Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-03-26
FLOW OF ORATORY.
WEEK OF SENSATIONAL DEBATE IN
THE IOWA LEGISLATURE.



Legislative Chances.
Dies MONIES, H., March 24.-The ses.
Eons Of both houses for the past week
have been marked by large amount Of
oratory, especially on the monument
muddle. The question Of the ornamen.
tation to be placed on tina base Of the
soldiers monument has been the sub
ject Of much discussion and many petit
tons pro and con from different Grand
Army posts Of the state. On Tuesday
last the resolution which was early
presented providing for leaving off the
medallions containing portraits of diff.
ferent personages, came up for action In
the senate. The committee to whom
the matter had been referred made two
reports; one report was designed to les
the monument commission down easy
by providing for the addition Of enough
medallions TO give representation to all
the Iowa regiments. The other report
which was signed by minority of the
committee. took little account Of the
feelings Of the commission and ordered
all the medallions omitted. In their
places historical tablets referring to the
different regiments were ordered. After
o long and, Mt times, sensational and
acrimonious debate this resolution was
passed by majority Of seven votes. In
the house 1t was decided to adopt bill
which should carry with IL an appro-
priation to pay the additional expense
which the plans Of the iconoclasts con-
templated. The bill directed not only
that the medallions should be omitted,
but that the historical pieces represent
ing the surrender Of Fort Donelson,
and the triumphant home coming
should give way to representations of
the attack ON Fort Sumter and the
surrender at Appomattox. An appro-
priation of 5000 was included in this
bill, and the commission was directed
to complete the monument in accord
ance with the provisions Of the measure
as soon as may be. It Is barely possible
that when final action is taken it will
not be as severe as contemplated by
either house or senate measure, but the
fact remains that O very decided major
ity of the general assembly are opposed
to permitting the portraits of any SOL
der, living or dead. to be engraved upon
the monument. The main reason for
this position of the majority is that the
use of these portraits would have ten
dency to give undue exaltation to Ger.
tain persons and certain regiments
above others of equal merit. This and
the fact that the private soldiers failed
to receive much of a showing on the
monument undoubtedly actuated the
members of the assembly to vote as
they did. The scoring which the mOIu.
mel5 commission received from som" o.
the sD2IEel3 was undoubtedly ~ nre
severe Uhaa the facts in ali cases r:,t.
Tauyed. Bat even their most ARGENT CO.
Tenders G0ln;tted that they had mac.
some mistakes.
Code Troubles.
There has been more guessing during
the past few Gays III regard to the attn
tude of the railway companies with re-
spect to the proposed revised code than
ON any subject that has come up since
the legislature convened. Back during
| the days of the campaign last fall certain
charges were made i'll some of the Chicago
papers to the effect that the portion Ut
the revised code which included the
railroad law had been "doctored" in the
interests of the railroads. This state
ment was met with positive denial at
the time, and it was claimed on behalf
of the commission that the law had
simply been codifisd and the obsolete
portions and those PARTS which were un-
important or covered by other statutes
omitted. However, since the code has
been in the hands Of the committees of
the two houses 10 10 claimed that GER
tain changes have been found which
are said On the one hand TO be of interest
20 the railroads. and By others to be
simply an enlargement and increase of
che powers of the present law. One OF
these changes which has created more
talk than anything else Ia the omission
of the provision for an injunction to
enforce the DEGREES of the commission.
The revised code provides that action
shall be by mandamus proceedings or
any other proper process of law. This
IL is claimed by the friends Of the re-
Vision in fact gives more force to this
section of the law, but on the other
hand the opponents say that the law as
II is has been tested and Is known to be
satisfactory, and they fear that the pro-
posed change might result, at least, in a
troublesome state Of things for time.
There is another feature connected with
this section which some attorneys think
Is more important than the change
noted. 1t is the provinon that action
shall be brought in court, instead of
before judge as now provided, the
present law allowing action to be
brought in vacation with immediate
application of the means for enforce
ment Of the law.
Many Wild Statements.
There have been many wild state
ments in circulation and it is difficult
matter to get at the truth Of them. At
one time a large number of petitions
were received, all of them being upon
printed blanks which indicated q COM
mon origin. These petitions had been
sent out from Des Moines accompanied
by letter signed "F. s. Gabrielson. 7"
The letter stated that the petitions were
concerning matters Of Importance and
directed that they be signed and sent to
the members as speedily as possible, but
the caution was added that the person
securing the signatures need not accom-
pany the petitions with any letter when
sending them to their members. The