Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/54

 full term of six years from March 4, 1871. There was a warm contest for these positions before the Republican caucus which made the nominations, as the Republicans had a large majority on joint ballot and their choice was sure to be ratified by the Legislature. George G. Wright of Des Moines, William B. Allison of Dubuque and Governor Samuel Merrill of McGregor were candidates for the full term; James B. Howell of Keokuk, J. B. Grinnell of Grinnell, William Vandever and D. N. Cooley of Dubuque and John Scott of Nevada were candidates for the short term.

In the joint convention of the General Assembly which convened on the 20th of January, George G. Wright received one hundred and twenty-one votes for the United States Senator for the full term of six years and Thomas W. Clagett, the candidate for the Democrats, received eighteen. For the short term James B. Howell received one hundred and twenty-two votes and John T. Stoneman, Democrat, received nineteen.

The most important acts of this General Assembly were the following: the creation of a State Board of Immigration, consisting of the Governor and one member from each of the six Congressional Districts, its secretary to act as the Commissioner of Immigration. The board was authorized to send agents to the eastern States and to Europe for the purpose of aiding immigration of Iowa.

A strong effort was made at this session to pass a bill to prescribe rules and regulations for railroads and to establish uniform and reasonable rates of tariff for transportation of certain freights thereon. The bill met with the powerful opposition of the railroad companies throughout the State and was the beginning of the long contest between the people and these corporations as to the power and right of the Legislature to control railroads. The bill was defeated in the Senate, where it originated, by a vote of twenty to twenty-one. An act was passed providing for the taxation of railroad property, after a long