Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-11
ASSESSMENT BILL UP
Consideration OF the Railway
Assessment Bill Begun in
Senate Today.
Senator Lewis, Author OF the
Measure, Speaks in Its
Behalf.
Plan TO Take Circle From Ballot
Defeated..Omnibus Bill
Opposed.
70 .rimes-Republiean.

UppOSe0.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, March 1.-THE senate
today took up the special order, the
railway assessment bill, and the entlfe
time of the morning was taken by SEN
ator Lewis. the real author of the Dill,
in presenting the bill and its features.
There was a large attendance OF VISIT
ors in the senate, and his argument IN
favor of the bill was followed closely.
He declared that in his estimation pup
licity. and not stocks and bonds, is the
essence of the bill. He would not be in
favor of an absolute stocks and bonds
bill or a plan to consider any other one
element of value. He was not prepared
to saw that the assessment or rallroauS
in Iowa should be doubled or trebied, as
would be the case in stocks or bond
valuation. The bill gives discretion to
the council We had BETTER go slow
and proceed along the line of evolution
rather than revolution. If this Dill is
defeated the next general assembly VIII
be in the hands of the extremists, ana
for two years the state would be rent
with discord. He believed the Dill
would materially increase the assess
ment of the railroad property in Iowa.
Lewis punctuated his address with
many statistics and comparisons to
show that Iowa railroad property is not
assessed as high as in other states. The
senate agreed to consider the bill all
afternoon. and amendments will be Of
'fered by Porter, Crossley and others.
| In the house Donahue introduced a
resolution of sympathy fol the British
in their troubles in South Africa.
The bill to take the circle from the
official ballot was defeated in the house.
The Townsend drainage bill was
passed, and also the bill to establish a
board of optometry.
In the senate this afternoon Senator
Proctor offered to amendments to the
assessment bill to make of it a strictly
81 tocks and bonds rnea asure and taking
from the executive council all discre-
tion in the matter and he argued at
length for this amendment.
There is opposition to the omnibus
bill in the air. The appropriations
committee did not bring this bill before
the house without some opposition
within the committee. Those members
of the committee who worked hard, who
heard all those who appeared before the
committee and who considered in detail
everything that came before the COM
mittee carried the day and secured in
dorsement of the entire bill in the form
in which it has been presented to the
house; but others who attended only a
few of the meetings raised objections to
many of the items. An effort is being
made to have signed and presented a
minority report opposing some feature
of the bill. Representative Nagle is one
who has been arising this opposition
But others are unwilling to do such a
thing. AS a matter of fact there are
items in the bill which will meet with
a good deal of opposition. The feeling
cannot be avoided that while the large
buildings at Ames and Iowa City are in
ruins the state ought to build others be-
fore it is provided that barns and ice
houses and new cottages shall be built
at the penal and charitable institutions.
Then the item of farms is a hard one
for some of the members. With the
medical department of the state uni
versity in barn or COW shed there are
members who are saying that perhaps
- ,~t to, h,,;l1 n ,T,,,n
barns at the state institutions. Chair
man Hughes of the appropriations COM
mittee of the house, is one who is work
ing hard to have this bill brought out
for discussion. He says that he does
not fear the consequences. He is ready
to vote for the entire bill just as it stands.
He realizes that it means the state
must raise more money by taxation, but
he is ready to defend himself before his
constituents on that proposition. He
believes the state is rich enough to do
justice to all the state institutions.
There are other, however, who believe
that to spend so much money this ses
sion would be bad for the party and for
the state. The discussion of this omni
bus appropriation bill will be interest
ing.
There is a growing demand manifest
among the Legislators for a board of
pardons to relieve the legislature from
a dsasreeabie and unnecessary duty.
The pardons committee OF the mouse
has been at work for weeks on the doz-
en- pardon cases submitted to the gen
eral assembly. Hearings have been
given to many who have urged pardons
for this or that convict. A sub-commit-
tee of five members of the pardon COM
mittee visited Anamosa prison over
Sunday and personally heard the pleas
of some CT the conVictS seeking release.
Three of them they found declaring
their innocence and two OF these We're
women. Betsy Smith, notorious and
hard character sent to prison from DeS
Moines for having killed her husband
and this or the confession of her
daughter who was a party to the crime,
protested innocence Christina Beh-
| rens, who killed her husband in Daven-
port. also says she didn't do it and
wants out on that ground AS evidence
i'm both of these cases was exceedingly
strong the cases will be easily disposed
| of. T. w. Watson, a lifer, also he was
| wrongfully convicted of crime he did
not commit. The committee had long
conference with Wesley EllSins the
young man who wants a pardon There
has been a great deal of controversy
! over this case. Elkins was only 12 Years