Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-04-02
A PRIMARY LAN
FOR D[S MONIES
The Measure Passed the Senate
Today and Will Now Go
to Governor
GOES INTO EFFECT AT ONCE
Not Likely That 1t Will be Put Into
Use Before the Spring of 1so5-Reso-
luton for Amendment to Constitution
to Provide for Drainage Legislation
State News.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, April 2.-The city OF
Des Moines got it's primary election
law today, the senate passing the bill
just as II came from the house, thus
providing for primary elections in this
county alone. The law goes into effect
at once, but will not be applied until
the elections of next spring.
The senate today passed the Head
amendment to the constitution to pro-
vide for drainage legislation under the
constitution.
The house today passed the senate
bill permitting investment Of insur-
ance funds in state and savings banks
stocks.
The senate considered at length the
board OF education bill. At noon both
house adjourned to Monday.
The house has passed a committee
bill fixing the representative districts
as at present, but naming a different
ratio as the basis. This was done in
order to obviate any possible future
controversy affecting the legality of the
districting The committee labored on
Vie subject for some time with able
lawyers and it is believed a satisfactory
settlement has been made.
~ !.
good many members OF the senate
are still insisting that they will get
thru the coming week and adjourn by
Saturday: but others realize that there
~ far too much ahead to hope for any
such quick finish to the legislature. The
sitting committee VIII begin work early
in the week and weed out the unimpor-
tant bills and probably send a good
many to the waste basket. The house
is. like II was two years ago, far ahead
Of the senate in the work, and could
close up in two or three days.
The absence of Gov. Cummins from
the state house has caused much regret
among the members, for while he was
at his Office at work every day he was
consulted daily by scores Of the men,
bers in regard to pending legislation
He expects to be at his office every day
the coming week. The past few days
he has been signing bills at his home
and debating letters to catch up with
his correspondence.
The woman suffrage amendment is
not to be throttled at one grasp. min
ority report in favor OF the amendment
has been filed by Wright. Cassel and
English and they will see that the
measure Is given some conslderatd tdon in
the house. The plan of Miss Deighton,
so it is said, was to have the house
pass the resolution and then place on
the senate the responsibility Of killing
1t. If that was to be done.
An effort was made in the house to
amend the board of control appropria-
ton bill to materially affect the use Of
the funds. The bill provides, as did the
bill of two years ago, that In case the
board has on hand an unexpended bal
ance in any one item of the appropria-
tions, after completing the work desig-
mated, the balance may be used by the
board in other work at the same inst-
tuition. The clause went in the bill two
years ago TO give some little elasticity
to the expenditures at state institutions
and it has been found to be very valu-
able. Mr.. Kendall moved to strike out
the clause, and he supported it with a
few well chosen words:
Il undertake to say" he declared.
"that there never has been in any state
any board or commission clothed with
such autocratic power as is the Iowa
board, OF controls: and there never has
been In any civilized society any pub
lie functionary clothed with such pos
sibilitdes of corruption. But II Is to our
great credit that under this system
there has never been breath of seam
dal. II is due however to the exalted
character of the men comprising the
board and not to any safeguards thrown
around the system by law. In It's last
analysis such law must always de-
pend on the personnel of the men who
enforce it, But the principle is that
the legislature is accountable to the
people for the expenditure Of money
and the board acts as the agent of the
legislature in the disbursement, there
fore the disbursements should be in
exact accordance with the orders of the
Legislature"
Mr.. Mates, chairman of the appro-
priations committee. took different
view, and declared that we must i'm
pose some trust in the board of control
and allow the board sufficient latitude
for doing the work. To make the ap-
propriatons without any permission to
divert the funds or small balances
would be to tie the hands Of the board
as was done by the 2Sth general assem-
bly, and make impossible some of the
improvements intended. The latter
view prevailed and the bill was not
amended in the slightest degree.
The following nine reasons have been
furnished the legislators why the tax
ferret laws of the state should be re-
pealed and the old system OF tax dodg-
Ing be established in the state. The