Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-15
PORTRAIT OF
CH|EF K[0kUK
Iowa State Historical Depart
ment May Soon Own a
Valuable Painting
MOST FORTUNATE FIND MADE
The State Has at Present Only One
Small and Unsatisfactory Painting
of Ttis "Good" Indian Identified
With Iowa History After Whom
keokuk is Named - Capital Notes.
Special to Times Republican.

Special TO Times Republican.
Des hioines, Sept. 15.--The state
historical department is about to come
into possession. temporarily, of a
hitherto almost unknown, valuable
portrait of the great Indian chief, Keo-
kuk, after whom the city of that name
was called and renowned as one of
the greatest chiefs of the western In
dians. This is a full length painting
in possession of James G.. Davis, of this
city, general attorney for the Chicago
& Northwestern railroad in Iowa, and
it belongs to his mother a resident Of
keokuk. The state has one small
painting of Keokuk, which formerly
office, and is now in the historical col
lection. 1t has never been regarded
satisfactory and was called a poor
portrait by those who had known the
Aldrich recently learned that a better
portrait of the chief was IN possession
of the family of the late Judge Davis,
of Keokuk, and he made special trip
to that city to see the picture. He
found IL to be fine one. The picture
was painted under the auspices Of
Judge Davis and Judge Johnstone and
by a competent artist The face is
supposed to have been from a daguer-
rotype of the chief but to have been
made to conform to the views of those
who were familiar with his face. 1t
will be placed in the state collection
Of paintings and it Is probable the
state will make an.offer to the own
ers, that 1T may become the property
Of the state for all time. Chief Keokuk
was one of the good Indians known in
Iowa history, and man who made
no effort to turn the. tide of civiliza-
ton. The find is regarded as a most
fortunate one.
Members of the G.. A. r. in Iowa
will not allow the recent decision OF
Judge swell in which he held that
the soldier preference law is unconsti-
tutional, to stand, without appeal to
the higher courts. "The case will be
taken to the supreme court at once"
said Assistant Adjrtant General New
man. "While attending the reunion
and encampment at Boston, 1 had a
conference with James G. Kay, OF
Brooklyn, who originated the idea of
the soldier preference law and has
done more to get the principle estab-
lished in various states than any 9TH
er. He. assures me that the law in
New York state, for which he is large
ly responsible, has been tested before
the supreme court there in it's every
possible phase, and has been sustained
i'm every respect. In that state
various lower courts at first declared
it unconstitutional. In Kansas law
similar to Iowa was declared null by
a lower court, and on appeal the su-
preme court decided the law was all
right. In that case, as in Iowa, the
test came on a matter of appointment
of a city clerk. We would have pre-
ferred that the test would come on a
case where it was sought to remove
an old soldier, but the principle is the
same. We have no doubt that the
law will be sustained by the Iowa
supreme court"
A
the United States and state fish COM
missions to engage in the present sys-
tenn of securing young fish for distri-
button to the streams of Iowa and in
other western states. The state for
merly had fish hatchery, but abarl-
doned it and established a seining sta
tion at Bellevue, Jackson county,
where young fish are taken from the
bayous leading into the Mississippi
river and are taken in fish cars to var
ious streams in the interior of the
state. The United States maintains
a fine fish hatchery at Manchester in
Delaware county, but only the fancy
fish are propagated there, while the
bulk Of the young fish placed in in
terror streams are caught along the
Mississippi, the government following
the lead of the state in catching fish
rather than rearing them. But the
people living along the Mississippi riv-
er in Iowa and Illinois, have long op-
posed this scheme, and contend that
claim that the fish are mostly killed
in transit and those that are not dead
when transplanted have poor chance OF
life in streams far from their native
haunts. This week party of the
United States fish commissioners em ].
ployes, eight in number, We're arrested
by the local authorities in Illinois and
taken to Galena for trial for illegal
fishing. They were engaged in taking
fish in "A bayou near Menominee island,
and this is claimed as Illinois water.
The same condition would prevail,
however, in regard to the bayous or
the Iowa side of the river. 1t will be
a case to test the right OF the United
States to use this method of securing
fish and will be watched with much in
terest by fishermen in Iowa.
A notable paper was that of Chair
man G.. S. Robinson, of the state board
Of control In which he told of the pro.
gress of legisla ton in Iowa and else-
where as 10 penal AMI reformat torN
methods. He pointed out that iowa