Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-19

ting the fees, : $ he shown any
disposition to : size for what he
ala Tho suse, In the governors
message create : enuine sensa''oi.
and immediate ,ame the Laih -. v
.h., leglslato =. whether this tax
will ripen into action Is another ques.
ion. Mr.. Merriam is out of ONCE anu
ont of the state and cannot be reachea
by any process even If 1T Is SHOWN
tina. he has done wrong. But II IS
quite certain that everything was Done
nv The executive council that was
POSSIBLE and as early as possible.
The ministers of Des Moines nave
taken nm the cause of the Hepburn.
Dolliver bill in congress and WIZ CT
culate petitions among their chu,e"
members asking for the passage oil 'his
bill. The bill is one which was pre-
pared in this city by members oi '"e
anti- saloon league and intended to meet
the defects in the law relating TO tne
Transportation of liquors from one sea.e
ia another. II the bill is passed IT VIII
give a state police control over iiquols
i'm transit lust as soon as they cross
n state line. 1t will do away with the
distribution of liquors from the large
centers by express and freight SNIP
ments direct to customers. Tor III VIII
subject liouor to seizure and destruction
at any place where they are 1ounu III
prohibition territory. The bill was IN
troduced into the last congress by Sol.
Hepburn. and he he has agreed TO push
II in the present congress while Senator
DolHyer will father 1t in the senate.
The petitions prepared now are TO De
sent TO the members OF the judiciary
committees of the house and senate.
Judge Thomas. OF the Eleventh district,
is the only Iowa member of these com
,,,iffees in congress- DIR. McCash, the
new superintendent of anti-saloon work
IN the state. has started out or his
jac.ure tour OF the state and he expects
10 he out and away from Des Moines
most of the time the coming year HIS
work will be largely in stirring up In
terest in the anti-saloon movement.
The political situation in Des Moines
municipal affairs Is much like 1t WAS
sixteen years ago when the good people
of the city practically appealed to the
legislature, as q last resort, to pro-
tect them from the elements that were
bringing the city into disrepute. The
urinary election was an eye-opener Tor
many. 1t revealed the fact that the
most disreputable and dtshonorapie
methods were used and will be used ny
The politicians, and uniess there is some
legal restraint on repeating ana irauu-
mon, voting no fair expression OF tne
choise OF the people can be hal The The
urinary election was sorrowtui spec
;acle. Ii made decent men turn away
from city politics and forswear con-
|nection Herewith. In like manner the
situation became unbearable previous
to the meeting of the legislature IN
1883 and a committee OF leading citlzehs
asked the legislature for aid. AT that
time the boundaries of the city We're
enlarged by legislative enactment ana
Incidental thereto q redistricting was
made necessary. The wards had prs-
yiously run east and west, but We're
made to cut thru the city north ana
south. For time the shaking up clafl-
fled politics in Des Moines; but now
the city is back In the old ruts again.
AS a remedy this time 1t is proposed
that a state primary law be made that
will nut an end to the chickering's Of
the politicians. The belief prevails in
Des Moines that the only way to secure
decency at primaries will be
thru a legaiized primary. For this rea-
son Ii will be strongly urged on the
Legislature.
Collector Sammis. OF the northern
district, while In the city last week.
stated that the collections of the reVen-
Tie department the past year We're
little less than before and there is
tendency to decrease owing to the drop
ping off of the war taxes. The oleomar-
garine and renovated butter business,
so Mr.. Sammis says, causes great deal
more bother to tho government than Il
is worth. The revenue from this Is not
large and the work connected with IT'S
collection is great. The business Will
decrease rapidly, because the state
dairy commissioner is closing up the
places where oleomargarine is sold. He
recently made a trip into the northern
district and saw nine dealers who hai
licenses for the sale of uncolored oleo.
He showed them the decision OF the
courts in this county and convinced
them that 1t was a wise move to throw
out all their stuff and cancel the IL
censes. In every case, as soon as the
dealers were confronted with the facts.
they agreed to abandon the business.
1t is believed that the sale of oleo
under the license for uncolored stuff
will soon all cease in this stata
The situation in regard to the army
post in Des Moines is not as pleasing to
some OF the good people as they had
hoped. The post is now a prison, ard
there are large number of military
oonvicts quartered there and put at
work under guard of the colored SOL
diers. Des Moines people had fancied
an army post was place where hand
some soldiers We're out on dress parade
every day, making sight to tickle
all who came that way; but the spec
tacle of an army post being nothing
but convict camp with white prison
ers working under colored guards Is
something quite different and there
is much complaining. 1t has been eN-
planned that these convicts are not con-
victs at all but gentlemen soldiers tenn
porarily retired for doing something
wrong and that they do not wear
stripes, but the explanation has failed
to satisfy.
ToDAYS COURT DECISIONS.