Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-16

cHAssELL ROAD LAW TAKEN UP
After a Lengthy Discussion II Was
Ordered Ensrossed-consress Asked
to Erect Lincoln Memorial-oid Sol
diers' Bill Amended-The Extradition
Measure.
,ecial to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, March 16.-The state
senate today adopted memorial to-
congress asking that body to provide fol
erection of suitable memorial and tes-
tlmonial to Abraham Lincoln. The
senate also adopted the bill appropria-
ting $4,000 additional for use of the
Iowa St. Louis exposition committee.
In the house today the ChasseH
road law was taken up for discussion
and after somewhat lengthy debate
was. on motion of Mr.. Chassell order
ed engrossed The bill requiring tele-
graph operators to be at least 81 years
of age was reported for indefinite post
ponement.
The bill to give the old soldiers
preference OIL all public work and in
/ ali public service, as it was amended
Iby the senat. and will go back to the
house where. it originated. is a milder
bill than that introduced. 1t was cop
led by Mr.. Eealer from the New York
laws. It was amended by putting IN
the expression. other things being
equal" which would afford loopho.e
for refusing to be bound absolutely
by the rule OF giving the old soldier all
that was wanted: but the senate
struck out this clause and inserted
longer one which in effect provides that
in case there is any doubt as to the
competency ,f the old soldier for the
position TO which he aspires then there
snail be an examination by some COM
petent tribunal This will accomplish
the result intended in a more rational
way With this amendment the bill
met with no opposition, though pri-
lvately members of the house and SEN
ate were saying that the bill as it was
prepared before 1t got to the house
was dangerous one and would affec.
the public service in many ways.
THE bill In its present FORM" said
Captain Harper, of Ottumwa, who was
strongly in favor of its passage, "is
now in a NEST excellent condition. 1t
lis substantially the Kansas law and
not the New York law. The amend-
ments have improved the bin and not
weakened it. But the main effect of
the bill as 81 law will be to prevent
removal of veterans of the civil war
from positions they are filling when
they are still competent. 1t will not ac-
complish much to secure them posi-
tions held by others, and 1t is not in
tended that 1t should do SO. In fact
there are not many of the veterans who
are seeking positions. 1t has been
claimed here on the floor that the bill
is unconstitutional. have here
copy of a telegram received today say
ing that the courts have held the Kan
sas law to be constitutional in every
way 1 am sure this law will not be
attacked in iowa"
The bill will undoubtedly pass the
house. There has been some appre-
kension that it Will adversely affect the
army of state employees at state insti-
tutions, but 1t is stated that this is not
the intention. and 1t will only affect
the cases where removals are unjust,y
attempted.
The movement for an indeterminate
sentence policy as part of general
reformatory system to take the place
al statutes of Iowa was given de-
cided impetus in the conference of the
beard of control meeting in a paper
read by Warden Jones of the peniten
tiary at Fort Madison. He included
letters from wardens of other peniten
tiaries relating to their views and ex-
periences. Cne in particular was from
tho warden Of the penitentiary in Hi
hos n rt1f
entered upon the work of administer
ing the new law providing for the in
determinate sentence, he was dead
against it, but as he became familiar
with its workings his view changed,
and now he is for it. The Indiana
plan was cited as the best in USE even
better than the work done in New
York at the Elmira reformatory The
bill providing for the indetermnate
sentence ant reformatory has lain in
the hands OF a committee of the sem
ate from the first day that bills were
introduced, without action. The bill
was No. A in the senate lists. but 40
action has been taken and some of the
members of the legislature are dis
posed to be critical of the committee.
Inc ulScuSSloH Oh tile eAlIdultioIl pll
in the house the other day brought out
the fact that it is very easy to make
a law that while it will work in the
case which the Legislators have in mind
might be a dangerous one in many
other cases. For instance, 1t was
pointed out by Mr. Temple, in Very
able speech to the house. that to pro-
vide for extradition of a person ac-
4 AZ.
person ever having been outside Of
Iowa, might be dangerous. Suppose
an Iowa citizen should do something
that would lie regarded as, treason un
der the laws of Mississippi, and treas
on in that state alone, and demand
should be milde to send this Iowa resi-
dent to Mississippi. Or suppose a