Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-03-04
DIES MONIES LETTER


houses Of the general assembly with
out dissenting vote. 1t now goes be-
fore the people for their vote. This
will make two very important consti.
tutional amendments submitted to the
voters this fall, the other being the
biennial elections amendment. The
Temple proposition was submitted to
different form and was defeated by a
slight vote. but he believes the people
will endorse 1t this time. 1t will give
the dozen counties now districted with
other counties in the house, repre-
sentative of their own. The present
constitution forbids any county hav-
ing more than two and no county can
be divided.
/, To Establish Scales.
Representative Chassell has intro
duced bill in the house requiring
railroad companies to establish scales
every fifty miles along their right of
way SO that full cars of merchandise,
coal, ETC., may be weighed. At pres
emit there are continuous disputes with
the railroad company and shippers and
the consignse of freight as to the
weight. A car load OF coal is sent
from some mine to an Iowa town, billed
ut 10000 pounds of coal. The buyer
protests. The railroad company says
the mine weighed it and billed It; the
mine says 1t was 100000 when it left
the mine; the road says it couldn't
have been; ETC., etc. The buyer loess
Mr.. Chassell proposes to fix 1t so that
the coal can be weighed and he pro-
shall determine the freight rate to be
paid.
Biennial Elections.
The biennial elections amendment
to the constitution will go before the
people next fall for their vote. The
present legislature passed it with but
three senators and 10 representatives
dissenting The Twenty-ninth general
assembly had passed it, previously, SO
that II 1t Is correctly passed, the peo-
pie may have an opportunity to pass
upon 1t again at the November election.
They voted to adopt the amendment
I! to institute biennial elections four
years ago, but the supreme court found
that the question had been improperly
/ submitted by the legislature, and it had
to be done all over again.
Against Docking Horses.
AS expected, the senate committee
! ON agriculture re-considered its action
adverse to the bill prohibiting the dock
/ ing Of horses in Iowa and voted to rec
| ommend for passage the bill to that
end. The friends of the measure con-
scented to Its amendment SO that horses
| which already are locked may be
brought into the state. But no horses
may hereafter be locked in this state,
II the bill passes. The members of
the legislature have been trying to get
at the facts as to whether the opera
ton of docking is cruel or not. II it
really is as shameful an operation as
friends Of the prohibitory bill de-
clare, there Will be no opposition to
the measure, eventually. It Is said
fairly screams and cries like tortured
woman during the operation.
Tax Ferret Law Repeal.
Senator Jackson, Of Woodbury. coun.
~, has introduced bill to repeal the
obnoxious tax ferret law which has
been ON the statute books now for
several years. An effort to repeal the
measure was defeated in the last gem
eral assembly, but abuses have arisen
since then which have made the law
even more hateful to the people. It is
said by those who favor the repeal Of
the statute that the principal victims
Of 1t now are women, orphans and
estates.
Life Insurance.
One Of the important pieces of In
surance legislation before the legisla-
ture is the bill by Representative Clary
Of Chickasaw county In which 1t ID
provided that insurance policies writ.
ten in this state and containing what
is known as the suicide clause are In
valid and non-ehective as TO that clause
that is, suicide of the holder of q
policy cannot defeat 1t even IL so pro.
vided In the contract. A number OF
the legislators are well satisfied that
there are abuses in the present system
Of repudiating insurance contracts be.
cause the holders commit suicide, aud
It will be only occasionally that a
man will take out a policy intending
eventually to kill himself. The legis.
lature has killed the valued policy In
surance bills, the house committee vot-
Ing to report them for indefinite post.
ponement.
Child Labor.
One Of the conspicuous victories Of
the present session Of the Legislature
was that by Senator G. G. Dowell. nj
Polk county, who fought through the
senate the bill prohibiting child labor
during the school year. He took up
the bill, which was drafted primarily
by Representative Cummings, of Mar.
shall county, pessimistic as to his abil.
~ to push 1t through, but did 1t after
three days Of stormy debate. The bill
has not yet gone through the house but
Will do SO in slightly amended form,
In all probability. It prevents the em-
ployment Of children under IA years
IN factories. mines. quarries, ETC.. in
this state.
Question Of Voting.
! The committee on municipal cor.
porations of the house Of representatives,
has proposed to raise the minimum re-.
Quirement Of cities as to requiring Of
registration of voters prior to election
30 as to compel those Of more than
1880 ponulatinn instead Of 6(lll nnnu.