The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-04-24

sale Of Intoxicating liquors, the act re-
lating to ventilation and security Of
life in coal mines, the act creating q
bureau OF labor statistics, the act pro-
viding for tho payment OF taxes semi
annually, and the act to rcconvey the
unearned lands granted to the Sioux
City and ST. Paul Railroad, nothing
has been passed 10 meet the reasonable
expectations Of a long suffering people.
The Republican party entered the cam
paign with the following explicit dec
larations in their platform:
-. That tic power to regulate state COM
mercc belongs to the Gcn, ral Assembly, and
that which relates to Interstate commerce 10
Congress; ana both sho nd he 20 exercised is
to establish Just equilibrium bctW,c on pro-
duccrs, transpOrters, and consumers, ana all
arbitrary disc limitations, p olings, and con-
binatiOnS whica prevent comp ltstion or work
In, justice to communities Gr individuals, ~
ether competing or non-compcting points,
should he prohibited ard such prob btion
enforced.
IS. That the General Assembly ut its
next session shun.d enact u law prohibiting
the giving or receiving ly public officials
any railway pass during their term OF Office,
and hr same should be enforced by proper
penalties against both givers and receivers.
al. That in view OF the rapid develop
large numler oil workngmcn engaged there
In, and the dangerous character Of tn, work,
we favor such le- i>iaton MS will provide for
the safcy of the Icrsons and lives of the
miners, aud also for the prompt, Just, and
equitable adjustment of differences between
employers and employed in said industry.
Where these pledges kept or broken?
Republican members of the Legisla-
tnre introduced bills to carry out tho
pledges contained in the 4th and 9th
planks OF their platform, but they
were overwhelmingly defeated.
The reelection of Lieut.. Gov. Man
ming placed the machinery of the Sen
ate in the hands of the railroads, and
the selection of Mr.. Wolf as Speaker
of the House was still more signal
victory for the monopolies. 1t was
plain from that moment that the law
making power of the State was in the
hands of the corporations. The rail-
road lobbyists We're present III force
every day of the session, and they
ruled everything with an iron hand. 1t
was particularly noticeable that every
form Of monopoly, every class Of pub
lie robbers and spectators worked to-
gether and fought III harmony-they
pooled their issues during the entire
session and triumrhd together. They
fought solidly against Mr.. Bills
measure to prevent unjust dis
examinations by railroads; against
the bill to prevent bribery by granting
passes to public officials; the act to pro-
tect the miners against IN unjust sys-
tenn Of screening and weighing; the
act to compel railroads to incorporate
under the laws OF Iowa, and to ltigate
their causes in State courts on a COM
mon footing with the people; the me-
mortal for q postal telegraph; the act
to place the big distillery on the same
footing as the common saloon to COM
pei the holder of mortgages to pay
taxes on his mortgage instead Of COM
pelling the farmer to pay double taxes,
and finally against Mr.. Stewards bill to
reduce the rate OF interest to per
cent. Each and every one of the above
enumerated measures-all eminently
just-was openly opposed by the cor
poration lobby, and each and every one
of them was defeated. There was no
peoples Legislature in session ut Des
Moines. There was u General Assem-
bly, of the monopolies and they accom-
plished their purpose with skill and
boldness.
When the lobby was afraid to risk .
direct vote upon the measure, they
managed to stave it off until near the
close of the session, and then came the
sitting committees appointed by the
presiding officers Of the Senate and
House. The House committee consist
ed of eleven members and the Senate of
seven. Speaker Wolf appointed seren
out Of the eleven from the packed Rail-
road Committee, and Lieut.. Gov. Man
ming took the entire Senate committee
from the Railroad Committee!
| This, OF course, placed the legisla-
tion for the remainder of the session in
the hands Of railroad syndicate
Could anything be more infamous !?
We quote the following Republican
testimony concerning this burning
shame:
The Ottumwa Courier rep J, says
In the Senate, Lieut.. Gov. Manning took
the entire committee from one of the
regular committees, viz. Railroad Com
mittee, and their names are Graves,
Clark, Henderson, Logan, Caldwell,
Marshall, Hall. In the House six out
Of eleven members OF the sitting COM
mittee We're also taken from the Rail-
road Committee. The custom has al
ways prevailed heretofore Of making
these committees by appointing the
chairman Of prominent committees in
both these houses, because these chair
men are supposed to know, and do
know, If they arc men Of common sense,
more about the bills before the Legis-
lature than any other same number of
members. This custom was almost to-
tally ignored. The action of q. Ii.
Manning. President Of the Senate, is
perfectly indefensible: neither he nor
any other can defend it. The action of
w. =. Wolf we regard as measurably
held liable to the same criticism.
Manning's school-house Oh the hill top
is sentiment that rolls easily and trip
pingly from any mans tongue, but the
appointment of sitting committee all
from one of the regular committees has,
most assuredly. the appearance of the
sentiment of t'other place in the valley"
Copying this article, the Gate City
lRep.o adds: The comments of the
Ottumwa Courier as to tho sitting
committee of tho Legislature are
timely and not too severe. Lieut.. Gov.
Manning seems never to have wish rs
opposed to railways. aud the present
General Assembly has done its work in
that line
The Webster City irgus (Rep.) talks
out in meeting rs follows: "The pres
ent Legislature has not met the press
ing demand of the people for practical
legislation. Only a few bills OF general
importance have been passed. The
first part of the session was given up to
junketing. Some excellent bills have
been pending, but the two most inn
portant and practical have been defeat
ell. If the people expect to be Well
served, they should not send men to
Des Moines who are in the interest Of
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