Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-10-29

In the mines were dangerous for the
miner, and | came to believe that thel
proposed bill would be OF benefit to
them. |, therefore, decided to support
the bill. and from that time on | de.
voted my energy to securing its pas
sage and when it came to vote |
voted for it.
Many Momentous Questions.
when the last session of the legis-
lature was called to order there were
many questions of grave Importance
before it. Fire had destroyed buildings
at our state agricultural school in
Ames, a part of the state hospital at
Glenwood had been burned, the hospi-
tai for the insane at Cherokee was I'm
completed, the capitol building was in
need of many repairs and the commits
sioners of the Louisiana Purchase ex-
position were asking Tor 100000 for
use in representing Iowa in that expo
sition. These questions had to be met,
involving large expenditure OF money
il our state institutions We're to be run
as they should be to properly care for
state charges. After due consideration
the legislature provided for the re-
building of the destroyed equipment of
our state school at Ames, for the re-
construction of our institution at Glen
wood and allowed the exposition COM
missioners $125,000 for use in repre-
senting Iowa at the fair at st. Louis
next year. | believed then and | be-
lieve now that Iowa should be well rep
resented at that exposition. Iowa, the
grandest of that vast Louisiana terri
tory, purchased in the beginning of the
nineteenth century for which $15,000,-
900 was paid, has come to be the great
est state formed from that acquis--
ton, last year the taxable valuation OF
its property being 81, 500, 100000 or ten
times the cost of the entire territory.
Surely Iowa should take a part in the
celebration of that purchase"
Railway Assessment.
Mr.. Buchanan touched briefly on
the work of the last session of the
legislature in regard to the assess
.ment of railway property in the state
and showed that by bill passed dur
ing that session the executive had
been given power to secure all needed
information as to the property of the
railway companies in the state for use
in fixing the tax levy and in case the
companies refused to furnish this in
formation it was to have the power to
increase the taxable value OF the prop
erty 25 per cent. He also showed
that during the twenty-eighth assem-
bly, he had been on committee to in
vestigate the manner in which express
companies telephone and telegraph
ines were taxed That as a result of
o,,l in, i,1,
he assisted in framing and passing,
Wapello county has received taxes for
1902 amounting to S761.S3 as compar-
ed with So before the measure was en-
acted.
Mr.. Buchanan referred briefly to
county affairs and showed that during
the past ten years under republican
administration the Indebtedness of,
the county has been reduced from
$250,000 to about $4,000.
Mr.. Reece Talks.
AT the close of Mr. Buchanan's adj
dress Chairman Williams introduced
Hon. William Reece, who spoke in
part as follows:
ut is with pleasure that | speak to
you tonight. l am proud of Iowa,
proud of it's history and it's men. l
am glad that we have man of such
sterling worth as our representative
in the legislature of the state. 1t is
seldom that you hear man in public
office, giving such a strict account Of
his work as you have heard from Mr..
Buchanan this evening. AS / have
been engrossed with other matters,
have not paid close attention to how
things were going in Iowa and | was
not aware of just what Mr.. Buchanan
had been doing, but it is my opinion
that man who speaks as Mr.. Buchan-
an has done tonight, man who lays
his work before his constituents, is
man whom the people of Wapello
county should have to represent them
at Des Moines.
Promises Fulfilled.
"As Mr.. Buchanan has talked of
state affairs | will not refer to them,
| but will at once take up for little
while the questions of national import
ance that are before us. In all OF my
years of campaigning have never
seen the time when have been COM
PEELED to retract one thing | have
said or one promise made in regard to
republican promises. The republican
party as the party of responsibility
| has kept all it's promises to the peo-
pie and has throughout all its years in
| power. sought the interest of the en-
| tire people Its policies have brought
| prosperity. have given to the laboring
| neonle emnloyment have given to the