Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-04-13

ana senator r. NJ MOlSDerry or Lou
lisa were the chief opponents of the
measure. After a debate covering
the greater portion of two days, the
friends Of the bill forced it to vote
and it was adopted-30 to IA.
Indignation was expressed openly
by the opponents of the measure al
what they termed gag law and boss
rule, and no sooner had the bill been
| messaged over to the house than a
powerful influence was put at work
among the members there to accom-
plish its overthrow. In this they were
successful. The bill was made a spe.
cial order for Wednesday afternoon
and the leaders of the house were ar
rayed in battle form for several hours
in discussion Of its merits and demer.
its. The chief claim against the bill
was that it had been railroaded
through the senate, without reference
to committee and that the same eff
fort was being made to put it through
the house. The contention was also
raised that not one member out of
ten had had time or opportunity to
Investigate the bill, and few, if any,
knew its provisions. Late in the aft
ernoon a motion to refer the entire
bill to the judiciary committee of the
house was carried-50 to 41-and the
bill was thus referred. The commit.
tee made short work Of the contention
which had arisen, by reporting the
bill for indefinite postponement.
While that action ended all attempts
to get the measure through the Thir.
tieth general assembly, the friends
of the bill were not slow to recover
from their knockout blow, and imme-
diately began planning to have it in
troduced in the coming assembly in
1906. To that end concurrent resolu-
tons were at once introduced provid-
Ing for the appointment of joint
commission. three from the house and
two from the senate to investigate
the matter thoroughly and submit a
report with recommendation not lat
err than the third week of the meeting
Of the new assembly. AS the next
legislature, on account of the proba-
BILE adoption Of the biennial election
measure next fall. will consist of the
same members who make up the pres
emf body, and as those who fought
the bill claimed they did so chiefly be-
cause it was too important meas
ure to hurry through without the
most careful scrutiny. there seems to
be little doubt but Iowa will in the
near future have its schools governed
by some such board as was therein
Indicated.
World to Know of Iowa Resources.
The census taking laws of the
state were entirely remodeled in a bill
introduced in the senate late in the
week. The census next year is to be
taken under the direction of the
executive council and will be the
most complete and comprehensive
enumeration ever made in the COM
monwealth. A special feature Of the
work will be the enumeration of
farms in the state and the securing
Of facts and figures which will be pub
lished to the world showing in a re-
liable and authentic manner the agri-
cultural resources Of the state. 1t Is
contended that census enumerations
heretofore made have been of but lit
tie value in this regard, or in any 9TH
er for that matter, but the law for
next year seeks to correct all evils of
the past and make the enumeration
the most extensive and the most per-
feet one ever taken. Every person in
the state will be enumerated by name
and the age, sex, race, business, etc.
will be set forth for each.
The enumerators will also make a
complete census of the survivors of
the war of the rebellion, together
with all who served in the Mexican
and the late Spanish-American wars
This will be published in form Civ
ing complete roster of Iowa soldiers
During the past two sessions of the
legislature attempts have been made
to have adopted bill creating a COM
mission to perform this work. The
census enumerators will perform the
labor at little expense to the state
and under the plan which will be pre-
pared for them to work by their emu
meration will be practically correct.
To Repair the Capitol.
A bill appropriating $2OS,74O for re-
pair of the capitol building, made nee.
essary by the fire early in January,
was passed. The bill makes provisions
for the levy of a special tax levy of
$40 Of a mill and for that reason re-
ceived some opposition in the senate,
but was finally agreed upon, with
only eight negative votes there.
Another bill of value to many sec
tions of the state was measure Civ
ing the executive council power to
survey the meandered lake beds of
the state and to lease or sell the same.
The indetterminate sentence bill,
which provided for a pardon board OF
three to work in conjunction with the
governor on all cases where executive
clemency is asked, met a similar fate
in the house, late in the week. that
was accorded the board of regents
bill, although it had passed the sen