The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-03-14
AT THE STATE CAPITAL
Des Moines, March 1e, 1901.

n Ak O1Atk NAEllAA
Des Moines, March 1c, 1901.
State Superintendent Barrett has
handed down q decision in an appeal
case, holding that the question Of
how far a child should travel in order
to reach the public schools has not
been determined by the laws of the
state and ruling that one and seven-
elghts miles is not an unreason-
able length. The case was appealed
from the school township of Marion,
~ Plymouth county, and arose Outsof
the refusal of the board ofsdirectors
To grant petition for the estaElish-
ment OF new sub-district. The
county superintendent affirmed the
action of the board, whereupon it was
appealed to the state superintendent
and again affirmed. 1t was contend
ed by the petitioners that their chill,
dren did not have proper school IA /
cllities because of the great distance
they had to travel. The question OF
maximum distance is one to be de
termined by the board and to be pow
erned by conditions and as there are
good roads in this case distance of
one and seven-eighth miles is said to
be not too great.
Adjutant General Byers has return.
ed from Washington, where he at
tended the inaugural ceremonies.
While in Washington he practically
concluded arrangements for obtuin-,
ing a battery of light artillery for
Iowa. lie expected to arrange FOR
egulpping the guard with magazine
rifles and for the payment Of the
claims due Iowa on account of the
Spanish-American war expenditures.
On account of the confusion incident
to the Inauguration, he did not look
after the rifles or the claims and will
make u trip to Washington later Oh
for this purpose. He was assured.
however, in the ordinance department
that requisition for guns would ne
honored without delay He expects
on the return of the governor to for.
ward a requisition for four Hotch-
kiss pieces.
Professor C. A. Cumming of tho
capitol Improvement commission, in
speaking of the work before the CON-
mission, mentioned the fact that a
crack had been discovered in the east
wall of the state house. An eXamina-
ton, he said, had disclosed there was
| long crack near the entrance, run.
| ming from the foundation to the Sec
| ond story. He said this discovery
had given the commission some COZ
Germ, but it did not appear anything
could be done to better it. He said
the engineer at the state house
Thought he could detect rising and
settling on each side of the break,
caused by the changes in the weather
| and their effects on the foundations.
The members OF the state board
of control decided to reject the prop
osition of Nebraska to send some OF
| the prisoners To this state to be
cared for until it's burned peniten-
| tiary can be replaced. The question
might have been decided differently
had it not been for the fact that Nc
braska has learned that it could care
Tor its own prisoners.
Governor Shaw has appointed
| Henry Il. Hawley of Des Moines. as a
commissioner to the Pan-American
exposition. The governor is required
by legislative act to appoint five com
missioners to look after the interests
ana exhibit OF Iowa at the expOSl-
ton. Mr.. Hawley is native of New
York and of the vicinity of Buffalo,
He has relatives living there now.
He contemplates. getting up an excur-
zion to the exposition next summer,
apd hopes to be able to bring about
a representation of the resources
and products of the state. This is
expected to prove difficult because
of the absence of any appropriation
to that end by the general assembly
or by the state agricultural depart
| ment.
The expert accountants. Phil H.
Skinner and William Hedges, who
are going through the accounts Of
the different offices at the state
house, have just finished work in the
office of the clerk of the supreme
court. The next Offices to be exam
med will be those of the adjutant
general and superintendent OF
schools. 1t viii be some weeks, it
is expected, before the experts begin
an examination of the accounts in the
| Office of the board of control