Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-05
Hostility. Not at First Mani
fest, Shown Towards Large
Glass of Bills
ADJOURNMENT EARLY IN APRIL
Present Outlook Indicates That the
Appropriations Will All Be Made and
the Calendars Well Cleared For Ac-
ton by the, First Week-Protecton
of the State, Penitentiaries.
Special to Times Republican,

/
Special to Times Republican.
/ Des Moines. March 5.-The work OF
the legislature has progressed so that
| those who nasty be termed leaders in
the assembly are expressing a good
deal of satisfaction over what has been
accomplished A reckoning was made
today as to the disposal of house bills
/ Speaker Clarke and Chief Clerk Bene-
/ dict went over the record and found
that about half of the bills had been
considered either by the house or II,
committee, and that of those which
had received attention 81 have already
been Defeated or recommended for in
definite postuonement. The commit
| tees are at work on others Hardly q
day passes but that large number are
reported ouit OF the committees for in
definite postponesnent. Many of those
am the hands OF the committees are
slated for killing just as soon as the
time Is propftious At the same time
! the past week the house, at least, has
taken oman attitude of hostility TO a
large class Of bills. which hostility was
not manifest at first Early in the
session halks We're passed almost with
out consideration. Now every bill
that comes up. no matter what may be
its merit, receives criticism from a
clique of bill-killers The past few
| days these men, chiefly the old men of
the house, generally bankers or retired
lawyers or merchants who are round
Ing out careers, have taken up the
cudgel on the slightest pretext. An
other class of active young men, who
are more progressive and more nearly
up-to- date. have been making a val
| liant fight to get legislation. but with
out much success recently. At the
same time a very large class of bills,
| which are generally regarded as hold
up bills or those for political purposes,
are being slaughtered just as, fast as
| they can be got at and this with very
little protest from any source. And so
the outlook appears good now for an
adjournment the first week in April,
with the appropriations all made and
the calendars well cleared for action.
One OF the first general bills affect
ing the criminal statutes of the state
Is that relating to the protection of the
state penitentiar.es. This, BILL which
has passed both houses. provides:
ANY person not authorized by law.
who yhaa bling or pass or cause to be
brought int, any penitentiary, refor-
| Ifatory or industrial school of the
| state. or the grounds thereof. or into
any enclosure. building, quarry. farm,
garden CIR other place used in connec-
ton with any such institution in
which prisoners or other inmates are
required or permitted to be. any opium,
morphine, cocaine or other narcotic. or
any intoxicating liquor, or any fire.
arm, weapon Cur explosive of any kind.
or. any rope, ladder or other instrument
or device for use In making or attempt
Ing an escape, shall be punished by
imprisonment in the pelsi temtaary for
tenn not exceeding five years"
The necessity for this law has be-
come evident in recent years. AT Ana
Inosa there Is the greatest danger from
persons aiding prisoners. The quar-
ries where the prisoners are worked
are open and far from the prison.
Weapons have been secreted in the
cracks In the rock for the prisoners to
find, or placed at designated places
where they could be got by the per-
sons for whom intended, and it Is re-
ported not uncommon to have liquor
and opium Struggled to the men in this
way At Fort Madison, where the OPP
portunity for this business is much
less, two loaded revolvers have been
taken from prisoners DIN the past year,
and great many of the prisoners have
been able to get opium at different
times. 1t Is brought in by visitors or
1nercenaries engaged i'm the traffic and
as the penalties are light for such Of
fenses it has been found impossible to
break it ur. Warden Jones reports
that a great many of the prisoners are
already Addicted to morphine or liquor
when they arrive at the prison and
they resort to ALL sorts of schemes to
have the drugs brought to them. Such
a law has been needed a long time.
Some interesting stories of what the
members do are being told. In the
house Judiciary committee there are
some who are against everything. One
in particular, Mr.. Dow, generally moves
to indefinitely postpone bill before it
is fairly before the committee. A good
joke is told on him. The other day
while the committee was at work some
one had had read section of the code
of Iowa for information as it related
to the bill under consideration. Just as
the reading was finished Mr.. Dow
walked up and drawled out a motion
that the bill be indefinitely postponed.
as it wasn't worth anything. The
chairman set him right explaining
that the eomn5ittee could not kin off
parts of the code in that manner.
Early In the session Nate Kendall
was one OF a small group to sign a
minority report against the passage of
the garnishment exemption bill. A few
days ago a bill was reported out of the
agricultural committee for indefinite
most ponenient. One of the members
signed Ct minority report and meeting
Kendall asked him also to sign it.
But ! am not a member of that
a