Iowa State Council for Defense facts for kids

The Iowa State Council for Defense was a special group created in Iowa during World War I. Iowa Governor William L. Harding formed it in May 1917, just one month after the United States joined the war. The Council was meant to help with war efforts and was dissolved in January 1919, soon after the war ended. This group often became a central point for disagreements about loyalty and what it meant to be American during wartime.

What Was Its Job?

The main goal of the Iowa State Council for Defense was to help with war plans in Iowa. This included helping with "conscription," which is when people are officially called to join the military. The Council also helped with other important war tasks requested by the government.

Unlike a similar group in Minnesota, the Iowa Council was mostly an advisory group. This means it could give advice but didn't have official legal powers to make big decisions or spend money on its own. Governor Harding even turned down the Council's request to call a special meeting of the Iowa General Assembly (Iowa's state legislature) to give them more power and funds.

A Short But Busy Time

The Council's time was short, but it was often filled with arguments. A newspaper called the Des Moines Daily News reported that the Council's meetings were not regular and were often kept secret. The newspaper also said that members argued from the very beginning, and many stopped attending meetings before the war was over.

One member, James M. Pierce, who was an editor for Iowa Homestead, even accused his fellow Council members of trying to scare away a political group called the Nonpartisan League from Iowa.

The Council's Leader

Governor Harding chose Lafayette Young to lead the Council. Young was the editor and publisher of The Des Moines Capital newspaper. Before this, he had briefly served as a U.S. Senator for Iowa in 1910.

As the Council's chairman, Young strongly believed that people who were "disloyal" to the country should lose their money and be put in prison. He said that anyone who had become wealthy while living under American laws but was now disloyal should lose everything they owned. He also thought they should be held in a special camp until the war ended.

Young also pushed for other ideas. He wanted to stop the teaching of any foreign language in public schools or colleges. He also wanted people to pass an English literacy test (a test to show they could read and write English) before they could vote.

Iowa's State Flag

In May 1917, the Council approved the official state flag of Iowa. This flag was designed by Dixie Cornell Gebhardt. The idea was that Iowa's military groups could have their own flag to carry, in addition to the American flag.

End of the Council

The Iowa State Council for Defense officially stopped its work in January 1919. This was about two months after World War I ended.