Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-07-21

to whether their claims we're valid. and
their procedure in sentering the land
correct and according. to law. They |
have not been spending the u
months on the land which is supposed
to be required Of every claimant of q
homestead, and this has given rise to
the theory that there may be something
wrong with the methods which have
been followed. Hence the Investigation
which the government land officers are
conducting.
Chosen Third Time.
Charles j. Wilson, Of Washington,
w. w. Epps, Of Ottumwa. w. P. Fitch.
patrick, of Nevada, and George Esta-
brook, OF Marshalltown. are the new
members Of the state central COMMITTEES.
Of the republican party. They repre-
sent the first, sixth, seventh and NTH
districts, respectively. The other mem.
bers OF the committee include G. w.
Phillips, Of the second, Burton p.
Sweet, of the third, J. g. Hempel, OF the
fourth, r. H. Spence, OF the eighth, As
mus Boyson, of the ninth, Stitz Way, of
the tenth, and G. G. Scott, OF the elev-
enth Mr.. Spence was reelected for
the third time to be chairman OF the
committee. This is remarkable honor
which has never been conferred upon
any other member of the committees In
the past. Not to exceed two terms has
ever been enjoyed by other chairmen.
Say He Was Drunk.
Attorneys for Louis Busse, Of Bremen
county, convicted Of the murder Of his
wife, have appealed his case to the SUI
preme court Of the state, pleading that
he was drunk when he committed the
murder and, therefore, that he was not
responsible. This case will test the ex-
tent to which intoxication may be used
a. a defense to the commission OF
crime. The testimony as to Buses
condition with reference to liquor was
excluded in the lower court. OF this
the attorneys for the man complain.
They say that his wife struck him with
chair when he returned home on the
day Of the murder, and that this In
famed his anger, being In an irrespon-
sible state through intoxication, and
he then killed her in the fury OF the
moment, and not with the premedita-
ton which the jury decided was pres
emit.
| The State Treasury.
More than $500, 900 in cash now re-
poses In the Golfers of the state Of Iowa.
This is the balance In the general reve-
nue. fund. OF course it is not in tia
vaults of the state house or of the treas
urer's Office, being loaned by the state
to the banks of Iowa, largely in Des
Moines, and entirely without interest,
An effort to secure the passage Of law
5 giving the state power to collect inter
est on this balance from the banks was
defeated last winter. The state hes
$2,288,220 Of resources, including the
cash, the remainder being bonds and
other securities held for the agricul-
tural college, etc.
Opposed to Saloons.
Secretary OF the Treasury Leslie NJ
Shaw is keeping up in the treasury de-
partment the reputation he had in Iowa
of being opposed to the saloons. He
has Just directed the custodian OF the
new federal post Office site in Des
Moines to GUST a saloon from the site,
which the treasury department now
owns. This saloonkeeper recently se-
cured an additional years license at a
cost Of $1,000, and he will try to get
q refund from. the authorities. He sup
posed the treasury department would
permit him to continue to occupy the
building on the governments property
until such time as the post ohice Is be-
gun. But the secretary said that the
government did not need the rental
from such an institution and directed
the custodian to move the saloon of.
Farmers Subscribe.
The government weather bureau at
Des Moines has Just added 100 farmers
to It's list OF subscribers, making 10000
altogether who daily receive reports
and prognostic ations from the bureau.
These are conveyed by postal card and
by telephone. The latter arrangement
{ il one devised by Director G. M. Chap
pell, Of Des Moines. It is carried on
without cost to the government,
through arrangement made with the
telephone companies It was only res
Gently that the bureau began sending
telephone messages to farmers, but
this has been begun, is successful and
satisfactory, and will be extended.
Des Moines Port OF Entry.
Col. g. L. Godfrey has compiled re-
port Of the business Of the port Of entry
at Des :Moines for the past three months.
Goods to the value Of $13,469 were adj
mittsd at this port, and the duties coll
lscted amounted to 1850. The COLI
lector's compensation Is three per cent.
Of the duties. Gloves furnished the
largest item. About 5000 worth Of
them were imported. paying duties
amounting to 1855. Decorated china
T was the next item, about $500 worth
being imported. and paying q duty Of
1882.
Height Va. weight.
r. W. Hovey and D. Costigan were se-
lected as representatives to the supreme
lndre nf tho Mvatic Toilerr AT thu 20