Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-28
STATE MARSHAL Cub
First State Convention of the
Organization Issues State
ment to Public
PURPOSE OF THE MOVEMENT
The Aim Is to District the State and
Appoint Marshals to Enforce the Ex-
listing Laws Of lowa--Sill Drafted for
Presentation to the Next State Legis-
iature.
specla, to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Grinnell, May 2S.-The first state
convention Of the State Marshal Clui
movement ever held was in session il
the auditorium of the Congregations
church in this city Tuesday night ant
Wednesday. Tuesday night 103 dele
gates We're present. but Wednesday
morning there We're 112 accredited dele.
gates according to the report OF The
committee on credentials.
The convention comprised represen-
tative Iowa men from all parts of the
state. Legal acumen. ministerial dig
nity, and the force and brains of the
laity Of every religious belief was pres
ent.
a few eX-legislators were among tn
delegates. The keen. sharp criticism
OF ex-Attornsy General Baker, of Cen
terville, poured oil at times over debate
and several times drew the tangles oui
of knotty committee reports. Among
cey. of Indianola Rev. j. A. Boatnan
of Fort Madison; Attorney l.. A. Hill
of Mason CITY; President A. Rosen
berger, of Penn College, Oskaloosa
II. Z. McCollum. the well known stock
man of Washington: ]. M. Woodrow
q banker OF Newton; Attorney A. A
Mason, Of Abba: S. s. Collins. tinan
cier of Knoxville: Attorney Milligan. OF
Guthrie Center: Rev. Edmund Nittum,
of Grinnell; Attorney Walter E. Haynes
or Anita, and other representative Iowa
men.
The first regular organization of this
movement was begun at Brooklyn I'M
der the direction of A. c. Rankin, the
moulder orator of Penna, and now has
some one hundred members. Newton
was the next place organized. and here
the state executive committee was or
ganized from the two clubs OF Brooklyn
and Newton.
The movement began but little over
year ago. has spread with phenomenal
success: over sixty cities are organ
ICED, forty-seven of which We're organ
lied by the untiring efforts of Mr..
Rankin himself, eliminating finally In
the state convention held in Grinnel!.
In his work Mr.. Rankin has been aided
by Rev. Alexander Cooper as an organ
izer. Yesterdays session added an
other man to the list.
Briefly outlined the plan of the Mar
shall Club movement in the district and
the state is TO appoint marshals to en-
force the liquor laws of the state. The
creed demands neither prohibition or
in any any way advocates revision OF
the liquor laws, merely their enforce
ment.
Mr. Rankin has advocated the system
about twelve years and has steadily
worked toward that end. No other
state has anything like it. the South
Carolina dispensary system perhaps is
the only system which can be COM
pared to 1t.
The work of the convention here was
the drafting Of bill which will be
presented to the state legislature next
winter A similar bill was drawn up
in North Dakota and was passed by
the state legislature In the spring of
1897, but was lost thru the veto of
Governor Briggs.
According to Mr.. Rankin 1t was the
most remarkable convention of the
kind he ever attended. Next week he
goes to Marengo, and the following
week he will be in Marshalltown in the
interests of his work.
Tuesday nights session was given
over to the work of the credential COM
rnittee. While they We're preparing
their report speeches were made by A.
C. Rankin, a. j. Baker, of Centerville:
President Bradley, of Grinnell; Rev.
Sanderson, Of Keokuk; b. +. Brown, Of
Washington, and others.
The state is to be divided into five
districts. each with a district marshal:
district No. ! to be known as the Des
Moines district; No. =, as the Daven-
port: No. 3 as Dubuque; No. 4, as Sioux
City, and No. 5, as the Council Bluffs
district.
Statement of the Loyal Citizens
State Marshal Club.
In order that the citizens of Iowa
may understand the object and work
of the State Marshal move~.>as, we the
Represert atives of the State Marshal
Club, in convention assarb.ei make
the following statement, and declara-
ton:
First: Tie organization is composed
filiation men who behave in the en-
forcement of the liquor laws of lava
and that by officers !mrnissioned by
the state.
Second: The notification Of 10th
the Prohibitory and Muict laws in
many o. the large cent:.s of popuja-
ton; the systematic invasion by The
liquor vendors TO defaal the principle
of Home Rule in the prohibited dis
tricts of the state; he uascrupulous
and dishonest conduct of many drug
gists who violate the special contract
entered into with the people when TAX
ing out a permit, by converting their
places Of business into whisky dispen-
SORES; the organized effort of liuuos'
men by corrupt methods to secure The
enforcement of the law "a, our to wn
and city elections, am the extreme
violent attacks OF :iqaor men made up
on the loyal private citizen who tries
to secure enforcement of law have call
led this organization inso existence.
Thrd The work of this organiza-
ton resolves itself into the following
"a To prepare and secure the pas
sage OF bill by the Legislature estao-
fishing a system of state marshalS TO
enforce the liquor laws of Iowa. {2)
To use our united influence TO secure
the appointment of honest and comre-
tent marshals. CD TO project the
system from the enemies Of law en-
forcement who would strive 10 corrupt
the marshals and bring them into dis-
,ta he ,f