Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-03-29
DIES MONIES CORRESPONDENCE.


O01V0Euty APpe0pI1ot1O0sos n A1Vs
tie broad Sootoh"-..The Speaker to
the Resoue.-.The Railroad Tax
Bill---Mayor Jones.
EDITOR BULLETIN:- Ordinarily /
do not describe bills that may be
pending in either House, for you
have a daily account of them, and
SO I confine myself to giving you
jottings of such things as happen to
make an impression upon my mind.
One day last week, when the
House was noisily discussing the
merits of the Railroad tariff bill, a
member rushed down to the Office
Of the Secretary Of State with the
greatest alarm depicted in his face,
informed Ed Wright that gas scas
escaping. Mr.. Wright instantly dis
patched messenger across the riv-
er to bring a gas-fitter, who very
soon made his appearance with both
hands full of tools, and went snuff
ing around the chandeliers, but fail
ing to find the leak, he applied to
the alarmist for information, but all
the satisfaction he got, was the
member quietly pointed to Mr.. Dun
combe who was in the midst of his
two hours speech against the r. r.
tariff bill. Mr.. Wright acknowl-
edges it to be the best sell of the
session.
The question of.an adjourned ses-
sion has been mooted-thoroughly
discussed, and you may regard the
project as put at rest. Senators
Fairall, Richards and some other
Democrats advocated it in the Sen
ate, but the House is very decidedly
| opposed to it. l think the adjourn
ment will take place April 10th.
The second appropriation bill be-
fore the House-that of the State
University-for about one hundred
thousand dollars was launched upon
the House with an exceedingly trim
and patriotic speech by Mr.. Green,
of Davenport. 1t was as neat a
thing as was ever heard on the floor
of the House. 1t was a union OF
Patrick Henry and Horace Mann
and kept his auditors spell bound to
its close, but before the applause
had fairly subsidized, up rose the
lank form of Mr.. Hopkirk, who thus
addressed the chair in his broadcst
Scotch: "Mr. SPEAKER, we have
hard splandid spaach, moo wul
the gentlemen tell us how mucl
money ha wants" So little do W.
give to the fine arts, and so prom.
are we to tumble into the matter
Of fact.
i DR.. Ellsworth then took up tn,
cudgel in behalf of the bill, and TOLD
the House how necessary it was fo1
the Medical Department of the Uni
vcrsity to have bodies to dissect
and how it didn't hurt the bodies
any, for they were dead; neither dit
it hurt the soul, for that was not il
the body; neither the feelings o
the soul, for it was so far away tina
it knew nothing of the fate of tn
body. Thus do pious members xii
two birds with one stone, and whil'
settling matters of a purely world,
nature, manage to inculcate sount
theology. But the friends of tn
bill could not see it in that light
and sprang to the rescue and triet
hard to remove the cold bath tina
Ellsworth had administered, but no
until Mr.. Speaker Wilson-who i
a regent of the institution-took tn
floor and warmly pleaded the caus
of the bill, did the prospect look a
all rosy.
/
Upon the subject of taxing o
regulating the tariff on railroads
the House is earnest and honest il
it's determination to meet the wishe
of the voters of the State, but it is
great subject and comparativel.
new, and it is quite likely that som
mistake will be made, and when W.
remember that even the friends 0
such action have such contrariet,
of opinions and interests it seems t.
me that no reasonable man will b.
disposed to judge the action of tn
House with unnecessary severity.
In regard to the railroad tax law
the main objection to assessing b.
local authority is, that the towns
which constitute the termini Of tn
principal roads contain very larg'
proportion of the value Of sucl
roads, and leaves the interior coun
ties through which they pass will
nothing to tax but the road bed
though these same counties furnish
the produce which keeps the roat
going and builds up the towns a
the ends of the road. The mem
bers from such towns rise in ont
solid phalanx in favor of local as
sessments.
| / have seen harsh criticism upor
the tariff law passed by the House
but it is good law for the frs
one. 1t is first experiment in tho
right direction; it is an assertion
Of the right Of the State to regulate
tariffs; it reduces freights about
thirty per cent. in the State and pre-
vents Discriminate of rates or