Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-03-22
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL
Des Moines. March 2e. 1901

ed down an opinion to the auditor
OF state holding that promissory
notes taken for rent should not be
listed by the holder and assessed as
credits and moneys. 1t is specified
i'll the code what classes of property
are to be taxed and among them
is named obligations for rent not
yet due, under the holding of the
attorney general are clearly obi
cations for rent not yet due and be-
ing such obligation are exempt from
taxation. If, however, such notes
have been sold or disposed of by the
original payce and are in the hands
OF q third party at the time of the
assessment they should be assessed
to the holder as moneys and credits
Des Mbines banks ut the last cal,
OF the Clearing House association
made the best showing in their his
tory. There is exactly $l7,2o2,51s.oo
on deposit in the different banks of
this city, as against about $15,OOOOOO
two months ago. The report shows
that there is loaned from these
banks $l2, 1874, G34.4l and cash on hand
to the amount of $5,954.5O, or prac-
tically six millions. This remarkable
showing shows that Dcs Moines is
forging to the front as y CONNER,
cial center. According to the bank
crs the big increase in deposits is
not due to any new firms or ac-
counts, but q steady incl case in bus
mess in the city. OF course some of
the money, the II millions Of de-
posits, belongs to the country banks
who do business in this city. But
1t must be remembered that also the
loans which amount to IL millions,
are not'all chargcable to Dcs MoiAcs
Judge Holmes has overruled the
demurrer in the case of Jennie T..
Day against Polk county. This is
continuance Of the tax ferret case,
which has been in the courts for sew
eral months. Judge Prouty made
decision some time ago, in which he
legalizcd the action of the ferrets
and decided the amount that was due
from the estate. Mrs. Day then filed
a demurrer, claiming that the prop
erty in question had been transferred
to her, but that it was not in her pos
session at the time the assessor made
the assessment for 1897. The court
has now Ovcrruled this demurrer and
declared that the assessment should
have been made,
The supreme court will meet Tues
day, April 0. for the purpose of finish
ing up the business of the January
term. Inc court will continc itself
to handing down opinions, and the
session will be considered as an adj
iourned one of the January term.
The business; will be concluded in
three or four days.
The first of the Chinese cannon
which were secured by Minister
Conger for the state and shipped
to Iowa several months ago have
reached Des Moincs. The cannon WAS
on the wall at Pekir,r during the
siege nd is regarded al Il great prize
for the state. 1t will probably be
placed in front of the historical
building.
At the meeting of the state board
superintendent at the capitol, War
den Wolfers of the state penitentiary
of Minnesota read paper favorlng
the indeterninate sentence for GRIM
mails. Warden Hunter Of AnamOsa
endorsed the view of Warden Wolfcrs
1avOring the lnuetermlnate sentence.
Mr.. WOlfers called attention to the
fact that there is Il wide variance in
sentences for similar crimes. The
system Of statutory sentences forces
the state to adopt the doctrine Of
punishment rather than reformation.
1t should be the indiv idual. and not
the crime, that fixes the tenure of
the entence, for the object of the
government should be to reform the
criminal. The duty Of the state is to
the criminal, to save him, that society
may be protected. Warden Hunter
said that sentences for the same
crime have varied in the record of
100 cases at Anamosa from mouths
to Is years. or 100 paroles issued by
Governor Shaw. but 3 have been use
less. The parole is but part of the
grade system. The indetcrminate
sentence is the completion of the
grade system, which has been adopt
ed in all frst-class prison institutions
in the country. 1t permits a criminal
to work his way out Of prison, to
earn his freedom and respect, to re-
form, and it affords absolute protec-
ton to society. The National Prison
association advocates the indetermn-
ate sentence.
1t is learned at the office of the
| state board of health that there is
no authority in law giving councils
the authority to order general COM
pulsory vaccination.
The executive committee of the
State university hoard of regents,
accompanied by President MacLean,
| appeared before the executive coun-
ell and asked for help in the emer-
gency caused by the recent fire at
the institution. 1t was decided to
appropriate $4,000 from the con-
tingent fund to help the college of
medicine and the other departments
of the university which suffered from
the fire. or this about $4,000 will go
into mere frame buildings erected