nounced President Johnson and his executive acts and policy.
The National Democratic Convention assembled at New York on the 4th of July, nominated Horatio Seymour for President and Frank P. Blair for Vice-President. Andrew Johnson received considerable support in the convention during the twenty-one ballots. The platform of the convention was very lengthy and in general terms approved the policy of President Johnson in his controversy with Congress over the reconstruction measures.
The campaign was waged with great determination by the two parties in Iowa and resulted in the following vote on President: Grant, 120,399; Seymour, 74,040. Majority for Grant, 46,359. The vote for the State officers did not vary much from that for President, the highest vote being 120,265 for Wright for Secretary of State. The vote on the Constitutional amendment for striking the word “white” from the clause qualifying electors, stood as follows: for negro suffrage—105,384, against—81,119; majority for 24,265.
The Legislature in 1868 in regranting lands to the Iowa Falls and Sioux City, and McGregor and Sioux City Railway companies, incorporated in each act a clause which read as follows:
“Provided, said railroad company accepting the provisions of this act, shall at all times be subject to such rules, regulations and rates of tariff for the transportation if freight and passengers, as may from time to time be enacted and provided for by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa and further subject to the conditions, limitations, restrictions and provisions contained in this act and the act of Congress granting said lands to the State of Iowa.”
The declaration by the State of this right to regulate the charges of railroads for conveying freight and passengers was very obnoxious to the various railroads and railroad construction companies and they joined in an attempt to defeat the enactment of the principle of such regulation
