wealth of opportunity seldom equaled and never excelled. In whatsoever field of usefulness or achievement men have expended time or energy, results have fully justified the outlay. The laborer has been able to comfortably clothe and abundantly feed his family; the husbandman has gathered in excess of his need; the teacher of secular knowledge and the instructor in divine truth have witnessed cheering results; the servant of state, in both civil and military capacity, has achieved honor and renown for his country, and much merited personal recognition, and at the same time has been, under Providence, the harbinger of liberty to much people; so that all who may be gratefully inclined will be able to recount before the Lord many blessings to himself, his family, his state, and his country. The President of the United States having called upon a grateful people to respond in thankfulness to the Giver of all good, the Dispenser of all bounties and having set apart therefor a day of national thanksgiving; Now therefore, I, Leslie M. Shaw, Governor of the State of Iowa, in humble acknowledgment of Him whose loving. kindness has been thus signalized, do hereby invite the commonwealth to observe, in a manner becoming a people whose God is the Lord, Thursday, November 24, A. D. 1898, the day so designated. And I recommend that services appropriate to the occasion be held on that day in convenient places of worship, and that thanksgiving and praise ascend from all lips to Him who has verily crowned the year with His goodness. And, while mindful of personal benefits let us not forget to evidence our gratitude by liberal contributions in aid of the poor. In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Iowa. Done at Des Moines this tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred and ninety-eight, of the independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-third, and of the State of Iowa the fifty-second. By the Governor: G. L. DOBSON, Secretary of State. LESLIE M. SHAW. ON THE RELIEF OF PORTO RICO AUGUST 17, 1899 From MS. Copy of Executive Journal, Vol. X, p. 17—in the Office of the Governor, Des Moines I am this day in receipt of a communication from the Honorable Elihu Root, Secretary of War, inclosing dispatches received from the Governor-General of Porto Rico, setting forth the devastation wrought by the recent hurricane in that island, and from which I quote as follows: "The magnitude of the work to be accomplished leads this department to supplement the appeal already made to the mayors of the principal cities of the country by a more general appeal, and I beg you to ask the people of your state to contribute generously to the relief of the people of Porto Rico." This is the first official communication on the subject received by me, and I hasten to respond. I cannot better describe the destitution and suffering of the people of Porto Rico than to quote from the cablegrams to the War Department by Governor-General Davis: "Not more than one-fourth of the towns yet heard from, but enough is known to warrant the statement that one-fifth of the dwellings on the island are totally destroyed, and their owners are without any shelter whatever or any food beyond what has been saved from the debris. * ** The coffee crop and most of the trees are ruined, and thus reliance for support is gone. Fully one-third of the people subsist entirely on fruits, and to a small degree on tubers. All the former are destroyed, and much of the latter are rotting in the ground. ***Deaths from falling walls and drowning will number more than a thousand and may be several times that number. The state of distress is very great, and when green fruits saved from the debris are consumed the suffering will be intense." Certainly never before have there been so many of the people of the United States in need, or any portion of the people of the United States in so great need, as now. Iowa is blessed with abundant harvests, and no state is better prepared to contribute in proportion to its population; and, as in the past, no people will prove more willing. I do, therefore, most heartily recommend that all of the people of the State of Iowa contribute for the relief of the people of Porto Rico, and that all sums of money be for warded to Hon. John Herriott, Treasurer of State, who will promptly transmit the same in accordance with the direction of the War Department. To facilitate the collection of funds, I hereby appoint the honorable mayor of each city and town of the State of Iowa and the county auditor of each county, and recommend that they appoint such subcommittees as may be necessary to make diligent canvass both for money and for supplies. Contributions other than money can be held until further arrangements are made. (SEAL) Done at Des Moines, this 17th day of August, 1899. By the Governor: GEORGE L. DOBSON, Secretary of State. LESLIE M. SHAW. ON LABOR DAY AUGUST 28, 1899 From MS. Copy of Executive Journal, Vol. X, p. 19-in the Office of the Governor, Des Moines The First Monday of September of each year has been, by the statute of this state, designated as a public holiday, devoted to observances in honor of Labor. The public importance of the occasion justifies official emphasis and a proclamation especially calling attention thereto. Therefore, I, Leslie M. Shaw, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby recommend that the day above designated, being the fourth day of September, A. D., 1899, be set apart and observed in such ways and in such manner as may be appropriate to the occasion, to the end that the economic conditions of our country may continually improve, and that the harmonious relations of the people of the state may be fortified. That the day may be more generally observed, I recom. mend that factories, stores, and other places operated by employed labor be closed so far as practicable. (SEAL) In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Iowa on this Twenty-eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred ninety-nine; of the independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-fourth; and of the State of Iowa, the fifty-third. By the Governor: GEO. L. DOBSON Secretary of State. LESLIE M. SHAW. ON THE DEATH OF SAMUEL MERRILL SEPTEMBER 1, 1899 From MS. Copy of Executive Journal, Vol. X, p. 20—in the Office of the Governor, Des Moines An occasion of public sorrow comes to the people of Iowa in the intelligence of the death of Samuel Merrill, seventh Governor of the commonwealth, which sad event occurred in the city of Los Angeles, in the State of Cali |