Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-10
N ACREAGE
Assessment of Real Estate In
Iowa Reveals Some Strange
Conditions
MAY CHANGE NEW JERSEY LAWS
Committee of State Bar Association In
vestisatins Manner in Which Grand
and Petit Jurors Are Drawn in DIFF.
ferent states-Report Will Greatly
Interest Lawyers of This State.
Special to Times-R Republican.

assessment OF real estate in Iowa this
year as indicated in the returns which
have been made to the state auditor
is that the acreage of farm land assess
ed varies greatly in different counties,
from what it was at the time of last
assessment two years ago In some
counties the assessors found more land
than before and in others they found
much less. On the whole, the acreage,
as indicated in the assessors returns,
has materially decreased in the two
years. Here are some Of the decreases
in the counties showing a falling off:
Pottawattamie county, 1906 acres:
Warren S.326. Sioux 5,613, Boone S,642.
Adair 9,O97. Guthrie APO, Polk 9,096,
Wayne 4,377. Henry 4,2SS, Appanoose
1854, Grundy $3.50. Harrison 1909,
Marshall $50. Mills 1,422, Monona 1922.
Among the counties that show an in
crease of acreage are the following:
Monroe, 1884. Hamilton 6,592, Kos
suth 5.722. Woodbury. 1920, Palo Alto
2,315, Jefferson S.006, Jasper 3,421, Clay
3,072. Cerro Gordo 2147, Emmett 2,325.
Other changes in acreage from amounts
which have been taxed as farm lands
uStctptUIt are SlIdlleT tldIl l1eSe Suits
as indicated. The executive council
begins assessment work next week and
lit Is probable that there will be some
inquiry made as to the reason for these
| changes in acreage. The losses may be
partially accounted for on the ground
| that a much larger number of soldiers
exemptions were allowed this year than
before the passage of the law of the
last legislature. giving exemptions to
all soldiers and their wives without re-
gard to their statements of poverty.
But the members Of the executive
council are unable to account for the
| increase of acreage in some counties
except on the score of greater care
I III the assessment or property, and
desire to reach all property assessed.
A committee of the New Jersey State.
Bar Association, at the head Of which
/! is John S. Voorhees,, of New Brunswick,
N. j., is engaged In making an invest
| igation of the manner In which grand
and petit jurors are drawn In the differ
| ent states with a view of formulating
a report on the advisability of some
change in the laws of New Jersey. At
torney General Mullan is in receipt of
an inquiry as to the manner of selec-
ton of jurors in Iowa, but his report
cannot be very favorable 10 the adop-
ton of the Iowa system. The jurors
are selected virtually by the judges Of
election, who are charged with the duty
OF making out lists of talesmen and
who are influenced by personal or po-
litical considerations in many cases and
whose selections do not often represent
the best material for Jurors as the ma
terial that is most persistent in seeking
places on the juries 1t is the UNDER
standing that the New Jersey Bar AS
sociations plans for an exhaustive re-
port which will be watched with great
interest by the lawyers of this state,
many of whom favor some modification
of the present system in Iowa.
About the first of January man rep
resenting himself to be real estate
agent, claiming he was resident of
Des Moines called at the Office of the
Associated Charities in the Loan and
Trust building, and sought desk room.
The charities officials had more room
than they needed. so they sub-let to
the man the right to put in desk in
one room. He paid a months rent in
advance and remained at the desk sew
eral days. Then he went away. Occa-
sionnally Il letter has come addressed
to him, and they have all been left on
his desk, but to this day nothing has
been heard from the man. He has dis
appeared completely from the face OF
the earth so far as anyone here can dis
cover The detectives have been max
ing some inquiry to find out about the
man, or to determine If he had any
relatives, but nothing has been develop
ed He gave the name of A. Sherry but
it is believed that this is not his name.
He was a stranger to everyone about
the office where he located himself. and
no person in the city knows where he
came from or what was his business.
Des Moines is getting to be somewhat
Of a summer excursion point President
Charles Besler and Secretary Joseph
Morcombe, of the Linn county Masonic
association, were in the city yesterday
making arrangements for the annual
excursion of the Masons and the East
ern Stars of Linn county this year. The
excursion will come to Des Moines
about the 22nd of the month. The dis
tance is great but the Northwestern
will give SO round trip rate TO the
capital city, and it is expected that
over 500 will avail themselves of the
opportunity to come here on that oc-
casion
The Chautauqua Association in Des
Moines has been highly successful this
wear and the assembly meetings have
been we'll attended. There is no great
rush to get in at the gates as IN some
other years, but steady business has
been done and the association is likely
to show some profit at the end OF the
season.
The papers in the cigarette case, that
of Cook VS.. Marshall county, have been
certified to the United States supreme
court by Clerk Crockett, of the
state supreme court. The matter OF ar
ranging details for the appeal has been
somewhat slow, as great care has been