Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-12-16
MANY NEN LAWS WANTED
Coming Session of Legislature
Likely to Be Strenuous One.
AMENDMENTS TO MULcT LAW.
Hard Fight Will Be Made for State
Marshal Clause-lowa Municipal
League Will Ask an Annual Appro-
priation of $4,000.

Des Moines, Dec. appearances
are that the coming session OF the leg
islature of Iowa will be deluged with
petitions and demands for new laws.
Some of the laws which will be asked
for will be of beneficial nature and
will be welcome to all the state, but
there are many which are among the
regular accumulations Of each meet
never see more than the light of the
committees to which they will be re-
ferred. Probably the hardest fight
which will come before the body from
outside influences will be the attempt
to graft onto the mulct law a state
marshal clause. For nearly two years
now, A. c. Rankin, the molder orator
and temperance apostle, has been con-
stantly at work in the state organic
ing marshal clubs. 1t is claimed more
than 100 cities and towns are now or
ganiZed and they will move down on
the legislature in force early in the
session demanding amendments to the
law that will secure the appointment
of state marshals in order that better
enforcement be secured. The commit
tee of the legislature on suppression
of intemperance has been something
of a sinecure the past two sessions,
but If this movement is carried out as
planned, the members of that commit.
tee in the house and senate will have a
strenuous life for about three months
after Jan. /.
Municipal League to Ask for Aid.
The Iowa Municipal league will ask
the legislature for aid. The league,
which has been in existence for sever
al years, has now attained the size
where it's officers believe it is of i'm
portance enough to secure the atten-
ton OF the legislators. 1t has men,
bership in nearly all of the cities of
consequence in the state and has APP
pointed lately a legislative committee.
the prime duty of which it is under
stood is to convince the lawmakers
that the league should have an annual
appropriation OF $4,000 from the state
treasury to carry forward its work.
The committee is composed OF +. M.
Norris, Mason City; H. Thuenan, Jr.,
Davenport; w. II. Bremner, Des
Moines; C. II. VanLaw, Marshalltown;
]. e Williams, Waterloo; Dell c. Nor
gan, Council Bluffs; J. c. Williams,
Oskaloosa; A. c. Gates, Newton; j. A.
Evans, Keokuk, and d. A. Long, Wav-
erly. The members will meet in Des
Moines for work on Jan. Is.
Humane Society to Ask Recognition.
The Iowa Humane Society has deter
mined to ask the legislature to make it
a state bureau. The officers and di-
rectory of the society have discussed
the matter thoroughly and believe it
will be to the credit of the state and
for the benefit of the society to ex-
tend such recognition. The law
which will be proposed to the legisla-
ture for adoption will be moulded on
the lines of the Colorado humane law.
AT present Colorado is the only state
in the union placing its humane soci-
ETY. under state control with bureau
for the execution of its mandates. 1t
is claimed the law there has been
found to be good thing and that the
state is more than repaid for the ex-
pense Of conducting the bureau by the
moral influences which it brings to
wealth. BY its work many children
are prevented from growing up as
criminals, being taken while young
from their bad surroundings.
Board of Regents for State Schools.
One of the most interesting contests
before the lawmakers will be the effort
which is promised to create a single
board Of regents to have authority
over the three schools Of the state.
the University at Iowa City, the State
Normal at Cedar Falls and the State
Agricultural college at Ames. A bill
with similar purport was introduced
near the close of the last session Of
the legislature, but it did not get past
which was composed of M. l.. Temple
of Osceola, ID. w. Hurn of Mason City
and Frank Payne of Centerville, took
the proposed law in hand and changed
1t materially from the way 1t was orig
inally reported. Mr.. Temple then, in
a number of amendments, specifically
set forth the purposes of the bill and
detailed the authority which should
lodge in the proposed concentrated
board. In effect the board was to be
supreme as far as the three institu-
tions were concerned. It was to have
full control over the property. was to
issue diplomas. direct the expenditure
of all moneys appropriated for the
schools, and with the governor and
state superintendent of public instruc-
ton was to have power to choose the
president of each of the institutions,
elect the faculties and fix the salaries
OF each. Late in the session the judi
ciary committee of the legislature Sc
cured possession of the bill, and re-
ported 1t back with this recommends
ton: 1.-THE bill contains elements Of
great merit and should be carefully
and fully considered" The commit
tee also recommended that the bill
SHOULD be reported back to the house