and United Christian The ballot as
certified by the state auditor will con-
tain not less than 500 names, the GER,
tificate including the candidates for
congress and the judicial nominees,
as we'll as the names of the state and
national candidates and the presiden-
tial electors. OF the seven national
and state tickets which will appear
upon the ticket, five go on by petit
ton. The prohibitionists failed to re-
Eceive the necessary 2 per cent of all
votes cast at the last election, leav-
ing only the two old parties entitled
to the right to have the names of
their candidates go on the ballot by
simple certification of the nominees
The supreme court established an
important point in the case of state
VS. Jack Shields, which had been ap-
pealed from the Pottawattamie dis
trict and which was reversed in the
opinion just handed down by them.
The question at issue is regarding
the stamping of documents and the
point made is that n forged check
may be used in evidence, even though
not legally stamped. Shields was ac-
quilted in the lower court because
the check bore a two cent proprie-
tary United States revenue stamp in
stead of a documentary stamp, and
it was considered that it could not
be used in evidence. The supreme
court reduces the inquiry to the
question whether the statute regard
ing the stamping applies to criminal
prosecutions like the one under dis
cussion, and reaches the conclusion
that as the act was for the purpose
of insuring the tax required and only
genuine evidence is required to be
stamped it was not intended that the
rules of evidence prescribed apply in
prosecution for forging. The decs.
ion will not effect Shields, as the judg-
ment of his acquittal must stand,
but the point is regarded as an i'm.
portant one.
The local United States land Office
officials are now engaged in entering
up the final findings in the celebrated
O'Brien county land entry cases. These
are the cases growing out of the
opening for settlement of lands of
the Sioux City and St. Paul road in
O'Brien county, which had been for
feited by failure to comply with con-
ditions under which the grant was
made. All this land was sold by the
company to settlers and the contests
growing out of the opening were be-
tween these purchasers and the per-
sons making the first entries on
them in Des Moines couple of years
ago. In the first hearing the claims
of some of the purchasers were set
aside in favor of those making en-.
tries on the lands, but on appeal and
rehearings all the contests have been
decided against those making entries
and in favor of the purchasers, eN-
cept in a very few cases. In these
cases the purchasers of the railroad
title were officers of the railroad
company and the officers of the de-
partment of the interior before whom
the cases came. held that because of
their official relation they would not
be innocent purchasers, and SO de-
cided in favor of the first homestead
entries.
A mastodon's tooth three feet long
and weighing twenty-one pounds has
been found near Polk City. Workmen
of the Northwestern Railway com
pany discovered the tooth in a gravel
pit, and have taken it to Ames, where
it has. been placed on exhibition
Those who have examined the tooth
pronounce it genuine, and think it
must have been brought down here
IN glacier thousands of years ago
from the north. 1t is in excellent
condition and is thought to be the
biggest of its kind ever discovered.
Several learned men who are versed
in the sciences say the animal from
whose mouth it came must have beer
as large as a small barn.
(
The Standard Oil company is at
tempting to secure control of the
entire ice business of Des Moines.
The negotiations, which are Just get
ting under Roadway, are being con-
Quoted through A. L. Clinite, late of
the Crystal Oil company. Mr.. Clinite
has received letter from NJ. j. West
lake of Jersey City, who is connected
with the sales department of the
Standard Oil company asking him to
learn at what prices the local ice
! plants could be secured. Mr.. Clinite
has secured options on all but two of
| the plants, and it is believed options
on the others will be obtained.
The Des Moines ice plants repre-
| sent an investment OF nearly or quite
| 81, 100000. The ice men claim the
business has not been as profitable as
| generally supposed, and that they are
| willing to sell if they can secure the
| right price.
The board of control has received
| from the Institution for Feeble Mind
ed at Glenwood an epitome of the
dietary there for the week ending
September 90 There We're OCT pa
tients and the total cost of their
meals for the week was $6S9.15. This
| is a cost of a trife over u cents ner
week for each inmate for food The
/ cost per day for each inmate is 10 and
| 17-1O0 cents, or of 3 and 39-1OO cents
| per meal.
1 GERM ANy,S g rCnNn NOTE ll4