The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-29
AT THE STATE CAPITAL.
Des Moines. August 81. 1901. /

B. - d
Des Moines. August ~, 1901.
The Hawkeye Insurance company
has commenced suit against the board
OF review demanding that the assess
ment against it be cancelled on tho.
grounds that when it was made there
was no law for it, and further. that
the Liabilities Of the company were
not taken into consideration by the
assessor as an offset against the.
property. According to the petition.
the company was assessed at $119. 900.
The company claims that this prop
erty is offset by liabilities, and that
u has already paid to the state sum.
amounting to / per cent of all the
premiums that 1T had received during
the past year. The statute which de-.
clares that all property belonging to-
insurance companies shall be assessed
after the liabilities of various kinds
!lncludlng policy risks) are deducted.
is clted as a reason that the assess
ment IS illegal. 1t is declared that in
ashluch as an amount sufficient r.,
pay the taxes which the company is
.equlred TO pay has already been paid
iilto 'he state treasury, that the pres
emu assessment, if enforced, VIII
really be double taxation.
"A me llfe-size oil painting of Mrs.
Paullne Given Swain has been hung
IN the art gallery of the State His
tollcal building. Mrs. Swain, her
mother, Mrs. Given, and her daughter.
MISS Nina, were present when Cura-
tor Charles Aldrich superintended the
ceremony. Mrs. Swain has not vet.
determined definitely upon the Legend
TO be engraved on the name plate.
but she is being urged by Mr.. Aldrich
and other friends to inscribe her
name and the words iowa Jorunal-
lst' on it. The portrait was painted
in Montevideo, Uruguay, by an Ital-
ian artist who is living there. Mrs.
Swain has spent about three years
in that South American land and in
travelling. Her husband, Col. AT
Swain, is United States consul at.
the port named. They have been
spending the summer visiting low
friends.
Ida NJ. Street, daughter of the IA.
nous Gen. Joseph NJ. Street, who
lies buried at Agency, has been spend
ing the past week at the State His
torical department building, mount
ing the immensely valuable letters
which her father left at the time of
his death, and whose immense worth
as historical matters led her to pre-
sent them to the Historical depart
ment. She has also. gone with the
mounted and prepared manuscript to-
Chicago, where it will be pound under]
her personal direction. The letters
left by her father and given to TIN
state of Iowa contain many impor
ant epistles written by early prom
nent men of the state in relati
to Gen. 1reet's continued effo
toward Christianizing and civilizi
the Indians of the territory.
]. F. Mason, who is intereste
The new company forming I'M
Moines to manufacture paint
the Jasper county iron and
post, has sent 400 poupj had nS
mineral to Chicago. 49, IA =,
win analyze and exa ,skS
with view of a! a ~
cheapest and most effective mahneil
of separating the minerals. The de-
posit is composed of 60 per cent OF
iron and 40 per cent of silica. The
iron is used in making paints fol
exterior use and the silica for maxi,
ing paints for inside use. Hereto
fore blowers have been used for sep-
arating the minerals, but with this
system the waste was enormous and
reduced the profits very materially.
1t is believed that the experiments
now in progress will develop plan
Of separating the minerals by float
ing them in combination of oils.
If this can be accomplished, about
20 per cent of the raw material car
be saved.
The board of control has determined
IN view of the unusually high price Of
potatoes to feed the inmates of the
institutions on beans, corn and hom-
my to considerable extent this
year, providing potatoes once day.
A years supply of navy beans for
| the state institutions will be OBJ
| tanned. Awards have been made on
contracts for years supply of navy
beans for the institution. Speciica-
tions for beans We're sent out some
| time ago, as soon as it was ascer-
\ tanned there would be shortage in
the potato crop. The aggregate
amount of beans provided for was
1000 bushels, though more can be
obtained under the contracts if need
ed. Contracts for dried apples were
also awarded for some of the institu-
| tlons where fruit is scarce on account
of the drouth and hot weather. =
Chairman Spence of the republican
state central committee, has closed
a contract with the management of
i the Equitable building for headquar-
ters on the third floor of that build
ing. The north end will be used, in
all probability. Partial arrange
ments for opening them will be made
at once.
Philippine Imports Increasing.
Washington, Aug. PA continued
increase in the import trade of sAe
| Philippines is shown in a compare
tive statement compiled at the war
department giving the commerce ui
the islands for the seven months end.
ing January 81, 1901, and 1900.
The total value of the merchandise
imported during the seven months
ending January 81, 1901, was $17,999,-
1877, as against $12,674,705 for tho
same period in 1900, and the merchan-
disc exported was $12,637,359, as