Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-22
Storm Of Opposition to the
Five-Mile Limit Bill.
SALOON BILL is PASSED
ItLegalizes Acts Committed Under Com
sent Petitions Secured Before Oct.
i. .1s97-McIntlre Bill Report-
Cd to House for Passage.

Des Moines, March as.-(special Cor
respondence.)-Bu one or two meas
ures introduced in the legislature this
winter have met the opposition which
is just now lined up against the five
mile limit bill in the lower house.
Work against the measure has Develop
ed into hard, systematic fight within
the past few days, but is taking form
different from any that has yet ap-
peared. While the opposition shows
itself strongly in the form of petitions
and kilograms to representatives, yet
the greatest amount of work is being
done thru the newspapers. Aside from
the state printer and binder questions,
no measure has brought forth SO uni
:versal comment from the press. Near
ly every republican newspaper in the
state is opposed to the fve-mile limit
bill, and with an editorial hammer is
pounding the situation into its readers
minds. 1t is not only Second district
papers, but papers in all parts of the
state. 1t is easy to be seen that shc
party leaders have united in an at
tempt to arouse the republicans, and
convince them that really serious
situation is imminent. Several pronli-
nent Second district republicans are
in the city working against the meas
ure. A bureau of correspondence ilas
been instituted, and communications
are being sent out to republican papers
in all sections, particularly the Second
district.
1t is generally conceded that if the
five-mile limit bill passes the house
the democrats can elect a congressman
from the Second district. Seven OF the
ten members from the Second are
democrats, and without the fve-mile
limit law as an issue. it is assured the
fight. will be close. Besides the argu-
ments in behalf of party good, and
the cautions against allowing demo-
Gratis ito elecxf a congressman in the
Second district, the opponents OF the
bill have other claims which they say
justifes its defeat. Their strongest ar
gument in this regard is a statement
made by eX-Speaker Funk, who visit
ed the legislature yesterday. Mr. Funk
has always been recognized as pro-
hibitionist Of the rankest kind, yet he
said in his opinion the fve-mile limit
law would be a vicious law, and if he
were member he would vote against
enacting it. Another point now made
by the opposition comes from Iowa
City itself. The people of Iowa City
and the university are now asking for
another trial at the mulct law. They
admit they have not required their sa-
looms to live up to the strict provisions
OF the present stute, but promise
that they will do SO il the house will
but defeat the fiye-mile limit bill. They
ask two years in which TO redeem
their promise, and say they are pec-
fectly willing the fiye-mile limit law
shall be enacted if they do not do as
they agree. The opponents of the bill
who are in Des Moines, are trying to
get minority report on the measure,
and say they expect to succeed. No poll
of the house has been made within the
past few days, and it is impossible at
this time to anticipate the result Of the
vote on the bill. A week ago pol
showed 40 votes for, 25 against and ~
|non-committal.
Legalizing Bill Passed.
By vote Of SO to.37 the house yes
terday afternoon passed the act reiat-
ing to legalization of saloons and pe-
titions of consent to manufacture
The measure as passed was the COM
mittee substitute for the Ayers bill,
with amendments by Theophilus and
Dows. 1t legalizes all acts committed
under petitions of consent to sell Sc
cured prior to October /, 1897, the date
Of the adoption of the new code, and
is effective in this regard up to Feb
ruary 1, 1900; it also legalizes state
ments of consent to manufacture sa-
cured up to July i, 1900, and based
upon petitions of consent to sell OBJ
tained prior to October /, 1897. The
act applies to all localities, including
several charter cities. The vote on the
measure was:
The yeas Anderson of Lyon. Ayers,
Barrett, Barringer, Bengston, Bennett,
Blake, Byers, Carr, Carter, Conley.
Cottrell, Cowles, Cruikshank, Dodds,
Dows, Eaton, Furry, Gibson, Hansman
Hawk, Hilsinger, Hinkle, Hughes. .Jea-
ger, jerks, Kirkwood, Koontz, Koto,
McAleer, McGinn, Marshall, Miller of
Cedar, Miller of Fayette, Myers, Nico-
lous, Overield, Putnam, Roome, San
tee, Scott, Solzol, Stallcop, Stewart,
stuckslager, Sweet, Temple. Theophil-
us, Theunen, Townsend, Way, Wise,
Mr.. Speaker-53.
The. nays Anderson of Warren, Ra-
ker, Barlley, Black, Blallemore, BIZ
chanan, Clark of Hamilton, Clark of
Dallas, Coburn, Cold, Davis. Durham,
Edwards, Eiker, Graft, Harbert, Has
selquist, Head, Hurn, Keo, Kend;t$,
Kerr, Kent, Let's, Lyman, AIcCur!y,
Payne, Prentis, Shambangh, Stratton,
Towner, Veneman, Warren, Wilson of
Buena Vista, Wilson of Keokuk, Viii
son of Washington, Wright-37.
rIclntlre Bill Reported in House.
The McIntire train robbing bill has
been reported for passage by the house
committee on Judiciary. The measure
makes train robbery or wrecking, or
attempted robbery or wrecking, Il
lcrime, punishabls by imprisonment,