Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-10-09
STATE IS TAKING STOCK.
Complete Index Is Being Made of
Property Available for Use
Of Iowa officials.
OBJECT OF THE WORK NOW BEINe DONE
Murder Of Two Omcers Years Ago Re-
vfved by a Letter-Nearly a Million
Volumes in Public Libraries-Ca1la
for Sermons on Educational Topics
Other Notes of Interest.
Especial correspondence.l

Especial Correspondence
Des Moines, Ia, Oct. 5.-The state OF
Iowa is now engaged in taking stock"
A complete index is being made Of the
following items of property: The alb
stracts of title and the deeds to real es-
tate owned by the state, the documents
on hand, and the books This is for the
purpose of having ready at hand at all
times the evidence of ownership of the
realty on which the state buildings
stand and the vacant pieces of property
which lie distant from the capitol
grounds, and to have for practical use
statement of the documents, books
and reports which are available for the
use of the state officers. The latter will
be removed soon to the new warehouse
which is being erected for that purpose
across the street from the capitol.
Old Crime Revived.
United States Marshal George M.
Christian has been written to by a man
in the west who offers to turn over for
reward John and Joseph Flenor, in
dicted in the federal court in this state
in 1865 for the murder of two United
States officers in Poweshiek county.
Michael Gleason was with them when
the officers were killed, was himself
wounded, was captured and sentenced to
hang, but President Johnson committed
the sentence. The Flenors escaped and
never were heard from till the far west
ern letter arrived last week. There is
possibility that the aged men will be put
on trial yet for the crime committed 80
years ago, though the federal officers are
at loss to know exactly how to convict
them.
Public Libraries.
There are 24S public libraries in Iowa
and they have 100000 volumes in them,
according to the statistics just compiled
on this subject at the capitol. This is a
gain, in ten years, of 1876 libraries and of
$4,000 books. The law which the leg
islature passed requiring school districts
to set aside certain sum for each pupil
in the schools of the different districts
for library purposes has been responsible
for a large part of the increase. SEN
ator James H. Trewin was the author of
this law. There are now about 95 900
books in the state library. This includes
the historical library in the charge of
Curator Aldrich Of about 1900 vol
umes.
A Call for Sermons.
Prof. F. e. Palmer, of Jefferson, has
sent out letters, as chairman of the cam
paign committee of the State Teachers
association to all of the county superin-
tendents in Iowa, asking them to induce
the ministers of their respective coun-
ties to preach sermon on November Is
relating to educational topics and spe-
cially the wages paid to teachers in this
state. The newspapers also are asked
to indulge in editorials during the week
ending November 20 relating to the
same subject. This is all preparatory to
the public meetings which it Is proposed
to have held in each county on Novem-
Der 20 to arouse interest in educational
matters and to organize campaign for
needed legislation.
Time Expires November 1.
Superintendent A. c. Hutchins of the
department of manufactures under the
Iowa st. Louis commission, has an
nounced that November 1, 1903, is the
last date on which applications for space
In the st. Louis exposition can be Sc
cured by Iowa manufacturers. He is
preparing to send out notifications to
the manufacturers of the state to this
effect, expecting to urge them to make
application at once. The Iowa Manu-
facturers' association, which will hold
meeting here this month to complete
final organization, will also take up the
matter. The showing which Iowa man
ufacturers will make at st. Louis does
not promise to be especially large.
Uniform Fire Insurance.
Auditor of State Carroll, Attorney
General Mullen, James G. Davis and G.
e. Campbell have been busy during the
past ten days in conference respecting
a proposed uniform policy of fire insur-
ance. They have agreed practically
upon the New York form. An effort to
enact this into the statutes of Iowa was
defeated in the last general assembly.
The law does not authorize a uniform
policy in this state. But the law does
give the auditor the power to approve
policies which companies propose to
write or do write in Iowa. BY declining
to approve policies which do not con-
form to the uniform policy agreed on
the effect is achieved without the enact
ment Of the policy into the law.
An Arsenal Wanted.
Adjt. Gen. Byers has asked the legis-
lature to appropriate 100000 for an ar
senal for the state war department. A
bill of this character was passed by one
Of the houses of the last general assem-
bly, and defeated in the other. 1t was
proposed at that time to draw on the
amount of money which 1t was expected
that Iowa would receive from the fed
eral war department on account of civil
war claims, but the legislature would
not pass an appropriation bill condi-
toned on the receipt of that money.
The state did receive more than half a
million dollars, which has laid idle In
the state treasury ever since.
Bonds Are Good.
The fact that the bonds of one city
In Iowa are acceptable to the United
States treasury as security for govern
nent loan of money has attracted after.
lion since the offer of the secretary of
the treasury was made to lend money on
such securities as the banks could fur
nish which would comply with the law
relating to legal investments by New