Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-14
LEGISLATORS DO THINK
STATE is PREPARED FOR
THE BILL.
LIQUOR MEN ANXIOUS
Retail Dealers in lntoxicants Will Meet
at Des Moines Tomorrow and Will
s; Ask for Changes in the Mulct Law
Railroad Measures Wanted.
[BY LEON BROWN
Des Moines Bureau of the Courier.


will meet here tomorrow and will ask
the legislature for one change in the
mulct law, at least and possibly 9TH
ers.f There is a tendency among the
members of the association living in
the interior of the state about going
slowly in making demands OF the 2legis-
lature with respect to amendment OF
the present statute for fear that they
may be ground to pieces between the
two millstones: one the possible
change of sentiment in their communi-
ties resulting in the revocation OF the
peoples consent to allow them to run
at all, and the other, the Gear that the
Legislature if it ever goes into the sub
ject at all will make the law twice as
bad
The change on which every one
seems to be agreed is one making the
too frequent user of liquor and the
minor equally responsible With the sa-
loon keeper when he procures liquor
under false pretenses at saloon. At
present such a man can go into sa-
loon and buy drinks with the -ery pur-
pose of informing on the saloon Keeper
and having him prosecuted when he
knows that the saloon keeper has no
way of knowing that he is addicted to
the liquor habit; yet the law protects
the drunkard and Furnishes the saloon
keeper. 1t makes the saloon man re-
sponsible without respect to his knoWl-
edge as to whether he is selling to a
minor or a drunkard. It is said that
sometimes drunkards and minors are
ffsed by blackmailers in this way to
/ sorce saloon men to pay tribute to
tt en-.
Marshal Law Doomed.
It ma be said without fear of con-
tradiction that the state marshal law
will not be passed. Interviews with
scores of members of the legislature
indicate that there is a belief that the
state is not prepared for the adoption
of SO drastic a change of system in the
administration of the laws. 1t would
be taking local self government away
from the people and the people seem
to be opposed to the idea. And they
have SO informed the legislators. The
anti-saloon league will not help the
state marshal law and the prospect
now is that unless the state conyen-
ton of the clubs of the organization
next week, alter the sentiment there
will be no legislation along this line
more than there will be on the other
the other side
Trainmen Lobbying.
Herman Wills of Clinton arrived last
night and arranged for meeting of
the legislative board of the locomotive
engineres and firemen expecting to
push two or three bills before the
legislature. Among the measures are
the following:
An act to define and fix the number
of employees of a passenger train of
more than five cars.
An act to require railroad companies
in case of accidents to report the same
to the state railroad commission and
giving the commission power to in
yestigate wrecks and report to the
legislature with respect to them.
The trainmen are also interested in
defeating the exemption limitation bill
which the retail grocers and other re
tail merchants of the state expect to
ask the legislature to pass.
Want Less Work.
The first law mentioned is some
thing new. Members of the legisla
ture from railroad centers have re.
ceiyed letters from the railroad organ.
izations in their towns asking them to
give support to the measure. The
plan is to require an extra baggageman
f1agman and brakeman on every pas
senger train in excess of five coaches
At present, it is claimed that trainmen
are worked too hard and that they
have not the chance to protect pas
sengers from peril that they would
have were they not so completely. oc
cupied in doing more than mans
work. The railroad organizations are
passing resolutions everywhere in the
state endorsing the proposition. Mem
bers of the legislature to whom let
5 tiers have been sent do not consent &c
support the proposition without in
yestigation. Being something entirely
new they do not expect to start off in
its enthusiastic support without care
full investigation.
Law Accidentally Dropped.
The law formerly provided that the
railroad commission should have the
power to Investigate the subject oi
wrecks to determine the extent of the
injury. the liability, the cause, etc.
but when the code was revised this
statute was accidentally dropped. Ir
view of the recent accidents in Iowa
the railroad employees are inclined tc
demand the re-enactment of the meas
ure.
The Exemption Measure.