The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-09
10 MAKE CHANGES
SOME OF THE RADICAL ALTERA-
TONS IN IOWA STATE AFFAIRS.

Among Others the Liquor Law is Likely to
be Further Amended, the Legislature
Seeing the Folly of Permitting the sale
| Same Time Prohibiting its Manufac-
ture-The Prohibitionists are Still in
Arms and Will Make Fight gainst
This.
| Des Molnes, Ia, Jan. 6.-The legisIa-
ture OF Iowa meets here Jan. Is, This
| is the twenty-sixth general assembly,
making the semi-centennial Of the ex-
! istence OF Iowa as a state, and it viii
/ be a very important session because the
| entire code will be revised. The legis-
/ lature two years ago created a COM
mission, consisting Of five lawyers, 10
codify THE laws and present a report
! % the next legislature. This commits
sion has been ait work nearly fifteen
/ months altogether, and has finished its
work, which has cost the state nearly
| $50. 900. The members Of the commits
sion are: John Y. Stone, GlenwoOd,
ex-alttorney general; Emlin Mccain,
chancellor of the law department OF the
state university; Charles Baker, Iowa
City; H. F. Dale, Des AIoines, and H.
s. Wnsluw, Newton 1t was the in
tention of the legislature thar this com
mission should rearrange the laws az
they exist strike out obsolete sections
and those in conflict, and suggest min
or changes in phraseology and IN forms
Of practice. The commission has gone
far beyond its jurisdiction, as most of
the Legislators view it, and has made a n
entirely new code, making hundreds
of radical changes in the important
laws, going to the very root Of almost
everything.
READY TO FIGHT CODE
The result of this has naturally been
to arouse the fears OF many Important
interests in the state, and preparations
have been made TO fight the report all
along Dhe line. The commission has
had printed complete new code, show
ing all the changes proposed, and in
the form of bills for the legislature 10
consider. Accompanying this is a vol
ume of about $50 pages, giving the reaS-
ons of THE commission for making the
changes. Mr.. Stone did not concur
with his associates in making the re-
port. He did not think it was the pro-
vince of the commission TO assume so
much authority, and told the other
members it would raise the biggest row
they ever got into.
The question, now IS, what will the
legislature do with the code? The
experience of the past has been that IT
IS impossible ITO keep the members here
longer than about the middle of April.
About that time the farmers begin to
hear about the grass starting and the
fields that need their attention; the law
yers, the next most numerous class.
have had all the fun they want and
are eager ito get nome and begin 10
take in fees instead of paying the high
rates for living prevailing here during
the session. Business men generally
get impatient to be home looking after
their neglected business affairs. So
the usual business of the legislature
must be hurried much faster than it
ever was before, and the code must be
swallowed whole, or an extra session
is unavoidable The first impression
Of the average member is that there
is no use of an extra session, and that
he is opposed to 1T. But when he finds
out what is before him, he is not so
sure. Many have frankly said that
they do not see why they should be
as the members of any ot.asr legislature
for the same pay. If there is an extra
session the members will receive 81 per
day. The regular salary for the ses-
sion is $3.50 and mileage. The prob
able plan, therefore, is the reference
Of the code to special committees in
both houses, for division among the
regular committees, and consideration
at an extra session.
CHANGES IN INSURANCE LAWS.
The legislature will have plenty of
regular business TO do this session be
sides the code. There is more talk
about the insurance interests than any
thing else. All kinds of insurance,
life and fire. are going to have a fight
to prevent the passage of some severe
laws. The old-line life insurance COM
panies are accused of instigating at
lacks on the assessment associations to
divert autentio from themselves. The
assessment people on the other hand
have organized for defensive and often
sive purposes. There are several ways
in which THE assessment or natural pre-
MUM life insurance associations may
be attacked, and the persons who in
PRODUCES the bills receive popular sup
port. II is asserted that their fixed
charges Tor expenses are too high for
concerns that claim TO be entirely mu-
tual in their plan bill will be in
troduced TO fix the maximum charge
for expenses at $3.50 per thousands per
year. This is the rate charged by
some of the larger and stronger asSO-
Citations. while the Iowa associations (
charge from 50 TO 81. Then the officers /
have been getting too rich, some obSer- /
want people think. The large amounts
I'D -. 60
salaries. 50 II is proposed 10 limit sal
aries 70 $500 or 50 600 per year. some .
have been getting several times that
much, they say" Iowa has several .
very strong associations OF this kind, .
four of them doing a. large business in F.
many states The fight will De most !
interesting. as II will result in the in
PRODUCTION Of all kinds of bills on all I.
sorts Of insurance questions, and the .
members VIII learn the weak points OF .
each.
FIRE COMPANIES MENACED.
The fire insure nee companies were /
never in greater danger Of adverse leg (
isla-ion, for several reasons. The last I
Legislature was tad enough and passed 1
the anti-coinSurance law. A radical f.
valued policy bill passed the house al f.
most unanimously and came within one F.
vote Of passing the senate. This bill .
and others Will come up again The .
uniform policy bill VIII be one % them .
and the deposit bill VII be another. .
The iaUte- requires outside companies .
70 puc up securities % the value of. say
IS 600. before they can do business in .
the state. Il was introduced last year .
by ne chairman n the insurance CON- |
uliote-e n the house. but was 50 late :
DID no. paSS during the paS- -7vo