Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-01-31
DES MONIES LETTER
Items of Interest From Our Correspondent
at the State Capital.

President. J. H. Jackson of Sioux
Gity, vice president. j. g. williams OF
What Cheer; secretary, w. d. Jamie.
son OF Shenandoah; treasurer, Frank
U. Pierce of Marshalltown.
District vice presidents were elect.
ed as follows: First, w. B. seeley,
Mount Pleasant; Second, j. o. Nichols,
West Liberty; Third, Charles Nc.
Lean, Dubuque; Fourth, ]. e. r.,
Marley. Mason City; Fifth, J. ".
Brodish, Cedar Rapids; Sixth, George
I. Frier, Deep River; Seventh. Prot.
b II. Hubbard, Ames; Eighth, T. B.
turner, Corning: Ninth, w. j. Rob
erts, Red Oak; Tenth, ]. Hallen, Lor-
eng; Eleventh, w. L. Harding, Sioux
City.
The purpose Of the association Is
TO secure for Iowa a better rate OF
taxation of moneys and credits. All
OF the papers read before the meet.
ing will be published In pamphlet
FORM and distributed thoroughly over
the state. In this way the associa,
ton expects to educate the people to
Its belief.
HabltuaI Criminal Statute Attacked.
Vernon Dowden of Fayette county
has appealed to the supreme court
to declare the habitual criminal act
In this state unconstitutional and
void.
Hesuffers under a thirty-five year
sentence for grand larceny. The
maximum penalty Cor any kind OF
grand larceny is fifteen years. That
is for larceny from the person.
Under the habitual criminal act II
is provided that when an accused a
convicted for the third time Of Z
heinous crime, the court may sen.
tence him indefinitely az an habitual
criminal. This Judge L. d. Fellows
did with Dowden. He had been
twice convicted of q penitentiarv Of.
Tense.
His lawyer, G. H. Rohrig, in appeal.
Ing the case to the supreme court.
contends that the legislature has not
the power, under the constitution. to
pass law which will increase ths
penalty for the crime charged. under
this guise. He will, argue the point
deliberately to the court He has filed
brief and the assistant attorney gen.
eral, G. W. Lyon, is engaged now in
the task OF preparing an answer to
the written brief and argument.
Section 5091A of the supplement to
the code is involved in the case. Il
has been in force for several years
and the judges have used it only occa,
sionally. The decision of the court.
however, is likely to affect q large
number OF pending cases.
To Burn Certificates.
The last of the clearing house Ger.
tificates issued by the Des Moinss
banks to tide over The currency strin.
gency in November and December.
mas been taken up and will be used
for bonfire purposes.
About s1,000,000 in limitation
money" will go up in smoke and the
last embers will be watched with both
JOY and sorrow by Des Moines bankers
joy because there is no longer need
for the clearing house certificates and
sorrow to think that the means OF It'd.
Ing them over one of the most tick.
lish situations they have encountered
have to be destroyed.
The clearing house certificates were
issued Oct. %, the local banks through
the Des Moines Clearing House asso.
cation following the lead Of other
financial centers to preserve their our
rency. business equilibrium and credit
during the crisis caused by the New
York rich mems panic.
Rankin Goes on staff.
Governor Cummins has appointed
Capt. w. s. Rankin Of Mason CITY
judge advocate general of his star,
Captain Rankin recently resigned
command Of his company at Mason
City, and his new commission car.
ries the rank OF colonel. Captain
Hyatt Of Webster City and Captain
Rankin of Mason City were contest.
ants in the race for major OF the Fiji
ty-sixth regiment recently, and the re.
suit was so close that second cleo.
ton was ordered but in this Captain
Rankin did not participate.
Petition Of Consent Fails.
The circulation of the mulct petition
Of consent has failed SO far in Mus.
catine. The anti-saloon league closed
up the saloons and under the mulct
law the saloon keepers began to
circulate petition to operate under
the mulct law. OF the 1900 signsya
required the petition has received but
434 names
Judge Weaver for Chairman.
Judge s. M. Weaver will probably
be nominated as permanent chairman
of the amendment campaign commit.
tee to be formed at the state temper.
ance convention In the Plymouth Con.
gregatiopal church Jan. 20 and 20.
Judge Weaver has consented to az.
cept the office If 1t is rendered to him
at the convention. The temporary
committee Is anxious to secure Judge
Weaver to take up the permanent
work of the amendment campaign In
securing signatures to the monster
petition to be circulated over the state
for constitutional prohibition in Iewa
Big Fresh Water Pearl.
Barlesville, /. T.-Thomas Cook and
George Henry, who recently estab.
lished pearl fishing station a few
miles south of this city, have found
the largest pearl ever discovered in
this country.
1t is about the size of pigeons egg.
Robert Henry, president of the Henry
Oil company has offered S1 snn eon a.