Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-01-31


ty-ninth general assembly of Iowa has
| gotten into the swing of work. Nearly
hundred bills have already been in
troduced, the committees have been an
npunced and are at work, two United
States senator's have been elected and
all of the preliminary business of the
session has been disposed of. 1t is ex-
pected that / 900 bills will be introduced
in the two houses and that this will
occupy most of the time for the next
month.
deterioration for Criminals.
The bill which has caused the most
discussion of all those introduced so
far is that proposed by Representa- tive
Blakemore, of Taylor county, to sub
stitute electrocution for hanging as the
legal method of execution in this state.
| Legislators do not believe that such a
change, with the necessary expense at
tached, is required, because there is
little chance of hanging in Iowa
| again. For ten years the governors
have committed all death sentences to
life Imprisonment. Several men are
now serving time who were sentenced
to hang originally.
To Fix boundary Line.
Senator HaZelton's bill to create a
commission to confer with like COM
mission from Nebraska to fix the west
ern boundary of Iowa and the eastern
boundary of Nebraska stands an ex-
cellent chance of passage. While the
bill proposes only the creation of such
| commission, Senator Hazelton's plan
is to have the Missouri river fixed as
the boundary. This would result in
changing the location of considera BILE
property in western Iowa. but on the
whole this state would gain the adj
| vantage. After the commission reports
the legislatures must approve their
findings in each state.
Appropriation Bills.
The appropriation bills for the edu-
cational institutions have been intro
duced, and, summarized, they are as
follows: For the state university,
1868 900 and $4,000 annual support adj
ditional; for the state normal school,
$176,000: for the state agricultural COLI
lege. $34O,n 900 and $50 900 additional an
nual support.
The Libel Law,
The editors OF the state will ask for
changes in the laws governing libel
from the legislature this winter. At
present bare libel is actionable with
out respect to intent of the respon-
sible proprietor and publisher and
without reference to explanation and
retraction. The editors desire that
they be allowed to show the lack of
malice in unfortunate publica tions.
E1cursions.
One of the excursions planned by the
Legislature has been taken-that to the
state university at Iowa City. Nearly
the entire legislature went down last
Thursday. United States Senator Dol
liver, Gov. Cummins and many other
distinguished men attended the exer-
cises there or the occasion of the dedi-
cation of the new liberal arts hall. The
legislature also accepted the invita- ton
of the trustees of the normal school at
Cedar Falls to visit that institution on
January 30 Knoxville will be visited
| February % to inspect the abandoned
home for the blind which it is pro-
| posed to turn into "a normal school.
The state agricultural college and the
insane hospital at Cherokee will be Wis
tied some time during the session.
This, with the visit of commission to
the Vicksburg military park, will COM
plete the junkets of the legisla ture for
| this session.
Corporations.
Representative Mahlon Head, of
Greene county, has been giving his at
tention to the laws governing corpora
tons and early in the session made up
his mind that it would be an excellent
thing for the Iowa legislature to me-
morialize congress to pass a law re-
curing all corporations to issue full
paid-up stock exclusively. This, he be-
heves, will effectually meet and solve
the trust problems. He has it in mind
also to require all corporations doing
business in this state-even the selling
Of capital stock-to be incorporated in
Iowa.
| Child Labor.
The first bill relating to child labor
was introduced in the legislature by
Senator George W. Lister. 1t provides
that NO child under IA years of age shall
be employed in any shop, mine or fac.
tory unless 1t has secured from the
president of the local school board a
written statement to the effect that
the wages the child earns are required
by INDECENT parents or relatives. In
that case, further, it is provided that
the child shall have been in school con.
tinuously for 16 weeks prior to the
time Of securing the statement from
| the principal. A fine of nominal size is
fxed for violation of the law prohibit
ing the employment of children, and
each days violation is made separate
offense.
| An Innovation.
Lieut.. Gov. John Herriott's message
to the senate in announcing the stand
ing committees of the body was an in
novation. 1t is said that never before
| has lieutenant governor transmit.
ted message to the sena tors, It ere.
nted lively Interest because of Its con.
tents. In it he stated that he had
framed the committees with view to
having recommended legislation in
amendment Of the lawsrespecting rail-
road taxation and in favor of fixing a
scheme by which the valuation and as
sessment of railroad property in Iowa
may be effected without the exercise of
discretion on the part of the executive