Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1902-04-02
STATE LEGISLATURE
VETO or MoLseERRY BILL THE SEN
sATloN OF THE SESSION.
Railroad Assessment Bill Meets It's
Waterloo IN the House Aid To Pri-
yatc Normal Schools - Important
Joint Resolutions.

SatiOnal event OF the session ~ tne
veto Of the Molsberry bill by Governor
Cummins. This Is the bill, so much
discussed this session, for the removal
OF the limit Of Indebtedness on Iowa
railway corporations owning and oper-
hting lines in Iowa and other states.
The enemies OF the measure have des-
Ignated II az the merger bill and from
the first have taken the position 1t was
designed to permit the new Burlington
railway company, lately Incorporated
In Iowa, with capital Of $1C0,0O0,0O0.
10 issue bonds to take up the stocks
of the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific companies, and thus effect
what the Hill interests propose to eff
feet through the Northern Securities
company. IL Is apparent the necessity
Of the measure, If this is it's true pur-
pose, would arise only In the event the
courts knock out the Northern Secur-
tiles company. In his veto, which
came az surprise to the attorneys
for the railroad that have been fur
thering the bill, Governor Cummins
took the ground the bill was not con-
Btitutional and also was against public
policy. He pointed out that IL was dis
elimination, Inasmuch as the limita-
tion Of Indebtedness was not removed
by the state OH other corporations, such
as insurance concerns. In addition to
the constitutional objections, he
reached the conclusion the bill was in
tended to aid the Burlington To over
come the difficulties In the way OF the
purchase Of the stock Of the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific, and
thus make Iowa the center Of the great
railroad merger.
The governor went at length into
the questions involved and examined
the bill from various points Of view In
q message Of over 5000 words. The
question now everywhere discussed Is
whether the friends Of the bill can
pass the measure over the veto. The
same day the veto was filed an Or
ganized effort was begun TO accomplish
this result. Consideration OF the veto
was made special order for the lat
ter part OF last week, but motion to
postpone TO Tuesday Of this week was
carried by % TO 10. The friends Of the
bill voted for postponement, but the
vote on postponement was not strict
Iy test. II IL practically assured the
veto cannot be overridden In both
houses, and IL liz extremely doubtful If
RI can be In the senate.
Defeat OF Railway Assessment BiIi.
The railroad assessment bill has
met It's Waterloo In the house. This
Is the end OF railway taxation agita-
tlon for the session. In the first place
q subcommittee Of the senate ways
and means committee reported out to
the main committee a bill for assess
ment of railways on the stocks and
bond plan. This was modified In the
main committee and reported to the
senate. That body passed II and 1t
then went to the house and was re-
ferred TO the house ways and means
committed After hearings, IL was re-
ported for Indefinite postponement by
a vote Of II TO q. A minority report
was also brought out In favor OF the
bill, signed by Hughes. Cowlcs. LARA
bee, Whiting and Kendall. When the
reports came before the house the ma
1ority report was adopted and the bill
was indefinitely postponed by vote
OF 81 TO 30. There was little debate.
most Of the discussion OF the measure
having been before the committees.
In the hearings before the house ways
and means committee Senator Lewis,
one Of the subcommittee that pre-
pared the bill, made an extended argu-
ment for the measure, the opposition
being represented by powerful con-
tingent OF railway attorneys.
Supreme Court BiiI.
The substitute of the senate judic-
larry committee for the Cummings SUI
preme court bill Is now pending In the
house, the question being as to con-
currence I'm the senate amendments.
AS passed by the house, the bill merely
provided for an increase In the salar-
les OF the Judges from $4,000 to $1,000
per year. The senate, after u long
debate. passed the bill In nearly the
same form ms II was originally pre-
pared by Mr.. Cummings. The senate
substitute provides for increasing the
salaries OF the judges TO $4,000 per year
and for practically continuous ses-
sion OF the court. While the bill does
not specifically provide the judges
shall live In Des Moines, yet, IL IL be-
comes law, this will be the effect OF
II. In prohibits the submission of
more cases at any one term than can
be decided before the next session and
II is designed 10 allow the court an
opportunity, which IL does not have
now, To catch up with its work. The
fact an error was made In the trans
mission to the house of the senate mes
sage concerning this bill, the measure
being represented I'm the message ms
an original senate bill, led TO n spirited
clash. Speaker Eaton resented what
he regarded as an ailront 10 the dignity
of the house, and held IL discourtesus
that the message did not show the dis
position Of the house bill which was
sent over some days ago. In speech
that was aimed at the secretary Of the
senate, who was I'm the house chamber
and who refused nj first TO modify
the message. he defended the preroga-
tives of the house and said he did not
propose TO allow house bills TO be hur-
led aud disregarded by the senate II
he could avoid It, Ultimately. the
secretary modified the message ard
peace was restored. The incident
served Go illustrate the feeling that pre-
walls between the two houses, each
entertaining the belief that Its own
bills are given less consideration I'm
the other body than Is due them.
Important Joint Resolutions,
Two important Joint resolutions