Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/219

 every other important consideration relating to the public welfare. We demand that the present law shall remain until such time as it can be replaced by what is known as a State and National control with all profits eliminated—which we believe to be the true method of dealing with the question.”

Prohibition or local option was no longer the chief issue between the Republican and Democratic parties, as both in this campaign advocated a policy of allowing each locality to determine whether saloons should be tolerated. This position satisfied the Republicans who had heretofore supported Governor Boies and in this election they returned to the support of the Republican ticket, which was elected. It also continued to receive the support of a great majority of the prohibitionists. Thus the “backward step” on prohibition restored the Republican party to power in the State.

Jackson’s plurality over Boies was 32,161; the other Republican candidates were elected by pluralities ranging from 36,904 for Colonel Dungan, to 38,629 for Luke. The Republicans elected candidates in each of the eleven Congressional Districts by large majorities.

The Twenty-fifth General Assembly convened at Des Moines on the 8th of January, 1894, Lieutenant-Governor W. S. Dungan presiding over the Senate. Henry Stone was elected Speaker of the House.

In his message to the General Assembly Governor Boies informed it that the State was now out of debt, except the amount due to the school fund. The total receipts for the last biennial period amounted to $3,706,151.77; the disbursements for the same time amounted to $3,781,229.27; of which $234,498.01 was in payment of school fund bonds. Of the amount received, the General Government had repaid the State the sum it had paid for direct war taxes, $384,274.80. The Governor again urged the establishment of a Board of Control for the management of the State institutions; and a local option license law for the regulation of the liquor traffic. A report was