Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-03
A LAWYER NOT NECESSARY.
rDes Moines Resister.l

Several papers seem to have become
suddenly imbued with the idea that the
board of railroad commit ssioners must
have lawyer for one OF its members.
There has been nothing to indicate that
during the entire life of tie commission.
That point has not been raised as to
any of the other state boards or COM
missions, and it has only been raised as
to the railroad commission 10 serve the
candidacy of commissioner who has
served nearly three full terms in that
position! We present here the opinion
of one Of the best posted lawyers in the
state, who served several terms as an
Iowa senator and made thorough
study of all branches of he state gov
eminent, in regard to the alleged ne
cessity for one of the raj road commits
sionerS to be lawyer:
1st. There is no provis ion in law re-
curing that one member shall be a
lawyer. The only qualification / find in
the law is that member of the board
shall be a qualified electol.."
I'd. The attorney general of the state
is the officer provided by law whose adj
vice should be sought by the board of
manner that it is the duty of other state
officials to seek his advice on legal mat
tiers.
Sd. believe it not to b the policy of
the law to limit the selection of one
member of the board to the legal pro-
fession. l think each member should
be selected from the state at large re-
CARELESS of profession or employment
4th. Gould not the suggestion that
because lawyer would possibly be
more ready to give an opinion or act in
regard to certain matters requiring le-
gal knowledge be made as forcible to
those state officers who compose the ex-
.ecutive council and have various hear
ings upon various matters or in refer
ence to the state school superintendent,
county superintendent, as in reference
TO membership on the beard. 1t might
be convenient at times for the incum-
bent Of any of these Offices TO have had
legal training, but the state of Iowa
has net yet recognized the necessity of
giving all the offices to lawyers.
Finally, l think that the legal train
ing of one member would in many cases
give his advice unfair weight, as would
the advice or opinion of a lawyer jury
man. The members should bring TO the
solution of the questions submitted the
best judgment and experience of which
they are capable, and refer legal ques-
lions to the officer whom the people of
the state have selected and paid for
that service the attorney general BY
this | do not mean, of course, that a
lawyer is disqualified from membership
on the board, but when The question is
asked, rs there anything; in the law or
duties of the office requiring one men,
Der of the board of railroad commits.
sioners to be a lawyer" l would an
swer emphatically, NO.
The fact is that the board of railroad
commissioners should be composed of
level headed and successful business
men, and there is much greater neces-
sity for a member of that board who
has had more than state wide expert
ence as a shipper than there is for a
lawyer who would arroEate to himself
the right to decide every legal question
that-would come before the board The
friends of Mr. n. S. Ketchum, who has
been an extensive shipper over the
Iowa railroads for nearly forty years,
are firm in the faith that his experience
will be more helpful to the board and