Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-20
c VERNON BRAKES MESSAGE
Special Session of the Iowa Legislature
Called to Order
MEETS TO REVISE THE STATE CODE
Governor Recommends that the Busi-
ness he Confined TO This work
and Caring for the Burned
state Institutions.
~ a.
- urfI

DIES MONIES, Jan. 19.-(Special Tele
gram.)--The real work OF the extra legisio
tive session will open tomorrow. Today lit
tie was accomplished beyond organization
and even in this direction the committee.
were not announced. They will be giver
| tomorrow, and will be substantially the samt
as at the regular session. Governor brakes
brief message was the cause OF consdeTabl,
comment. The recommendation was mad,
! that the legislature review all appropriations
made at the regular session, ana that any
| appropriations that can he deferred till 1898
before taking effect, be so deferred There
will be serious objection to action on this
suggestion for the reason that members say
| 1t would take much time, cause much con
| fict of interests, and accomplish small cav
ing; most of the appropriations being such
| as cannot wait The governors sugges-
| tion that the state insure its property will
also be opposed, though there is consider
able element in favor Of this policy.
The senate committee on code revision
! this afternoon instructed its chairman to
| introduce tomorrow resolution that no
bills be allowed to be introduced except re-
| lating to code revision or the matters rec
| commended by the governors message. The
committee was unanimous, member of the
committee explaining that II Is proposed 20
adopt rult that no bill relating to eXtrane-
Gus subjects shall be introduced except by
consent of two-thirds of the body. AS in
PRODUCTION of bills Is done by consent, 1t is
expected this can be made a successful bar
to general legislation. Each body is dis
posed to continue the distribution of code
titles among the various committees that
was made last winter. Nearly the entire
code has been parceled out in this way and
the committees will probably be put to work
. Tba nf hn nj
conferences between the two houses are yet
to be arranged, and on this there is wide
divergence of opinion. Governor brakes
message in full is:
To the General Assembly of the State of
Iowa: The span of years allotted to a gem
Grafton has passed away since last the
general assembly of Iowa was called to-
gether in extraordinary session. Fortu-
natey, no questions so momentous and all
pervading as those which confronted the
people and their representatives at that
session and the called session of the year
preceding are now dominant in the public
mind Then the life of the nation was in
peril Multiplied thousands of Iowa's
brave men were absent from their homes
contendng for the life ana the integrity
of the republic Members and people
were alike oppressed with anxiety for both
country and loved ones, for the later ses-
sion was held at the darkest nour of the
conflict.
Now, in a time of peace with the fear
full struggle of those days long since closed
pass in review the statutes of the COM
monwealth and to put in concise form the
laws which are to begin to have force sub
stantially with the commencement of the
states second half century.
WORK TO BE DONE.
A learned and industrious commission
has prepared revision of existing statutes
and put them, with such changes and
notifications as to the commission seemed
advisable, in coditied form, in which shape
the result of their labors has been before
Con
has thus been afforded the members of the
general assembly, and to some extent the
people at large, to familiarze themselves
with the new measures proposed, with the
enactmentS the omission of which is con-
templated, with the amendments which are
suggested to existing statutes and with
the form which 1t Is proposed to give the
body of our statute laws. Therefore the
members of the general assembly come to-
gether prepared, ! doubt not, with the aid
of the mature deliberations they have
been enabled to give to the work, promptly
to expedite the business for which the
session has been called
1t is gratifying to know that many of
the existing laws of this commonwealth
have been so founded in wisdom as to
publicists of not only our sister states. but
other lands. Our state officers receive not
a few testimonials to this effect. | may
mention the legislation pertaining to rail
roads, to insurance, to dairy interests and
to oil inspection. Let us hope that the mat
ters you have in hand viii show a stin
found to commend itself.
During the year just passed our public
institutions Were visited by an unusual
number of casualties through the power
of the elements. On the eth day of
March severe rain storm did extensive
damage to roofs at the school for the deaf
appropriation made for 'providential con-
tingencies" amounting to $S97O3
on the llth day OF August the oldest
building at the Anamosa penitentlary was
destroyed by fire. 1t contained the dining
room, Kitchen, chapel and library. The
damage amounted to $4,000; The depart
ments destroyed were furnished with tenn
Porary quarters, and nothing has been
araWn from the appropriation on account
on TINS disaster. 1t will not improbably
however, call for action on your part.
On on the 2lst day of the same month
tornado took off the roof of a wing of the
M main bar BUILDING Of the Normal school and
akamase the repairment of which cost SAL
nIHgain IHlsi mo-, on the 18th day Of the same month
institution for. feeble minded children at
fIiehWood, set 1t on fire, and notwithstand-
of the officers and employees. the citizens
OF GleinWood and the fire department of
exnm Counei h Bluffs. the edflcee, was, destroyed,
except the foundation walls and a portion
Of the walls of the west wing. Most of
me contents. of the building were likewise
destroyed. a contiguous structure belong
Ing to the institution was also damaged
IDy water and the rain considerably in
o SSung Th9n had been
sion of It's destruction. The damage
done was the most extensive ever suffered
by any Institution in the state The build |
ing itself cost with its contents, rather |
more than 100000, and the whole damage
Is estimated at s125O00.
EMERGENCY WAS MET
An extraordinary emergency therefore
confronted the Board of Trustees The |
ulnlns room, kitchen, school department. |
tie rooms of seventy-fve employees and |
those of seventy children had disappeared |
ca atastrophe the institution was crowded |
beyond It's capacity, and now large part |
of the facilities which before were thus |
inadequate was gone. The members of the
board came before the executive council |
ard represented the situation In which |
Lhey were placed. The appropriation for |
meeting providental 17- icontingencies |
amounted to only $4,000. OF which sum |
several hundred dollars mad already been
was was not enough OF thct appropriation re-
naming to provide for any 1conslde rable |
part OF the repairs absolutely indlspensa-
PIE Tor the maintenance of the institution
u was, moreover, clearly q matter of |
economy for steps to be taken TO preserve
me get standing walls which II was be-
leYed could be utilized In rebuilding The
Executive council, feeling that an occa-
'ion had arisen for which adequate pro
vision had not been made, unanimously de-
ermned to take the responsibility OF au-
horlZng the expenditure of S25 600 and
afterwards of $4,000 more In the work OF |
,eDulIdlng, the same being thought to be
necessary for ilthe malnte- |
lance OF the institution and the ?reserva-
ION ION OF me states property. For this ac-
nj nf 4 |