Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-26

| The senate had changed the bill and the
house committee again changed 1t. This
bill has caused the lawyers a great deal
of worry and they believe they have 1t
right now. The Hubbard bill to pro-
vide that where buildings are assessed
as personal property the taxes shall be
lien on the real estate was approved.
| A bill for probate courts was disap-
proved.
| The Secor pure food bill came before
the agricultural committee of the house
| last evening and was discussed at
| length but not acted on. For the bill
there appeared Capt. Watrous, of Des
Moines, prominent member of the
State horticultural Society, and Pro-
| fessor Weems. of the Iowa State Uni
lyersity, representing the Iowa Acad-
emy of Sciences; and against the bill
| appeared Charles J.. Powell an attor-
ney, representing several interests that
would be affected by the bill.
| The hearing on the new stocks and
bonds bill of the senate subcommittee
| yesterday afternoon was somewhat un-
satisfactory. The railroad men who
l
for preparation had been so short that
they had not been properly prepared
| for their task. They asked for further
time or another hearing when the rep
| resentatives of the railroads who are
| best informed on this subject can be
present and be heard. Mr.. Baldwin
submitted some figures to show that
| the present assessment of railroads in
Iowa is sufficient and that any increase
| in the assessment as contemplated in
the bill or made possible by the bill
would work an injustice to the rail-
road companies. He gave interesting
figures In general on the subject but
was hardly prepared to discuss the bill
before the committee in all its detail or
| to point out it's merits or defects. In
fact he had not fully considered the bill.
! Mr.. Dudley presented pleasing essay
on taxation questions in general and
showed. so far as he could, that to tax
on the basis of net earnings or on the
market value of stocks and bonds would
| be in effect to tax good will, manage
ment, business capacity and the labor
of the thousands of men who make the
railroads what they are. Some spice
was given the hearing by colloquy be-
tween Mr.. Baldwin and Henry Wallace
over the relative correctness OF assess
ments of railroad property and news
paper property. But the general Inn
preston from the hearing was that
nothing had been accomplished. that
| the members have not changed their
views, that there is much room yet for
discussion of this particular bill and
| that it will bear a great deal more of
discussion before it should go finally
before the legislature for action.
The Baldwin Wallace debate before
the committee took somewhat humor-
Gus turn. Baldwin departed from his
subject at great length and discussed
some other forms of taxation and as
sessment ana some other properties He
mentioned newspaper properties as an
example of how property escapes taxa
ton sometimes He had heard that the
Homestead property was worth in fact
somewhere between $4,000 and $780,
600, and that an attorney for one of
the litigants In the recent suits had
been authorized to bid as high as $780,
600 for the property when it is sold by
the court. Yet the Homestead is val
ued for assessment purposes at $1,000.
Then as to Wallace's Farmer which
was started a few years ago as rival,
he did not know much about its value
but had been assured by Henry Wallace
that his property is now worth more
than the property of the Homestead
and is earning more. Then as to the
Leader, it is supposed to be worth at
jleast $125,O0O. but is assessed at $4,000;
while the Register which is valued by
it's owners at not less than $2OO.OO0.
| and a half interest in which was sold
several years ago for $150,OOO. is on the
assessors books at $4,000. Mr. Wallace
was present and joined in the discus
| sion telling how the railroad property
had escaped taxation. and for time
the two men made things decidedly IN
teresting before the committee. mo-
ton was made at the conclusion of this
little debate that other speakers canfine
themselves to discussion of the bill,
but it was not put.
Senator Hartman is understood to
be very much in favor of the Dill to
give the farmers Institutes represen-
/ tation in the state agricultural con-
4 IS.
there shall be one representative from
1 each farmers institute held during the
wear. In behalf of this measure 1T Is
said that 1t would go far toward remov-
ing the common criticism against the
| present agricultural convention and the
board which it elects that there are TOO
many who are not actual farmers. The
mon who go to the farmers Institutes
and who take part in them are the real
farmers. In more than half of the coun-
ties of the state these Institutes are
regularly held and the most representa-
tive farmers take part in them. Good
programs can be got up and carried
out in every county of the state with
ease. The real farmers are men of abil-
ity who understand their business This
measure contempates that they shall
have a larger representation in the ag-
ricultural conventions. 1t Is believed
that under the law as 1t is to be amend
ed these conventions would be IN
creased about double. They would be
composed of farmers as we'll as county
fair men and horsemen and lawyers
who dabble in farming as side line.
| Sneaker Eaton is also understood to
:. favor the measure. o. III. Barnhill, OF
Shenandoah is in the city to consult
win Henry Wallace and ]. r. Sage in
reference to this and similar bills. they
being n committee of the last state ag-