Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-07-13
Totes FROM THE CAPITAL
Des Moines. .Inlv s. 100.

Des Moines. July 8. 1908
Interesting information was dis
closed at the state house by a com
pletion of the statistical figures rela-
tive to the railroad assessment. For
instance, it raj found that the per
cent CT the assessment of last rear
to the gross earnings Of the principal
railroads in Iowa was almost identi-
cal. The assessment of the Burling-
or was 81 per cent Of its gross earn
ings within Iowa, that of the Mil
waukee was SO per cent, that of the
Rock Island SO per cent, that of the
Northwestern SO per cent. The as
sessment of the Burlington, Cedar
Rapids & Northern was 129 per cent
of it's gross earnings, that of the Hi
nois Central 100 per cent, that of the
Iowa Central 109 per cent, while the
assessment of the whole Rock Island
system. including the main property,
and the Burlington, Cedar Rapids &
Northern, was 107 per cent of it's
combined gross earnings.
Jesse Crawford, who, with Orlando
P Wilkins, held up the Dallas County
Savings bank at Abel ten years ago,
and shot S. M. Leach of the st. Lou-s
commission. beside taking several
thousand dollars from the institution,
has been paroled. He is now working
at his old trade of n blacksmith in
q shop at his old home, Patterson,
Madison county.
The state board of control has com
pleted it's investigation of the charges
made by some of the authorities of
Scott county relative to the food sup
ply of patients in Mount Pleasant in
a hospital, has found that there
IS no foundation for the complaints
and has written to the complainants in
Scott county to that effect, at great
length. rxnS~-yssrs, . :1ysssr,
The state historical department is
in receipt from J. w. Preston of Bax-
ter of a ine lot of prehistoric imple-
meDts. There are twenty-five pieces,
consisting chiefly of p~estles, used in
a stone mortar by the abCrigines for
ECrnding grain into meal or flour.
Tbs series represents this form of
ancient kitchen culinary implement
cutie completely, from the very rude,
unworked stone to the fine, polished
ones. Mr.. Preston formerly has been
a very active collector of ancient relics
and objects of natural history" said
T. Van Hyning. "He about a year
ago turned over to me his entire col
lee. len of mollusks, which he gathered
from all over Iowa and adjoining
st"'es. He now says he is not through
with the department yet. Mr.. Preston
is a very extensive land dealer out in
Washington, and is preparing to make
that his home
The executive committee of the
state federation of labor has just issu-
ed a new circular devoted to the dis
cussion of child labor. 1t compares
Iowa to the England of the seven
teenth century, when, Macaulav says.
writer's boosted hat at Norwich, for
example, boys and girls of tender
age created wealth in excess of their
sustenance bv G12,000 a year and
6-year-old children worked in the
clothing trade. In Iowa there is no
age at which the child may not be
employed, except that boys under IL
cannot be employed in coal mines.
There is no limit to the number of
hours that a child may be permitted
or compelled to work either day or
night, or 10th, nor is there a limit to
the period of labor between meals or
rest. nor any prescribed test OF physt-
cal fitness for the performance of n
labor or task. The only limitation is
in the degree of necessity or a~varice
of the Parent or guardian. and the de-
gree or humanity OF inhumanity OF
the employer. Germany and France
have passed through child labor en-
ploitation, and appreciate its social
w~astefulness and inevitable deteriora-
ton of citizenship.
Fritz Westbrook, a clerk of the Har-
ris-Emery company. Of Des Moines,
was held up and probably fatally shot
by two masked highwaymen on Uni
versity avenue between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth streets shortly before
midnight. When attacked, West
brock grappled with n of his assail-
ants and succeeded in throwing him
to the ground. The other drew a re-
vOlvcr and shot him through the
abdomen, and the two men male their
esc9ne by running down the alley
south from University avenue. Blood
hounds were put on the trail of the
highwaymen. but as yet the man has
net been captured.
Plans have been made to have the
farming interests Of the state repre-
sented at the railroad tax hearing be-