Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-06

WSU AuHdS ohu SNdtllP duu lOI llC
taxation for expense incident to the
work. On petition of a majority of
the land owners the board of supervise
ors order the drainage undertaken, and
apportion the expense according to the
benefits accruing from the work done.
The Bows bill providing that savings
trustees and executors was recommen-
ded for passage in the house by the
committee on banks and banking this
morning. There has been considera-
BILE discussion on this measure in COM
mittee and among the members gen
orally, but it's report for passage was
unanimous. Representative Bows is
confident it will pass the house.
The Bennett bill was favorably re-
ported in the house this morning. This
measure provides that directors of cor
porations shall report annually to the
stockholders. At present there is no
provision of such nature, but most
corporations embody the requirement
in their articles. The Bennett bill
provides that the report shall contain
a full and complete statement of the.
financial condition of the corpora ton.
Hawk and Ais Voting Machine.
Representative Hawk and his voting
machine stand a good chance of meet.
ing the favor of the lower house. The
house committee on elections yester-
day afternoon took up the Hawk reso-
luton calling for an amendment to
the constitution permitting the use of
voting machines, and decided the ma
chine method is legal, and has many
good points. An opinion from Attor-
ney General Remley is TO the effect
that the machine method is legal. The
resolution has been referred to SUBJ
committee, and is expected to come
back with a few minor changes and
the recommendation that it be report
ed for passage.
High School Bill Reported.
The house committee on schools and
text books has reported the Cowles
high school bill for passage. This is
measure that has received a great deal
of attention from educators of the
state, and is generally endorsed as a
good thing. 1t provides that the gov
ernor. superintendent of public in
struction, and president of the state
board, whose duty it shall be to APP
| RoA sAOiA w SSlOOlS I'll tCEIlstlA Glll-
cheney, not exceeding three in each
county, $500 annually. High schools
receiving such aid shall be required to
admit students free from any part Of
the state. The appropriation for this
purpose is limited to $4,000 annually.
A similar law has been in effect in
Minnesota several years, and has prov
ed successful. Minnesota is now APP
nj. n firo cox %l,s
purpose.
There is. little doubt that the legisla-
ture will make a visit on Wednesday
next, to Cherokee, to investigate the
unfinished asylum for insane. The
friends of the institution are asking
| $780, 900 with which to complete it, and
the appropriations committees are try
| ing TO find a reasonable method by
which the entire amount can be raised
Some of the members admit that they
don't believe the tax levy for 1901 can
| be kept down to 2.5 mills. In all cal
culations thus far, it has been assumed
that this would be the limit. Some
| members say that inasmuch as state
taxes constitute probably not 10 per
cent of all the taxes paid, there is no
good reason why legislators should
| have such horror of adding a tenth
of mill to the state levy, when a
school board or a town council will
add or subtract two or three mills and
never feel the shock. If Cherokee gets
| it's 100000 and is completed in the
next biennial period, the levy will like
| ly go up to 2.6 mills.
Des Moines. March Especial Cor
respondence)-A satisfactory solution
Of the question of state care for the
insane is brought within range by the
latest action of the senate committee
on charitable institutions. Whether
counties should be allowed to maintain
their own asylums has been one of the
serious questions before the legislature
at this session. The board of control
went on record in its report as strongly
opposed to this plan. After examining
over swenty of the county and private
asylums of the states, the board OF
control came to the conclusion that in.
situations operated in this way ought
4 to be abolished, and said as much in its
i report. Early in the session Senator
| Garst introduced bill which proposed
\ that a general tax be levied for the
maintenance OF the institutions, in.
GLIDING the insane asylums; that all
inmates of institutions should be con.
sidered wards of the state, and, by i'm.
/ plication, that if counties chose tc
maintain their own asylums they
would be maintained at an. expense ad.
ditioLal to the county's share of the
I general institution tax. This would
have served to close the county asy.
lums all over the state. The bill al
once aroused the opposition of the
1 county and private asylum managers
Senator Lewis, looking to compro
mise, presented a bill nroviding tina,
the board of control should have gen.
eral supervision of all the asylums;
should prescribe the dieturies, make
regulations, have power to visit and
inspect them, and to lay down the
rules as to attendance, etc. 1t also
gave the board of control power, il
. case it became satisfied that any in
i syftution was not being properly con
Iducted, to order its inmates to be re
moved to the state asylums. The pri
waite asylums of the state, of which
there are four, all good ones, LOCATED
at Dubuque, Davenport, Iowa City an6
1 C0unci1 Riffs esnanialIv oh;actad an