Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-30
REFORM IN DIES MONIES
Movement Started In C Connection
With Street Railway Fran
chise Worries Aldermen
SPRING ELECTION IS COMING
Coming So Near the End Of Their
Terms and When Many Are Seeking
Reelection tho Franchise Question
is Bothersome-Lafe Young and the
Governorship.
SPRING ELECTION is COMING
Special to Tlmes-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 30.-The mix-up il
the affairs at the city hall in this city
is such now that the aldermen are al
at sea over the question of a franchise
to the city railway company. AS re.
lated in this correspondence once be.
fore the resolution passed by the city
council in the first place was writer
by an attorney in the employee of the
street railway as claim agent and now
the franchise that it is proposed the
city adopt is being prepared by N. T
Guernsey, chief counsel for the street
railway. The thing that bothers the
aldermen is the fact that there is q
spring election coming soon and al
the one only time of the year when
some classes of office holders think OF
their constituents the Des Moines aid
ermen are thinking of theirs. They
have played into the hands of the city
railway all year. Now they are argu-
ing that they are not ready, to vote on
the franchise question. They have
played into the hands Of the city rail-
way all year, and now on the eve OF
election day they are stopping to
think. The fact is the city railway
does not care. to have the franchise
question figure in the coming city
election. For this reason after things
in the courts were in a legal tangle it
was decided to spring a franchise.
This. is now being done. 1t was discov-
cred that franchise could be voted
by the city council without being sub
mitted to the people provided there is
nothing said as to poles and wires. 1t
is believed by some of the company's
attorneys that this can be provided for
by a contract between the city and the
company. That is the kind of a fran
chise it is now proposed to spring on
the city council and in the aroused
state of the public mind the aldermen
are rather shy about voting on the
proposition.
The fact is there is a we'll defined
and planned movement for reform on
in this city that is only now getting
its roots started. 1t is a branch of the
same reform and progressive move
ment that has been advocated for some
years by Governor Cummins, III. w.
Byers, Senator Funk, and numerous
others over the state including num-
Der of able editors. 1t is only now get
ting started in the city. 1t is headed
by the Civic League Of which the Of
ficers are the very best and most able
citizens of the community. The Des
Moines Civic League proposes to fol-
low strictly the example of the Chi
cago Municipal Voters League, which
depended for it's influence entirely on
publicity. The league will not enter
politics in the sense of working up a
political machine. On the statement Of
it's leaders it proposes at each election
to publish the records of every man
who is candidate for a political office
in this city and county. 1t will urge
good men to run for office in case a
situation arises where there are no
good men out, but for the most part
will conflne it's attention to publish
ing the records of the men who are
candidates. This league has already
become disturbing element in city
affairs here. 1t started the litigation
that is now being waged to determine
the standing of the city railroads fran
chise and was shrewd enough to start
it at time such that it would be well
under way when the city election is
held if not settled.
The selection Of city government
next spring in this city will be held at
a time when the public conscience is
aroused over the franchise question
and the thing that the city aldermen
are fighting just now to avoid taking a
stand upon will be the issue at the
spring election. At this time in Des
Moines there is scarcely a candidate
out for city office that has any show
of being endorsed by the Civic league
the candidates for auditor and
treasurer, Gross and Hawks. Conse-
quently the league is doing little
work at this time in trying to encour
age good men to announce themselves.
The candidate for mayor, Alderman
Whitney, is worried to death for fear
way franchise. During the session of
the legislature which will meet in
about a week the legislators will be
given a taste of the first efforts of the
people of Des Moines under the lead
ership of the Civic League TO shake off
city government and with the
OF the leaders Of the
Civic League backing UP the organiza-
ton there 10 a promise that the day
will come when as good a showing or
better than has been made in other cit
les will be shown here.
A report comes from the Eighth
district that there is
probability that new
daily paper Is to open at ,Creston. 1t I
will be a morning republican paper,
which will take a vigorous stand on |
public questions espousing the cause of
the people and taking a progressive
view of current movements
If the tl1irty-first general assembly
IS able to adjourn without a vigorous
demand for an additional building to
give more room for state Offices 1t can
De said with safety that the thirty
second will neve1rbe able to do the same.
There is not an office at the state
1ouse aside from those OF the COVER
lor, secretary of state and treasurer
hat does not desire more room There
ire very few but need more room. The
le1ay in erecting a suitable building
nay be caused by the fact that the
'tate is already engaged in such ex-
ensive building enterprises that it
,annot afford to start more but the de-