Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1903-05-01
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL,
pes Moines, May I, 1908.


The greatest musical event IN tne
history OF the state. or in America LOT
that matter. and one which mas ~
readv created an extraordinary inter /
ast Tar and near, is the great Nordlca'
De Reszke-Duss concert 10 De given ~
the Auditorium, Des MONIES, on .n
evening of May 10th. IT IS an eSens
of unusual importance when WV ~
the worlds greatest singers appear W
IN the same occasion even IN the lars'
est cities: but it is the truth when we
cav That never before IN the history
of this country have two such preeml'
nent singers appeared IN the sa,lo
concert as Nordica and De heszhe'
These names are household words III
every great musical center In Europe
and America; honored and decorateu
by kings and queens, and ldols Oh .ne
public everywhere. These great az.
lists will be accompanied by the grea.
orchestra of the N. Y. Metropolitan
opera house, under the direction OF ).
s. Duss, and numbering 60 men. Ut.
M. L. Bartlett, of this city has charge
Of the arrangements. The railroads
make an open excursion rate of fare
and one.third for the round trip, good
to return on the 18th. There Will De q
matinee in the afternoon with famous
soloists.
Manager Hippee of the Des Moines
Street Railway company makes all
nouncement of extensions and I'M
proyements for that company this year
that will cost upwards or $lOO,ooV.
Fully five miles of new road will ne
laid in addition to large amount o!
double tracking, and new bridge VIII
be built across the Des Moines river
to Highland Park.
Assessor Schramm does not con-
ceal the fact that he was disappointed
by the action of the city board OF re-
view in cutting down the assessment
on which he had worked so consclen.
tiously. There were some cases, OF
course, in which he himself recon-
mended changes-especlally IN the
cases Of poor people. But the whole
sale cutting that the board did was
not to his liking, although he care
fully abstained from making any crit.
icisms. 1T is up to you, gentlemen
he would say with reference to as
sessments, when asked reasons for as.
sessing the properties as he had and
after he had explained these reasons.
1.-THE system Is wrong" he said.
81 admit that there were some In.
CAPABILITIES in the assessment as made
Nothing else would be expected when
the work had to be done in three
months time. This is large city,
one of the largest areas in the coun-
try. There are Subdivisions OF sub
divisions In it. There are straight
streets and crooked streets and no
streets ut all If any one imagines
that it is easy to find and value every
description Of property however big,
littleor irregular 1t may be, he is badly
mistaken.
"In my opinion there should be a
board of assessors with power to go
into the field and appraise the value
of property. They should have suffl-
cient time for the work, also. It
ought to begin the summer before the
January when the assessment is
made, unless the board were continu.
ously in session. We did not have
time to study the real estate of the
city as we should have done to have
made an assessment tina! would have
been beyond criticism. Had we had
more time we would have done bet.
ter, but as it was we did fairly well,
I believe" "
Accused of attempting to assault
Nancy, the six-year-old daughter OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Comstock OF
Eddyville, Fred Watkins and Harry
Britten, aged fourteen and fifteen re.
spectively, were placed under arrest.
was made during the temporary alb
sence Of the remainder of the family.
The executive council has decided
to close the bids for supplies for the
state for the next biennial period
June Is. The period will begin July
/. The date Of making the awards
was not settled on. The supplies in.
clude paper, ink, pencils and all kinds
of Office supplies such as are kept In
the supply roo!e at the state house.
They are purchased biennially and
thousands of dollars worth are needed.
In one important particular the coun-
Gil decided on departure. The state
will hereafter furnish its own samples
and bidders will have to bid to dupli.
cate the samples. Formerly it was
the custom to let the bidders submit
their own samples. This plan led to
interminable argument as to which
samples were the best.
A movement looking to the correc.
ton Of alleged abuses in jury trials
in the Polk county courts, has been
inaugurated by an order of the district
bench creating commission, whose
personnel includes leading members
Of the Des Moines bar, for the purpose
of Investigating charges of tampering
with jurors. The order is signed by
Judges McVey, McHenry and Howe,
and is as follows: a. ..m.-
where as the attention of the court
has been called to the alleged fact
that certain jurors In attendance upon
this court have been improperly intlu-
enced, or that attempts have been
made by certain persons, so to do,
with the intention OF improperly influ.
encing the verdicts of jury in this
court. and, s..&f. -.
Whereas the attention Of the court
of such Importance as to require a
careful investigation Of all the facts,
charges and matters In connection
Herewith: and to this ead the follow.
ing persons are hereby appointed a
committee to make such investiga.
ton and to make recommendations.
or prefer charges as they may find
proper In the premises, and To report
to this court their findings for future
action"
: The Drake home field meet on the
25th was one of the most successful