Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-09-16
IOWA NEWSLETTER.
Gov. Drake Once More Able to Be
at His Office.
Wants the Poll Tax Abolished-The
New Code-The State Census TrOu-
ble-Thc Corn CrOp-Other
Notes of Interest.
Especial Correspondence

He has nearly recovered from the in
jury received in his fall on the steps
of the state house, but the disease, dia-
betes, with which he has been afflicted
for years, is still seriously aggravated.
He will probably go to Excelsior
Springs, Mo-, again, and his stay there
will depend upon the condition of his
health.
The Poll Tax Law.
The biennial report of Labor Com
missioner O'Bleness has been completed
and contains the usual large amount
of statistics This time they have been
copied from the books of the factories
and business houses of the state, and
are said to be absolutely correct. In
the report the commissioner recon-
mends that the poll tax law be abol-
ished, that a quarterly bulletin be is
sued by the department, that there be
a state law providing for guards around
all dangerous machinery and that there
be law providing for the inspection of
boilers.
The New Code.
Everyone is interested in the new
code which will go into effect on Octo-
Der 1 next. At meeting of the COM
mittee appointed by the extra session
to look after the publication of the new
statutes the preface was adopted. 1t is
a succinct statement of facts relating
to all of the codes since the organiza-
ton of the territory of Iowa. In addi-
ton it goes into detail regarding the
volume it prefaces. The necessity for
the new code. the first steps, the action
of the general assembly all through are
traced, preserving in most careful and
correct form complete history of the
code. 1t is thought the code will be
ready for distribution September 81 at
the latest. The committee state in the
preface that it will cost $3.50 and be
sold for five dollars, and that eventually
it is expected the profits will make the
code pay for itself.
May Cause Trouble.
Acknowledgement Remley, while
studying an advance copy of the revised
code, has discovered section which
he thinks will be the cause of much
trouble. The section referred to is IN
regard to the office of county superin-
tendent of public instruction, and was
evidently placed in the code for the
purpose of making none but teachers
eligible for the office. 1t says: "The
county superintendent, who may be of
either sex, shall be the holder of first
class or state certificate or diploma"
This section does not state what the
first class certificate is, nor in any place
does the code explain what is meant by
the term. 1t is naturally presumed,
however, that this means a first class
teachers certificate. Mr.. Remley says:
THE section is very indefinite, and am
certain that it will cause trouble in a least
half of the counties in the state this fall
The best thing that candidate for county
superintendent can do is to go before the
state board of examiners, take the exam
nation for teachers and get first-class
teachers certificate"
other Officials Blamed.
Last winter a committee of the state
Legislature investigated the conduct of
the state census made by Secretary of
State William NJ. Mcfarland. The CEN
sus cost about 100000. The commit
tee reported that the census expendi-
lures were beyond reasonable amount.
Several months ago the attorney-gen-
eral began proceedings to recover from
the bondsmen of Secretary McFar-
land the amount which it was alleged
he had wasted in conducting the CEN
sus. Mr.. Mcfarland has filed his an
swer to the petition in the suit against
himself and his bondsmen and alleges
that the executive council of the state.
composed of the governor, the auditor,
the treasurer and the secretary of state.
was responsible for the expenditures
and that the methods used by him in
the work were the methods adopted by
the council. The charge was also made
against Mcfarland that he stuffed the
pay rolls" This he denies.
The Corn Crop.
The windup of the corn crop of 1897
has had these conditions to contend
with: First, nearly 30 days of cold,
dry and unreasonable weather, which
retarded it's growth, then followed by
nearly ten days of the same dry
weather, with excessive. heat and hot
winds. This has dried the corn crop up
so that nothing less than freeze will
injure the latest. Always at such times
of extremes reports are wide apart and
more or less exaggerated, but that the
crop has been reduced in yield there
can be no doubt, but until the crop is
gathered it is simply impossible to
make any estimate of the percentage
of shrinkage which will stand over
night.
Director Sage, of the Iowa weather
and crop department., has been spend
ing several weeks literally in the corn
fields of the state, and he says the dam
age has been largely overestimated.
He estimates the corn yield of the state
at 160,000,000 bushels of marketable
corn. There will be from $4,000, 900 to
75,000,0O0 bushels more good for fod-
der. Mr.. Sage predicts that the cut
ting short of the corn crop will mean
that the bottoms of the corn bins will
be reached, and he says, also, that the
corn in crib in the state has been much
overstated.