Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-03-28
FOR BIENNIAL ELECTIONS.
Iowa Legislature Favors Change in
the Constitution to Do Away
with Yearly Voting.
MUST PASS GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 1904
dill before the Senate to Establish
Uniform bookkeeping in state In
stitutiOns-House Adopts Resolu-
4 ton for Final Adjournment April
+, 3-Other Notes af Interest.
tspsetal correspondence

Especial CofSeSponoeno6.J
Des loiDes, Ia. March SA-AlhoAgh
@ half dozen constitutional amend
nents were proposed IN the legislature
this session, only one has been Endorsed
by The assembly, and the opinion is
prevalent that ii will be the only one.
It provided for biennial elections in
stead OF annual elections in this state.
It will have to pass through the gen
&ral assembly of 1904 before it can be
submitted to the people and cannot be-
come effective before 1905, even if the
next assembly shall pass it and the
people shall then adopt it. 1t is identi-
cal in form with the Titus biennial
elections amendment, which was sub
2nitted in 1900 and carried, but which
the supreme court declared not to have
been adopted because 1t was not re-
corded in a constitutional manner in
the journals of the two sessions of the
general assembly.
No Opposition.
There was practically no opposition
In the senate to the passage of the bill
TO remove the discriminative part of
the state tax on the business of for
eign insurance companies. This bust
ness has been taxed heretofore at 3A
per cent. on the gross premiums, but
Nnder the present law, which passed
ahe senate and which will probably
pass the house, the tax was lowered
TO 2h per cent, which is the same as
That paid by companies in the United
States outside of Iowa companies. The
iowa companies pay but one per cent.
bn the gross premiums. OF the 80 for
eign insurance companies doing bust
mess in Iowa IA withdrew on account
of the discriminative tax. and manufac-
furers and insurers who place extraor-
flinarily heavy risks petitioned the leg
fslature for the repeal of the discrim-
fnative excess of tax on the foreign
companies.
The Age Increased.
4 The legislature has passed a law in
creasing the age to which girls may be
Retained in the industrial school at
Mitchellville to 81 years. The old law
liked the limit at which they might be
Retained in the institution at syears.
This was found not to be satisfactory,
OecduSe l1e euucdblOldi CouTstS WlllCll
the girls take in that institution could
not be completed at this age, and they
kyere thrown into the world, often
without any protection whatever, and
upon their own resources without ade-
Nuate knowledge to meet the situation
Nhe board of control and Superinten-
bent Fitzgerald, Of the Mitchellville in
etitution, conceived the idea that the
state would gain materially if it kept
the girls long enough to thoroughly
educate them and teach them trade,
80 that once out of the institution they
would be able to lead correct lives.
Hence the enactment of this law, which
will be of great benefit in the opinion
of the board of control.
An Important Measure.
/ The municipal code cosnmissiaH, of
ADhieh Semtoy Yrgwin i chairman, hes
iAtYolue>3 Hill that viii prove Of vast
fnptyterss II II becomes Raw IT
providss for Uniform system OF keep
ing neeouuts by the municipalities of
the state, and for fhe annual publiea-
zion of financial statement by each
city in at least two newspapers. The
funds are 70 be kept separate, the OBJ
feet being to make these reports the
basis for comparison. All of the mem
lbers of the commission believe that the
result will be a great saving in the ex-
spenditures of cities. Representative
iHurn introduced similar bill in the
Sng considered by the committee on
municipal corporations. 1t provides
Nor the publica ion of financial state
,ment each year which. in years of city
elections. Is to be published three
weeks before the election. thus giving
voters an opportunity to ascertain how
their money is befra expended. 1t is
probabIe that these two bills viii be
consolidated. or, possibly. the munich
pal code commission bill will be substi-
tuted for the bill introduced by Repre-
sentative Hurn.
To Reorsnnize Districts.
The house committee on representa-
tive districts has formulated bill for
the reorganization of these districts
on basis which probably will be
adopted by the legislature. Lee and
Des Moines counties lose one repre-
sentative each, the representatives
thus gained being transferred to the
northwestern part of the state. This
will decrease the number of democrats
in the assembly. The bill gives the fol-
lowing counties two representatives.
each: Linn. Dubuque. Scott, Clinton,
Woodbury.. Pottawattami", Polk. The
following districts are composed of
two counties: Dickinson-E Emmett, Lyon
OsceoIa. Winnebago-Worth, Hancock
Humboldt. Clay-Pocahontas. Idn-Mon-
ona All the other counties have one
representative each. The basis of rep
Fesentation fs 26.500.
10 Manage Schools.
Next to the railroad assessment laws
1he most important measure which has
been brought before the general as
;sembly now drawing TO q close in this
state is the proposition to create a
board of control to manage the ednca-
tionai institutions of the state. The
bill was proposed so late in the session
that the impression prevails that it will
not receive final consideration by this
assembly. Hearings upon it haye been
had, and the Legislature is expected to
tonsider the matter upon the floor at an
early date. This will be necessary on
account of the resolution which has al,
ready passed one house providing for
anal adjournment ON April g. 1t is he