Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-27
To Further Cause of Constitu-
tional Amendment Establish
ing Biennial Elections
OPPOSITION QUIETLY AT WORK
While Friends of Amendment Are Pre-
pairing to Let the Voters Know What
Advantages There Are in the Abol-
ishins Half the Elections, conven-
tions and Campaigns.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, June 27.-It is learned
that plans ale be.g laid for the forn =
ton of an arg.,u ton oe son:" kind
for the pu:.cse nf furthsling the cause
of the CONSTITUTIONAL amendmen.. Which
will abolish Sene:.,l s;a,e elee.cns In
the odd numbered years IoWA. While
this amendment was carried by the
voters OF tn, state h.- comfortable
ma jority four years ago when 1t was
submitted, and all that has hap
pened s'nce has beer :usald to the de-
STABILITY Of bienn al elections. y,t there
is f al'ilg among the ar lent friends
to go into rae caIJ,isn without so4:.e
pos tiye efforts ;>r tie amendment.
There vi, 10 influences 1T work u
oppose the ;,nlendrlsa 1T ana to cont,pue
the presen. systeE, and .ley VII ork
quietly to secu.e AS :nany so,es es
possible against the amendment. To
of many voters to refuse to indorse
any innovation but always to leave
things just as they are on the suppo-
sition that nothing can be better, the
friends of the amendment believe an
organization will be necessary. They
are already at work preparing some
literature on the subject and will be
prepared to let the voters know what
advantages there are in abolishing half
the elections and half the conventions
and campaigns. Information. is to
be secured from other states as to
the workings of the system and the
voters Of Iowa are to be Informed of
what it means. II the amendment
carries, the Thirtieth general assem-
bly, will hold short special session
to make appropriations for one year.
and this will be substantially the
only change from the regular order
that will be required by the adoption
of the amendment. The legislature will
not, in any event, elect United States
senator, SO that this political question
can hardly be forced into the cam
paign. There are number of kno.ty
problems in regard to legislation and
u
considered but these will be worked
out in due time.
The board of control will open bids
for the new building at the state school
for the deaf at Council Bluffs on Tues
day. This is to be one large building,
or rather three closely connected.
There will be a central administration
and office building and two wings run
ming OFF diagonally, one for a dormitory
for boys and the other for the girls.
This arrangement was not regarded as
the most desirable, but the fact that
the state has only one spot on the
ground suitable for building COM
PEELED the grouping of the entire work
at one place. But the condition of the
ground is such that the building will be
somewhat expensive. 1t is to be locat-
ed on knoll and portions of the
building will run out on the hillside so
that very deep foundations will be
needed. This will make it expensive,
and members of the board fear that the
cost of the one building will be such
preparation of $250,0O0. However, the
one DulIQlHS Will Dc SultlCleul u put
the school in good condition.
In the last issue of the Annals of
Iowa is valuable historical sketch
which recalls that the name of one of
Iowa's most distinguished sons sug-
gssts the existence of a most remark
able colony in the state. This was the
colony established at Salubria in Van
Buren, county, by Abner kneeland and
his associates from Massachusetts
an atheistic colony which had brief
existence in territorial days Knee
land was famous in New England DE
fore coming to Iowa. One who had
become n member of his colony was
the father of Ex-State Treasurer
Twombly, and the name of Captain
Twombly suggests the atheistic tend
ency of the colony. He was named
Voltaire Paine Twombly, after men
who were idolized by Kneeland and his
associates. The article in the Annals
is by Miss Mary r. Whitcomb, assist
ant curator of the historical depart
ment, who devoted much time and
investigation to securing
the facts for the story of Salubria.
Miss Whitcomb has been pursuing
line of historical investigation with
much success and this article demon
strates that she has caught the true
spirit of the historian.
while attending the exposition at
St. Louis" said Charles Aldrich, cura-
Tor of the state historical department,
Il visited the Mississippi building.
which is quite close to the Iowa build
ing. and | was much Interested i'm it.
fhe Mississippi building is an exact
counterpart of the home of Jefferson
Davis at Beauvior, where he lived his
declining years and where he died. If
he state of Mississippi had erected
,uch a building at the Centennial i'm
in Philadelphia, for instance. there
would have been a great howl about IT,
but times are changing, and the Ameri-