Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-14
Attempt to Compile Document
airy History Of Political
Parties In the State
FIRST VOLUME NEARLY DONE
The Work Has Been Undertaken by
Tho state Historical Society Thru
Professor Benjamin F. stambaush.
as Editor-FiIes Of Early Iowa Pa
pers tho Most Important Material.
70 Tymes-Republican.

Specia1 TO Times-Republican.
Iowa City, March IA history OIL
the activities of the political parties
In the state of Iowa, az told by the
party platforms. the utterances OF par
tv leaders and contemporary news
paper editorials, is the unique ana
monumental work undertaken by the
state Historical Society thru It's edi-
tor Professor Benjamin r. sham
baugh, head Of the department OF po-
ljtical science OF the state university.
The f,rat volume, dealing with the po-
lltIcal history of the terri .orial per-
iod Is already long way toward COM
pletion and will be published some
time during the year.
The preparation Of this initial vol
,,me of the series which will eventual
ly consist Of four or five, has been the
work Of odd hours during the past
three years on the part OF DR.. Sham
baugh. The most important sources
OF material Mt his disposal have beer
the files of the early Iowa papers.
which are now extremely rare. The
Dubuque Visitor, established in 1886,
of which there is only one file, now IN
the library Of the state historical de-
partment, contributed largely to the
data concerning not only The political
life OF the state but the early political
life of the city Of Dubuque as well.
The only extant file Of the Burling-
ton Hawkeye, now in the public library
of the city of Burlington, has been
another field filed with rich material.
The Iowa Capitol Reporter, published
In Iowa City from 1910 to 1863. during
the decade when the state capitol was
located here, and the Iowa Standard,
complete files of both OF which are in
the State Historical Society library,
have thrown much light on the making
Of the state. Pamphlets, letters, man.
uscripts, documents and outside pa
pers have been called upon to furnish
their commentary on the ac:s Of states
men. An immense amour. of material
has been collected much Of which 1t
will be impossible to use, but the
things of permanent interest will be
carefully selected, edited and when
published will form the most valuable
existing record, correlatirg for ready
use and reference, that as ever been
published. In fact, no other attempt
to gather together the documentary
history Of political parties In the state.
of Iowa has ever been attempted be-
fore, nor is 1t believed any other states
in the union have conducted and pub
lished Investigations along these lines.
Succeeding volumes OF the series
which will appear during the next few
years, will carry the documentary his-
tory Of the political parties in the state
Of Iowa down to late data. While
1t is not the intention tf DIR. Sham
baugh to eventually write commen-
tary ON the political history of the
present day, the series W. II be brought
down to date where other material
becomes available. The sources of the
first volume are practically unavail-
able to the. ordinary reader or investi-
gator, but the political history Of the
last twenty or thirty years is easily
accessible.