Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-02-16
NEWS; FlF;|R}i@E'l o. =
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At a meeting of the ways and means
committee of the senate it was decided
to recommend for passage the bill in
PRODUCED by Senator Fitzpatrick pro.
viding for a levy of one-tenth of mill
tax for five years for a building fund
for the State Agricultural College. Tho
favorable report was agreed upon
with the understanding that the col
lege will not ask a direct appropriation
for building. 1t has asked for $15O,OO0
for buildings, but if the tax is voted
this may be withdrawn, or part OF 1t at
least. The same rule applies to tho
State University. The friends OF the
Agricultural College are very much
pleased with the action of the commit
tee. The ways and means committee
of the house looks with favor, also. up
on this proposition and upon that OF
the State University, so that there now
seems little doubt of the action of tho
legislature with respect to these two
great institutions.
A movement is said to be on foot to
secure a pardon for Delilah Fails, an
inmate of the penitentiary at Anamosa,
serving twenty-year sentence for tho
murder of Jacob Kern in 1897. Kern,
it is claimed, was villain of the deep
est dye and had succeeded in gaining
an intimacy with Miss Fails Even
the mans own son, "a young man OF IT
years at that time, out of sympathy
for the unfortunate girl, entered into
a conspiracy with her to put his father
out of the way, and on Aug ust %, 1897,
they waylaid him in what is known az
the "Big Woods" southeast of Waverly,
Bremen county, and shot him. At the
time of the murder the son was II and
the girl 21 years old. The trial was
held in Waverly and December 8, 1897,
Miss Fails pleaded guilty to murder in
the second degree and was sentenced
to twenty years in the penitentiary,
and young Kern for twelve years.
Col. w. H. Mcclure is conducting the
movement for the release of Miss Fails,
and 1T is said petition for her pardon
has been literally signed by prominent
people, both in Black Hawk and
Bremen counties.
An effort will be made soon, it 10
said, to secure pardon for the man
named Woods who was convicted OF
completely in the dynamite outrage at
Muscatine few years ago, in which
an effort was made to wreck the homes
of John Mahin and L. NJ. Messenger.
The State Agricultural Society is in
receipt of two or three proposals to put
on Mexican bull fight during the
state fair.
On the morning of the 14th both
houses of the legislature adjourned
and repaired in a body to the board OF
control rooms in the basement of the
capitol building, where they waited
upon Ex-Governor Larrabee and told
him good bye before he retired from
public life in Iowa and started on his
trip to Europe. The visit Of the legi-
lators was brief. Lieutenant-G ovenSs, =
Milliman on their behalf babe GovtSooi :
Larrabee God-speed as he retired f>atn
twenty-five years of active service in
public life in Iowa." and to this Gov
ernor Larrabee responded briefly. He
was so overcome by the demonstration
on the part of the general assembly
that he could scarcely speak. He
thanked them for the evidences Of their
good will and friendship, saying that
as public servant he had tried to do
his duty, with little regard for his own
comfort and convenience. He spoke
particularly of the manner in which
his labors on the board of control had
been lightened by the willing cooper
alton of his colleagues. After the
spcech-mal1ing the visit terminated in
formally by a general handshaking
with the governor, who left the city
that evening and sails for Europe in =
short time with family party.
The house committee on printing
recommended for passage the bill by
Clarke. of Dallas, to abolish the office
of state printer and binder. Not long
ago the committee determined to put
the bill over for two weeks, but this
delay was not liked by it's friends.
The author of the measure appeared
before the committee and urged final
action upon it, in;lslnuch as he de- ;
sired to introduce another if this was
not acted upon. Some of the friends
of the present system objected to re-
porting the bill before the investiga-
ton as to the current rates of printing
and binding; but this objection did
not appeal to the majority of the COM
mittee.
President Beardshear and the trus-
tees of the Iowa College of Agriculture
are encouraged over their efforts to
loan the endowment fund of the col
lege. since the bill has passed allowing
the loaning thereof at discretionary
rate, instead of six per cent. There Is
over $500, to be loaned and applica-
tions for $4,000 have already come in.
1t is expected the entire fund can DO
loaned soon. The rates vary from S
to 5M per cent. The total endowment
fund is about $3.50, 900. b.. .~2 I'll
The house has passed bill repeating
the law taxing Iowa insurance COM
panies per cent on their gross receipts.
The supreme court recently held that,
the law making this tax in lieu of all
other taxesis unconstitutional. The
companies have been compelled to pay
local taxes and the present law is be-
lieved 10 he worthless Soma na-