Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-28
:L0OKER-0N IN IOWA


Goodell. Feb 27.-The suggestion
Association take hold of the enforce
ment of the law on fire escapes on no
tells and public buildings meets with
general approval. The present law is
good, as far as it goes, but the terrible
affair at the Clifton, Cedar Rapids. oc-
CURED in a hotel where they had fire
escapes. The law should be amended
by providing for fire escapes in every
hotel room above the second story, am
for ropes or some kind of apparatus in
every sleeping room in the second story
Again, there should be Il state law pre-
venting the erection of any building to
be used for hotel purposes, unless built
of solid brick or stone walls. We have
today in Iowa 800 hotels that are just
such fire traps as the veneered Clifton
House of Cedar Rapids. And then, aft
ter we have the laws we need, some
plan must be provided for enforcement.
The present law on the statute books
| is dead letter. Many landlords and
hotel owners don't even know there is
such law. One of the state judges
makes the suggestion that the owners
of hotel property be made liable for in
| juries or death of guests by fire, unless
he can prove that he complied with all
of the requirements of the law. A law
yer tells the Looker-On that every in
| jured person, or the heirs in case of
death. has at the present time good
case against the owner of any hotel
| property, where injury or death occurs
| from fire, the universal non-observance
of the fire escape law making the owner
liable.
| And all this talk brings out another
suggestion. Mr.. Rankin and his State
Marshal Club members are going before
the next legislature to have Il law
passed creating state marshals to en-
force the liquor laws of Iowa. 1t strikes
many that Mr.. Rankin would increase
the membership of his clubs If he would
amend his bylaws and constitution and
make it the duty of his (to be) state
marshals to work for the enforcement
of any dead law. They could add TO
their work of enforcement of the pro-
hibition and mulct law that of the
pharmacy law. This referred to fire
escapes on public buildings would prop
erly be a part of their work. The state
fish and game laws could also be made
a part of their work, thus avoiding two
sets of commissioners. Again, and all
this is in the way of suggestions, heard
here and there, if any such law as Mr.
Ranking is working for goes on the
statute books, the official called state
marshal, or commissioner should be
paid a salary and not depend on con-
victions under the law for the pay for
his work. The public is disguised with
the kind of work Mr.. Abrams uses to
bring about convictions of bootleggers
and saloonkeepers, to say nothing of his
questionable work among the druggists
II we are to have state marshals pay
them a good salary and select men of
the class that constitute the present
board of control.
Many cattle feeders In Iowa are hav
| ing hard run of luck these days. Only
last week the LOCKER On was told of
one feeder who had just got back from
Chicago. where his sale of fat cattle
lost him $4O0, besides all of the corn he
had fed them A feeder of 800 cattle
near Belmond told the writer that to-
day he was out 81 per head if he mar
keted them now. Another man near
this town paid s4.45 for a bunch Of
steers last fall, fed them
till two weeks ago and sold the lot for
s4 In Chicago last week. In many
towns they are shipping in corn to feed
all of which, with the present outlook
has a tendency to make the feeders
blue" and the storekeepers to mention
dull trade. The redeeming feature is
the present high price of hogs, which,
where "the hogs follow the steers"
q % 7zye.z@-,-'