Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-04-06
RECORDS BADLY KEPT
Cities and Towns Shown to Be
Very Lax in Matter Of
Records.
The Law Often Not Fully Com.
Piled With In Matters Of
Incorporation.
Revision OF Statutes in Relation
to Cities Needed Equal SUI
frage Committees.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Mones, April 6.-while commit
tees of the lawyers and city officials are
trying to agree on what ought to be
done to give uniformity and consistency
to the laws of Iowa relating to munich
ralities, a. passing investigation of the
records at the state capitol regarding
towns and cities serves to show that
there has been vast amount of care
lessness in the matter of keeping the
records and in the incorporation Of
towns and changing from class TO class.
Some time ago it was noted In this cor
Ere espondence that six towns of the state
would become cities of the second class
Under the last census. The initiative in
the transformation was taken by the
executive council in ordering publica-
ition of notices in Des Moines papers
and in the papers at the towns The six
towns We're Coifax. Corning, Storm
Lake, Sac City. Waukon and New
Hampton. 1t is required before the
towns become cities that proof of pub
llication of these notices shall be filed
with the secretary of state. Such proof.
with regard to publication here, has
been iiled, but IN no case is there any
knowledge as yet at the state capitol as
ITO the publications in the several towns
/ Yet in some of these towns the CITY
governments have already been organ
i2ed and are doing business. Perhaps
this is true in all of than. But if a
question should arise in law as to
cut of these towns mas been completed
4 1t certainly would not be possible to
1 produce any evidence from the records.
at the state house. 1t is questionable
4 whether any of the towns Is Yet legally
/ n city of the second class. The careless
lress of city officials is proverbial. Soma
! time ago the city of Red Oak issued
bonds and then it was discovered that
4 the legal name of the place is Red Oak
Junction. The records in the secretary
i Of states office fail To show the inc1r-
4 rcration of n large number of Iowa
towns and some of them are old. For
4 instance there IS nothing to show that
1 Boone was ever incorporated. altho the
records show when Boonesboro was
merged. The records do not show that
\ tClarinda or Corydon We're eve. iacor-
jIorated. The list might be extended at;
K isngth. What viii have 10 be done some
time is to have the records rewritten.
/ from the beginning and transcripts of
! the records sent up from every county
OF the state. It is more than probable
that the discovery viii Their be made
that number of Iowa cities ard towns
have been doing business Illegally for
many years.
| The illegality Of what many of the
towns and cities attempt is on a par
with the patchwork legislation Of the
general assemblies With relation to mu-
inequalities. That the laws need revis
Ion in this particular must be patent To
every one familiar with the trials and
tribulations of trustees and aldermen.
That a rational step may be taken
toward revision two committees of law
yers ard city officials met here yester-
day and last evening to consider the
matter One was the committee on nu-
isicipal law of the State Bar Associa-I
tton, of which committee there was
,be eomnisles phu : on ssisIs,sn slons s,y ~