The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-01-30
COMMITTEES ANNOUNCED
MACHINERY OF THE LEelsLA.
TURE NOW IN WORKING
ORDER.

List of the Men Who Will Shape the
Legislation of the Present
Session.
The standing committees of senate
We're announced by Lieutenant Gov
erner Herriott on the 21st In an
nounclng the committees, Mr.. Herrioti
spoke as follows:
Senators. pursuant to your directions
and the procedure of the senate hereto
fore. have assigned the members to
various committees for the TRANSACTION
OF the necessary work of the session. This
lists are now submitted. Respecting the
assignments desire first to submit sug.
gestion regarding a Encouragement of the
committees in the matter of their rank
second, to set forth the reasons for Ger,
tain changes and additions made: and
third, to indicate the purpose in view in
the make up of the committees
BY custom the order of mention in
their first announcement has been taken
as significant of the rank and Importance
of committees. At each legislative ses-
sion temporary and fluctuating interests
have induced presiding officers to shift
their order more or less. This naturally
has resulted in some CONFUSION and ILL
assortment in rank. Committees related
to each other are not grouped together,
but are scattered here and there in the
list. Thus the committee on schools, No.
IL, appears between the committees on
insurance and banks: that on educational
Institutions. No. %. is thanked by public
health and military. Later charitable in
situations, No. 2S, comes between federal
relations and elections. The rank of the
committee pertaining to our industries
and commerce Is not less illogically as
sorted. the order being: Agriculture, No.
IA; labor. No. 10: mines and mining No.
16; commerce. No. 81; manufactures No.
80, and horticulture and forestry No. 35.
If one We're tt judge solely from the or
der OF mention manufactures and COM
merce are matters OF little concern to the
people of Iowa.
"A better arrangement would present
the committees in groups comprising
those assigned related subjects, and
group following group in the order Of
relative Importance. After the commit
tees of ways and means. judiciary and
appropriations 1T is suggested that those
relating to the industries and labor In
terests of the state follow, then those on
business corporations, then those on city,
county and state affairs and institutions,
and finally political and miscellaneous
committees. While 1t is within the dis
erection of the president under your grant
of authority to make such Encouragement
mits the matter as worthy of your con-
sheraton.
In harmony with the recommendation
Just made the committee on agriculture
has been enlarged and advanced. The
predominant interests of our citizens and
taxpayers are in the farm. dairy and
garden and industries subsidiary thereto
and the advancement Of the welfare of
those devoted to them is the chief con-
Germ of this body. The great wealth
which they represent, the high distinction
Iowa has attained In the raising of cereals
and stock, both on this continent and
abroad the large number of state and
local institutions and societies supported
or assisted by the state for the promo
ton of agriculture makes appropriate the
action here taken.
veloped a marked popular interest in our
public libraries. The number and in
huence of these educational institutions
.haNe greatly increased. The desirability
of promoting them, the Importance of ex-
tending the usefulness of our travelling
libraries and the work of the library COM
mission, and the needs of our state and
historical libraries at the capital have
led me to enlarge the committee on Iii
brares.' In a rearrangement as urged
this committee should be advanced to the
group comprising the states institutions.
The committee on rules has been in
creased from five to nine in number, and
the committee on fish and game from
three to five.
"a new committee has been created to
consider matters connected with tele-
graph and telephone companies. The in
creased use of telephones in our towns
and cities and OF late among our farmers
has produced a host of problems. The
granting of franchises, the rights of such
companies in our streets and highways,
the location of poles and wires and the
general regulation of such service are
matters that require particular legisla-
tive consideration
Mindful of the fact that you come to
TINS chamber as representatives of the
people who support our state government
by contributions of taxes levied on their
property, the majority of the membership
of the two ranking committees IN par
ocular have been selected with a view to
reformative changes in our revenue laws
which the people have indicated they de-
sire. For several years there has been
an increasing popular demand for re-
form in our methods of assessing corpor-
ate property for taxation, especially the
property of railroads. In the recent con-
ventions of the party whose adherents
prevail in this assembly the contests were
sqnarely made on this issue; numerous
resolutions were adopted calling for such
modification of our laws as would insure
not only the equitable assessment of the
railroad but the full valuation of their
property: and the nominations for state
offices were generally made in harmony
with such sentiments variously expressed
by the rank and file Of the party. The
committees on ways and means and ju-
dietary that have most to do with the
consideration of revenue measures have,
therefore, been composed for the most
part of those favorable to legislation that
will prescribe definite and uniform pro-
cedure which shall guide and assist our
administrative officers in assessing rail-
roads and thereby reduce to the lowest
degree practicable the intrusion of per-
sona preferences or prejudices in this
important work of government or the per-
versionof ass, 'sorial power. All views have
been recognize nd some who may OPP
pose material mod.iication of the exist
ing statutes have been included in the
makeup of the committees.
aside from selecting a favorable ma
jority of each committee that will be
concerned with such reform measures, I
have not presumed to Indicate let alone
dictate, what precise form or what the