Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-16
Legislature to Continue It's
Sessions Tomorrow.
THE HOUSE COMMITTEES
Expected That Speaker Bowen Will
Announce Them Tomorrow-Rush
of Bills Will Follow-Buildlng
and Loan Associations.


ter vacation of five days the legisla-
ture will resume its sessions tomor-
row afternoon. At that time each
house will separately ballot for United
States senator. The statutory provi-
sion is that if any candidate receives a
constitutional majority of the members
of both branches, he shall be declared
elected. If no candidate receives such
majority. then on the next day at
noon, the two houses shall meet in
joint convention and take joint bal
lot; and any candidate having a con-
stitutional majority of the joint con-
vsntion shall be elected. In the pres
ent case Senator Gear will receive the
constitutional majority in both houses,
but none the less the joint convention
will be held the following day, because
there is some uncertainty of the COM
pletion of the election without it.
Speaker Bowen is expected to an
nounce his house committees tomorrow
and then the introduction of bills will
begin in earnest. There is no douot
that perfect avalanche of bills will
be rushed in. appropriation measures
will come early, and there will also be
good supply of reform measures of
various kinds, ranging all the way
from anti-trust proposals to regula-
tons of special charter cities. The anti
trust people, it is said, have some in
teresting proposals to submit.
A large measure of attention is be-
sing devoted TO the building and loan
question because of Senator Healy's
appointment as chairman of this COM
mittee in the upper house. 1t is an
open secret that Governor Shaw is
against the building and loan concerns;
that Lieutenant Governor Millinlan
sympashizes with him; and that Sena-
tor Healy was appointed at the head
of this committee because he is of a
like mind. Mr.. Healy is an accom-
plished Investigator. 1t was he who
headed the committee which dug into
the real facts of state institution con-
duct under the trustee system, and
wrote the report that passed the board
of control lava law that he drafted
and that after two years experience
is not likely to be changed in single
concludes TO be disagreeable he will
find out more about the building and
loan business, before the winter is
now knows. And if there is any oc-
casion for exposure and drastic legisla-
ton, he can be counted on to put his
ideas into definite Legislative form, and
to push them vigorously. Consequently
~
watching his committee with great
concern.
The announcement of Senator Ire
win as chairman of the committee on
cities and towns makes it highly prob
able that strong effort will be made
at this session of the legislature to
pass public repositories bill. Sena-
tor Trewin is actively in favor of such
measure, and in fact has already
prepared it. The league of Iowa mu-
inequalities at its last convention about
three months ago, prepared report
setting forth matters of legislation
deemed desirable, and this was one of
them. Senator Trewin prepared, the
bill for the league, and it was printed
in full in the report of the legislative
committee. There is already law in
operation allowing boards of supervis-
ors to let our county funds to the
highest bidder if deemed desirable;
but the fact that there is an option left
with the supervisors has made the act
practically imperative. Senator Ire
wins bill is entirely different. 1t be-
gins thus:
1T shall be the duty of boards of
supervisors, councils of cities or
towns, boards of library trustees, park
commissioners and boards of directors
of school corporations having Il school
enumeration of 300 or more" etc. 1t
is made obligatory with every munici-
pal corporation that handles cash, to
advertise for bids for the use of the
funds of the municipality. Each bid
must be accompanied by Il good bond,
in double the amount of money likely
to be handled under the contract. The
money shall be deposited with the in
stitu5ion making the highest bid. AT
any time the municipal authority may
demand auultional security and if such
is not forthcoming, may, on five days
notice withdraw the funds and place
them elsewhere. Interest shall be COM
puted on average daily balances. All
interest thus earned shall be credited
to the general or contingent fund of
the corporation. The treasurer of the
corporation may withhold from this
deposit sufficient cash to pay, in cash,
warrants not exceeding $50 each: but
the amount withheld shall at no time
exceed $1,000. 1f no bank make pro-
posal TO receive the funds, then the
corporation shall receive bids from in
stitutions outside the county, and any
national or state bank which makes
Il proper bid shall then be declared
the depository of the funds. This pro-
vision is of the greatess Importance,
because in many counties the banks
combine and agree not to make bids
on the funds. But when competition
is let in from outside the county it is
pretty certain that the funds will be
contracted. Treasurers are relieved
from liability of funds while they are