Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-27
FIRST VETO
The Governor Returns the Mols-
berry Bill to Legislature
Without Approval.
Believes 1t to Be Against Public
Policy and Not to Peo.
pies Interest.
Designed Primarily for the Spe.
cial Purpose Of the Bur.
lington Corporation.
special to Times-Republican


Cummins this morning delivered TO the
senate his first veto message, returning
without his approval the Molsberry bill
which has been called the railway mer-
ger bill because it Is alleged to have
i been passed for the express purpose of
inviting the Great Northern and North
ern Pacific merger interests to make
their home in Iowa. The bill provided
merely for removing the limit of in
debtedness on Iowa railroad corpora
tions owning and operating lines in
Iowa and other states. The bill had
passed the senate by 3S to Z and the
house by 67 to 13. There had been some
discussion of the bill in the senate, but
none in the house and Its full import
was never understood. There is no pos
sibility Of it's being passed over the We
| to. The governor points out in his
message that Iowa has never re-
moved the limit of Indebtedness on any
corporations, save insurance compa-
MES, and that for only a short time.
The bill is radical departure. No
other state permits Indebtedness with
out limit to this class Of corporations.
The measure is not required for the de-
velopment of Iowa roads and there has
been no complaint about Iowa laws not
being liberal enough for all the Iowa
CORPORATIONS. Beside. 1t creates class
distinction as to the kind of Iowa cor
portations affected, discriminating
against those which have no
property crossing the line, and
the governor therefore concludes
lit is unconstitutional. But he
also reaches the conclusion that the
bill is for the special purpose OF help
ling one corporation, the hundred mil
lion dollar Burlington company which,
has leased the entire Burlington rail-
road system, Only two other COM
panses are affected the Rock Island
and the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and
| Northern. II can not resist the belief =
he writes. that the real application
of the proposed amendment would not
be to enable the two or three rail-
way companies to which 1t would ap-
ply to use their profits for the ad-
vantage of the people, but that its
4 only substantial effect would be to
overcome real or imaginary difficulties
growing out of the purchase OF the
lstock of the Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy by the Great Northern and
Northern Pacific" He insists that
this is not in accordance with the best
interests of the people and contrary
to all public policy of Iowa. The veto
was not acted on today. but stands
little show Of being beaten in the
house.
The senate today passed resolution
memorialising congress to pass the
bill to indemnify Iowa swamp lands
sold. The house passed a bill to Gre
ate a department at the insane hospi-
tails for inebriates and morphine eat
ers; the bill to provide for support OF
children of insane persons and tht
bill to allow selection of civilian phys
icians at the Soldiers Home and not
confine the selection to those who
served in the army or navy.
The Joint resolution No. 5 providing
4 for biennial elections in Iowa when the
constitution is amended, was signed by
Gov. Cummins before being placed or
file with the secretary of state. Con-
sideration of this resolution by the
chief executive developed the fact that
whereas in former years all joint reso-
lutions were signed by the governors
the custom was dropped by Gov. Drake
and not until this resolution was signed
have any of them been signed. But they
are treated by the legislature as in al
RESPECTS the same as bills, they. quite
frequently carry appropriations or are
in effect laws, and Gov. Cummins after
giving the matter consideration. de-
cided that they should be signed te
make them legal. AT any rate he
! deemed it best to sign this one ane
leave no possible doubt about 1T for the
supreme court to undo the work of the
people when it is adopted. In former
wears it was the custom to treat joint
resolutions as bills and pass them tC
the governor, and this is the chief dis
tinction between them and concurrent
resolutions, which relate only to the
business of the legislature.
1
The pardons committee of the house
has now finished all it's work save that
of consideration of the Wesley Elkins
case. In this case, about which sc
4 much has been written, there is not as
strong sentiment in the committee fc,
a pardon as among members generally
! The case has been made too much OF
| because of it's exceptional character
Yesterday Representative Sweet ap-
| peared before the committee and made
a most eloquent plea on behalf of Ell
kins. He took the ground that the boy
was the victim of circumstances thai
his father and mother separated before
/ he was born and his mother died soor
afterwards, that the father married
again and the boy was the victim OF
cruelty so that all parental love was
/ driven from him. In short, he became
q maniac because Of circumstances
This is the strong general line followed
by those who plead for his release
i There are some others to address the