Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-01-12
FOR H SENATE.
The Legislature Of Iowa Will Try
It's Hand Electing a United
States Senator.
Some Time Will Also Be Given to
Remembering the Present
P~rohibitory Law.
Numberless Propositions Advanced
Looking Toward Beneftting
The Senate.

DIES MONIES, Ia, Jan. S.-The leRis.
lature, which is to elect a United States
senator from Iowa, opened at 2 p. m.
The house wa called to order by o. e.
Doubleday Of Polk county, and the tenn
porary speaker is s. q. Van Glider of
Warren county. The senate was called
to order by Lieutenant Governor
Bes'ow, Democrat. The permanent
officers of both houses will be nomi-
mated during the afternoon and elected
In the morning.
The senatorial. contest is the chief topic
at present, but not the only one. The
prohibitory law, which has been largely
instrumental in keeping the Hawkeye
state before the country of recent years,
is to be considered, or rather reconsid-
cred. A modification of the law was
pledged by the Republican state conven-
ton, and was incorporated in the plat
form upon which the party went to the
state and scored q victory. Upon the
basis Of this modification, however, the
Republicans are decidedly divided.
There are many who favor the retention
Of the law as it now stands on the statute
books, others favor it's entire wiping
out, and still others are pre-
pared to give their support to a mod
ifcation. The same conditions exist in
the senate, but a majority of the mem
bers of the latter body is said to be in
favor of an extreme modification of the
present law. Over.a score of bills deal
ing with the liquor traffic have been
drafted and will be presented within the
next % hours. A majority Of these
recognize the %prohibitory law as it now
stands, but propose to levy an assess
ment of $500 to 81, 900 on saloons, the
exact amount to be made optional with
the boards Of supervisors of the respect
i've counties. This is regarded as an
original method Of
Whipping the Devil Around a Stump,
or, in other words, of recognizing the
claims of the Prohibitionists, while in
sisting that if the claims are to be
ignored in a few counties then those
guilty of ignoring the law shall be
obliged to pay the penalty and be
allowed to continue in the same line. AS
an advocate Of this compromise puts it
this is not to be considered as a license
or protection against prosecution, but
should be regarded as an additional
penalty to be paid by those now
amenable to the law for the
liberal sale of ~intoxicants. Walker
Given of the Marshalltown Times (Re-
publican), a son of Judge Given and a
lawyer of repute, is the author of this
compromise, and which has been in
dorsed by leading Republican authorities
of the state and by representative di.
vines of nearly every denomination.
The measure is we'll and skillfully
drawn, and Notwithstanding thatit is ap-
parently a semi-legalization of the liquor
business it is extremely probable that it
will pass both houses. Still another bill
! provides for a state license law with a
fee of 81, 1000, while the Catch bill,
| which
Provides For Local Option
by counties, and has many infential
supporters throughout the state, is again
offered for consideration. Altogether
the liquor question will furnish q decid-
eddy interesting and probably prolonged
episode in the history of the present leg
islature.