Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-21

Springer, Whiting. 13.
/
/ Another illustration of what is hap
pening in the senate was given when
| the bill to require telephone companies
TO file maps and plats was beaten to
Geath. This is bill which was pre-
pared by the secretary of the executive
council at the suggestion of the council.
AT present telephone companies report
to the auditor of state and not like
railroad and telegraph companies to
the secretary of the executive council.
| The bill makes needed change In this
direction Then 1T provides that the
companies, or all those which are re-
quired to report at all, shall file with
the county auditor in each county
where the line is located map and plat
| showing the mileage In each taxing
| district. Then the reports that come to
| the executive council will be by coun-
| ties only. The assessment will be made
as now and the mileage and rate will
| be certified back to the county auditor,
who can then Immediately place the
valuation on his books by taxing dis
| tricts. He will not have to do much
| figuring. The present law requires
that the companies shall report by as
sessment districts and the auditor or
secretary OF the council figures out the
valuation by assessment districts and
| oertifies 1t to the auditors. 1naSmuch
| as the assessment and taxing districts
| are not alike except in Incorporated
towns and cities all this figuring is use
| less, and the county auditor has no way
| of knowing just what proportion of the
tax shall go to each taxing district. He
must either send out a surveyor or Go
some guessing. Under the bill as pro-
posed by the executive council the
maps and surveys will all be In the
hands of the county auditors so that
the division of the taxes can be made in
n few hours after the same is received
from the state assessing board. The
bill is really to correct an error in the
original bill, for taxing districts and not
assessing districts is obviously what
was meant. But amendments We're of
fered to make it dead sure that no
farmer should suffer from the bill and
before they We're done the bill was
wrecked A motion to reconsider will
be made.
bill to encourage interurban elec-
trio railroads passed the senate yester-
day with slight amendments from the
house hill. Other amendments were
proposed that would have changed the
Lill very much. A strong lobby has
been at work for this bill IN the interest
of several proposed trolley lines across
the state. Several Cedar Rapids people
are favorable to the bill and have been
here working for it, That which is OBJ
jectionable in the bill. according to
Senator Crossley of Madison county. is
that 1t gives rural trolley lines, or In
terurbans. all the rights and privileges
Of steam railroads and more. The ad-
Gition is In the matter of granting
franchises over highways. The pro-
moters of interurbans can see the
members of the boards of supervisors
and arrange for franchise rights and
the property owners have nothing to
say about it. The public roads can be
used without paying anything for the
privilege. But this is regarded by the /
friends of the bill as an essential point !
In view of the fact that interurbans are
just getting started in Iowa. After they
are well established they may be held
down.
There is some dissatisfaction among
the members of the house over the de-
feat of the primary elections bill and
an effort is to be made to have it re-
considered and passed. The bill had
much merit in it, but appears not to I
have been so thoroughly considered !
that it was free from Objectionable
features.
Senator Bachman has filed motion
to reconsider the vote by which the re-
formatory bill was defeated in the SEN
ate. He will leave it on the senate
journal until the return of Healy, who
was much interested in the measure
The fate of this bill illustrates what
happens when we'll intentioned persons
undertake each one to put his own ideas
into a law. AS originally presented the
bill was almost identical with the law
which has been in force in New York
many years and which has formed the /.
basis for other laws in dozen states.
1t was carefully drawn and carefully
considered. The plan was to place the
state of Iowa on a par with other good
states in the matter of the adoption of
medern methods of treating the crimi-
nal classes, to stop the making of
criminals and to try reform, to provide
for the better classification of crimi- /,
nails, not by the enormity of their
crimes but by their criminal natures i
The legal phases of the bill had been
passed on by two ex-chief justices of
the state and by other excellent law
yers; yet when the bill got into the
senate men protesting to be favorable
to the bill picked flaws in it and made
which utterly destroyed
it's purposes. There was much ILL., I
considered sentiment expressed in re- {
gard to the treatment of the criminal :
classes and number of senators rallied
against all reform measures in man ]
ner to indicate that their constituen-
cies are living in the sixteenth century,
The bill was passed once and then re-
called and finally beaten by it's own
friends who lacked the breadth to ac-
cept a good bill without change. But
its defeat saves the state the expense I
OK establishing a reformatory. 1t NAV :
be reconsidered, but it is not possible
now to pass the bill. 1t is as badly out s
of it as it's author, the late senator from ]
CaSS
GUILTY OF MURDER.
Jury in Case of Albert Smith at Des