Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-17
No QUORUM IN SENATE
The Iowa Legislators Rather De-
linquent in Matter OF AT.
tendance Today.
Appropriation Bills Dragging Be-
cause OF the Waiting Atti-
tude OF Members.
Fate Of the Reformatory Bill
Somewhat Uncertain.'.M c.
Henry Appointed Judge.
,cial to Times-Renublican.

| Des Moines. March 17.-The senate
w,s unable to get quorum at any
time this forenoon and did no business.
Il committee was appointed to consider
the governors appointments, consisting
| of Hubbard Courtright, Lambert, Blsh-
| op and Dowell.
| Governor Cummins today appointed
William III. McHenry judge OF the dls-
ltrict court in Polk county to succeed
| Bishop, resigned.
| Appropriation matters are hanging
fire The waiting game is going on.
am disgusted," said one member Satur-
day evening, "for we couldn't hold the
boys together to saw wood The fact
is that the sergeant alarms had to go
out and bring in members to hold
quorum Saturday morning. Such
| state of affairs so late in the session
has not been known before. And ap-
lpropriation bills are especially SLOW.
Nothing of any consequence has been
cone in that direction. The sub-com-
mittee of the house appropriations
committee which waited on the treas
urer of state and other officials to flnd
out. if possible, where some more
money was to be got for the use OF the
state made report not at all encour-
aging. There was no money IN slght
beyond what has been mentioned be-
FORE And so it happens that the mem
hers are waiting for something to turn
up at Washington in connection with
the Lothrop war claims. The news mas
been we'll received that the report or
the special auditor who came to Des
Moines is entirely favorable. There is
no doubt of this. Capt. Lothrop had
worked the matter up SO thoroughly
that 1t was comparatively easy mat
ter to secure the proofs fcS' all that is
claimed The report sent to Washing
ton was full in every particular. Now
1T remains for the Iowa people at
Washington to do the rest. 1t would
not surprise members of the legisla-
lure to read III the papers any day that
an item has been added to one of the
appropriation bills placing at the dis
posal of the secretary of the treasury
money with which to pay the Iowa war
claims as fast as audited. When this
is done the Iowa legislature will pro-
ceed promptly to draw on the fund and
appropriate money to be used when the
war fund gets into the state treasury.
Several bills will be reported of this
kind In fact, as has been known right
from the start, unless Iowa gets the
war claims it will be necessary for the
Legislature to disappoint the education
al institutions and many others asking
for support and even then make it nee
essary for the officers of state to bor-
row money before another legislature
can meet. This is a condition evident
ture can not escape.
Now that DR.. Emmert is out of the
senate the fate of the reformatory bill
is somewhat uncertain. 1t will be called
up some time this week, for it retains
front place on the senate calendar
When it was called up few days ago
Senator Young, of Washington, offered
some amendments to further ruin the
bill Objection was made to considera-
ton of the engrossed bill until the
printed copies are placed on the desks
Of the members. So many amendments
have already been made that it would
hardly be fair to have the bill consid-
cred as engrossed without printing. The
bill is now so badly amended that it's
friends may kill 1T.
The Des Moines army post is getting
back into the courts again, and this
time in a way that is not pleasing to
those members of the Legislature who
have been so kind as to accommodate
Des Moines people by passing any and
all bills that are offered for the relief
of the capital city. There has been
some complaint, perhaps just. because
pes Moines has had so many askings
of the legislature in the way of special
bills. When committee of leading
citizens called on the judiciary commit
tee of the house to urge the passage of
the bill regarding the army post water
main contract there We're good lawyers
on the committee who shook their
heads and said they doubted ii even the
Legislature could legaliZe any such
contract. But the good citizens We're
insistent and nobody appeared to say
big mayor of Des Moines had previ-
ously expressed his disapproval of the
proposed contract. and the city attor-
ney had said he had doubts about the
ability of the council and the water
company to get the deal thru. Now the
socialist candidate for mayor of Des
Moines, himself a good lawyer. is go-
ing to have the courts pass on the sub
ject The scheme is to get rid of a
certain fund which stands as Il menace
to the present monopolistic water COM
pany by a contract In which the city
lends the money to the company, osten-
sibly to build water mains into the
country: but the socialist candidate at
tacks the whole scheme as unconstitu-
tional and contrary to public policy.
Legislators do not like to have their
acts called in question. This suit may
make 1T more difficult to get special
acts thru.
The druggists are making little
fight on bill which has passed the
house to require that blanks on which
the boys sign their names when getting
whisky at the drug stores shall be fur
l.ished by the county auditor and be
pumbered and an account be kept of
these blanks. The purpose of the bill