Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-31
AUTOMATIC COUP[ERS
Decision of Iowa Supreme Court
Of Deepest Concern to Rail
road Employees
WILL DEMAND LEGISLATION
Decision Was That the Statute Does
Not Call for Automatic couplers on
Locomotive Or Tender-lf it Is Not
Reversed, an Amendment of the Stat
ute Will Be Demanded.

ute Will Be Demanded.
Special to Times-Re publican
4 Des Moines, March 31-Unless the SUI
preme court of Iowa reverses itself
posthaste there is going to be an ir-
resistable demand on the next legisia-
ture for certain legislation of deepest
concern to the railroad employees of the
state. This relates to the law for
equirping cars with automatic coup
ilers. There can hardly be a doubt in
the mind of anyone familiar with the
Legislation that it was intended by the
legislatures that the automatic coup.
|lers should be placed on the locomotive
passenger cars; but the supreme court
lin decision rendered at the last term
of court held that the law does not
apply to the locomotives or to the ten
lder cars attached to locomotives but
tonly to cars used for transportation of
passengers or freight The case was
one coming from Cedar Rapids-Henry
Boyle VS.. Burlington, Cedar Rapids and
Northern. Judge Rothrock In the su-
perior court held that the law applies
| to all cars The accident on which
suit was brought occurred While a
| coupling was being made by hand with
an engine In the yards and the liability
4 of the company was partly predicated
/ on the fact that no automatic coupler
was on the locomotive or tender. The
supreme court reversed the case. An
duplication for rehearing has been
made by the defeated plaintiff in the
case, thru his attorneys. Rickel, Crock
| er & Tourtellot, OF Cedar Rapids. This
| duplication is made, they state, in view
|of the sweeping effect of the decision
| in the case restricting the application
of the automatic coupler statute in
/, this state so as to deprive a large per-
centage OF those engaged in switching
OF the benefits as we'll as for the effect
upon rhiss particular cese. The basis of
| the decision was that in other parts of
/ the statute some distinction is made
/ between locomotives and cars. and thus
lit is assumed that the statute means
only cars when referring to couplers.
| But the attorneys for the plaintiff
.shows that formerly this very statute
| had reference to cars used for trans
portation of freight and passengers"
but has since been amended SO that 1t
now, refers to amy car and this is
pointed out as proof that 1t includes
the cars on which the coal for the
engines is hauled. The case will be
argued orally. And if the court adj
heres to its former opinion. it is cer-
tain there will be demand made for
an amendment of the statute so there
will be no exception at all. Railroad
employees feel that in thus restricting
the law to the cars only its benefits
are largely reduced
The case of the state VS.. the Armour
Packing company, of Omaha, is on the
and presumably Will be brought to trial
soon Commissioner Wright, of the
dairy Office, who is back of the suit
to test the efficiency of the Iowa law,
is greatly, interested in some recent
decisions of the internal revenue
department relating to the same sub
regard to the oleomaigarine being sold
here and elsewhere in Iowa is whether
Lit has in fact yellow color resembling
butter. The Iowa law takes no note of
how it came to be yellow or whether
any coloring matter was used in fact.
If 1T is decided by jury to be yellow
in color, it will go out of the market.
But the other day at Louisville. KY,
against the makers of cotton seed oil
and gave out the attitude of the de-
partment, which is that the use of palm
Oil in the manufacture of oleomargar- |
inc is solely for it's color. It is under |
stood that the makers of oleomargarine |
use cotton seed oil in which there is
a small amount of palm oil, and it is |
this palm oil that gives the oleo it's
yellow color The revenue department |
at the outset held that the use of cotton
seed oil and of palm oil was all right |
and did not subject the stuff to the |
payment of the 10 cents a pound tax. |
Now the department holds that the use
of palm oil can be for no other purpose
than to give color to the product and |
where it is used the high tax must be
paid. If this ruling is adhered to by the !
courts it will greatly simplify the prob
lem of keeping the oleo out of the mar
kets. Some other coloring process may |
be found but that is not likely.
1t is the Fifty-fourth regiment that
will go to st. Louis and take part in |
the parade on dedication day April 80. |
No announcement to that effect will |
be made until after the return of |
Gen. Byers from st. Louis where he |
goes to look over the ground and ar
range for the encampment. The Fifty
fourth will be selected because it is I
cheaper to send the companies that
are close to ST. Louis. and the entire |
regiment can be sent much cheaper
than any other in the state. The COM |
panies are located in Abba, Center
vile, Burlington, Newton, Ottumwa,
Muscatine Iowa City, Washington,
Davenport, Oskaloosa Fairfield and |
Keokuk. Col. Harry Caughlin of OF
turnwa. commands the regiment and
the Ottumwa band will accompany
the party to ST. Louis. The encamp-
ment will be in that part OF the ex-
position grounds devoted to state build
.ings. The regiment will go into camp
in regular fashion and all the rules OF !