Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-24
TAXING HIDDEN PROPERTY
Tax Ferret System Puts Much Money Into
County Treasures in the State.
WARM fight FOR CONGRESSIONAL HOaOHs
J~ockeyinE for Advantage In Capital
District-Ckurch Quarantine Lifted
ventilation of Capitol-AppeaIs
in Criminal Cases.
From a STAR Correspondent.)

DIES MONIES, Feb. 23.-(special.6The
county treasurer Of Polk, in which Des
Moines is situated, presents figures making
the remarkable showing that By reason Of
the tax ferret Law this county has been
enriched by about $3.50, 900 in taxes the
past year. Reports show that in the state
more than a million dollars has been col
lected under the contract with the tax fer
rets and that the state of Iowa has received
over $1,000 900 as its share of the collec-
lions.
But the law is said to be driving many
rich persons out OF the state and to cause
the investment Of Iowa funds in other
states, and Is therefore deemed objection
able. The county treasurer and county Of
icials, however. are strongly in favor of
continuing the law as at present at least
for several years.
Congressional Contest.
The congressional contest in the Seventh
district has assumed peculiar phases. The
republican county central committee meets
tomorrow and may change the. date Of the
primary, setting It for a later date. The
date was originally fixed for March 10, in
order to get in far ahead of the primaries
In Story country. 1t was regarded as GER
tain that Story county would go for Judge
Prouty for congress, and this would in
huence the result in Polk county. The
friends of Congressman Hull controlled in
Polk county and set a date earlier than
Story. They now realize that the date is
too early.
Last week the republican city committee,
which had set the city primary for March
2, changed to March 10, so as to have
city and congressional and county and
judicial contests all at once. Now the
county committee c~ontemplates making n
change to about the 25th Of March, but Is
threatened with retaliation from Story
county by moving up the primaries there
to an earlier date. The campaign is beinR
conducted along such lines. Inasmuch as
1t is a fight which can be settled in this
county alone, the contest is unusually
warm.
Church Quarantine Lifted,
The churches Of Des Moines resumed
meetings again today after being closed for
one week because OF the smallpox quaran-
tine.
Two Appeals Coming.
1t is expected that at an early date two
important murder trials will come TO the
Iowa supreme court on appeal. One is the
Linhoff case from Mason City and the
other the Hunter case from Ringgold
county.
Iowa Capitol Ventilation.
Some time g the senate appointed a
committee to make investigation of the
ventilation and heating OF the state cap
itol aud to find out II possible why there
was so much bad air In many Of the
rooms. This committee was headed by DR..
Emmert Of Atlantic and it has made a
thorough investigation. The report will
show thai the capitol ventilating apparatus
has not been well managed.
Fight over a Woman.
Two men engaged in an ARRAY on East
Court avenue this evening, which came near
ending seriously for one of them. They
were William Boslan and Richard Witter,
the former a blacksmith. and their quarrel
was over a woman in whom both were in
terested. Witter had a revolver and shot
four times at Boslan at short range, but
was so drunk that he shot wide of the
mark, except one bullet, which struck a
button on Boslan's coat and made a wound