Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-11
Chassell Bill Makes 1t Optional
With Townships to Return
to the Old Law
THE VOTE WAS NOT DECISIVE
The Majority, However, Seems to be
in Favor of Repeal Of Present Law
Today's Test Vote = Bill for In.ur.
ance Actuary Passes the Senate -
Other Bills Passed.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. March 1.-THE house
debated the road law for two hours and
then voted to recommend the Chassell
bill, to repeal the present law and make
it optional with counties and townships
ito return to the old system Of working
roads by subdistrdcts. The bill itself,
however, was not passed. The vote on
the report was 43 to Al and fifteen alb
will be passed tomorrow
The senate passed the insurance bills
providing for an insurance actuary to
examine companies and for examina-
ton of fraternals, both having been
passed by the house, also the bill to
permit condemnation for gravel beds
for road work: the bill to define offense
of malicious mischief. and a bill to ap-
propriate for quarterly conferences of
the institutions. The bill ITO regulate
sale of stocks of goods in the bulk was
made special order for next Tuesday
in the senate.
A delegation of citizens OF Adel,
headed by John 8. White, law partner
Of Speaker Clarke, appealed to mem
bers OF the legislature for an amend
missioners in towns and small cities.
They represent that under the law as
It now is these towns have the right to
levy a tax for park purposes and to
have park commissioners, but they
cannot make use Of their funds. They
must wait for an accumulation of the
fund for some 25 years. They desire
the right to issue bonds and anticipate
the tax and thus make the park funds
available now.
Having failed to get at the matter in
any other way number of the Des
Moines people who are most deeply
concerned in the proposed primary
election law have taken group of
senator's into their confidence and p,Er
pose making the law apply to counties
having larger cities. The senators
from such counties met pursuant to
call OF the leaders in the movement
and gave the primary election bill some
consideration. They believe they will
yet be able to frame bill that will
meet the approval of the legislators and
not be opposed by any of the smaller
counties. AS illustrating how far re-
moved the people in some parts of the
state are from the idea of state regula
ton of nominations it was pointed out
today that along the southern border
they do not even take the trouble to
have delegate conventions. but in many
counties adhere to the old method of a
mass convention patterned after the
New England town meeting. The re-
publican county convention in APP
panoose county has just been called
and 1T is a mass convention.
Coroner Beck, of Polk county, in
sists that cae state executive council
should pay out of the prouidential
fund all the expenses or the coroners
investigation of the fatal state house
accident. The expert witnesses as to
the condition of the elevators and SINH
lar expenses will be paid by the coun-
ell for they were ordered in that way,
and also the pay of the shorthand re-
porter; but it is not clear whether the
state should pay the ordinary expen-
ses of jury just because the accident
occurred in the state capitol.
Gen. James b. Weaver, who spoke as
one of the members of the Iowa Pioneer
house yesterday, in response to words
u
again exemplified the truth that the
old soldiers are best OF story tellers.
He related how during the war he had
been appointed by Gen. Dodge to be
the military governor of q city in Ten
nessee which the army had occupied.
He was living al the home of cultur-
ed southern family. The kind old
mother had three sons In the confeder-
ate service, one a brigadier general,
and she had three beautiful daughters
at home. There was piano in the
parlor and he recalled how on frequent
occasions he and others of the union
officers gathered for an evening with
the family and they sung their songs OF
the north and of the south. He recalled
one especially which the southern wo-
A parody. Their song was a song of
their states and ran like this:
Here's to old Mississippi.
Here to Old Mississippi;
Drink it down.
Here's to Old Missisip
For she's given you the slip.
And then Gen. Weaver said that he
would sing it over and fetch it out this
way:
Here's to old Mssissip;
Here's to old Mississip:
Drink it down.
Here's to old Mississip;
For she'll never neake the
trip.
Then there was the reference to
Tennessee in the same song which he
recalled, and the verse ended
He's - Tennessee
For she's gone with Gen. Lee.