Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-12-14
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL
Des Moines, Dec. .. ioo,.

i Des Moines, Dec o. fe0s.
i The state railroad commission In
its annual report filed with the gov
! ernor. criticised the railroads Of the
state with respect to the neglect Of
| their branch lines and their failure
/ to furnish sufficient cars to accommo-
date passengers seeking to travel.
| The commission severely criticised
the policy of some OF the roads with
respect to allowing branch lines to
run down. While criticisms as to
main lines have been needed, general.
| ly speaking, there has been a tend
| ency to ignore recommendations with
respect to branches. This the COM
mission indicates that it will not toll
crate. The criticism as to the failure
| OK the railroads to furnish coaches
sufficient to accommodate the travel
In Iowa, especially at holiday and
similar seasons, is renewed In the
forthcoming report. The condition
has improved somewhat from two
years ago, in the opinion of the board.
but 1t is still plain that there is room
for considerable Improvement.
The work of checking up the Sc.
curities held by the auditor of state
in his vaults at the capitol has been
completed by State Accountant Heer
and Clerk w. nj. Lewis of the Office
of the auditor The eighteen COM
panies which have securities there
have In all $17,760,481.19 on deposit
wsth the auditor. The check which
has been completed is the first for
three years.
The trustees of the State Agricul-
i tural college will meet Dec IA for the
purpose of fixing upon budget for
the coming legislature. 1t is the on
ly state institution which has not yet
made statement of it's wants. Inc
board of control recently reported
the amount which the state penal and
reformatory institutions would ask
and the university and Cedar Falls
some time ago agreed Upon the sums
they require. But the college at Anies
has delayed this important matter un-
til the meeting of Dec. IA.
Frederick s. Mordaunt, promoter of
the st. Joseph, Albany &c Des Moines
railway, has disposed of his interest
in the organization to an eastern syn
dictate, presumably representatives Of
railway system, and will be no
longer identified with the project.
Mr.. Mordaunt was in Des Moines CON
GLIDING his business relations here,
and admitted that he was out" but
would not give any information as to
who would succeed him. Mr.. Nor
daunt, however, stated that the men
or organization who had taken over
his interest had signed as part of the
agreement contract by which they
guaranteed to build the line. The
date of completion, however, was not
fixed. The old company of which
Ackley Hubbard of Albany is presi-
dent and Judge McVey of Des MONIES
legal representative, will be main
tanned. Whether the retirement of
Mr. Mordaunt will affect their plans
in any way is not known. 1t has
been reported that e. H. Hartman
interests were anxious to capture the
st. Joseph, Albany & Des Moines in
order to tap the territory through
which the Hill lines are operating.
In an effort to refute the charge
that club life tends to race suicide the
Des Moines Womans Club is making
INV fernf Dyy
taken it is proved that the average
number of children of some of the
most prominent club women of Des
Moines is nearly 8. A great many
nave three and four children, while
one of the most active in club circles
is the mother of seven. OF course,
the women's names were chosen at
random, but the list is comprised of
representative club women of the
city, all of whom belong to the Wo-
mans club and many of whom are
interested in a number of other clubs.
The thirty-seven members of the Des
Moines women's clubs selected had
ninety children, making an average
of % each,
The state of Iowa has just cleared
$500 by selling the Illinois Central
railroad nine acres of territory north
of Council Bugs, the greater part of
which is Boyer lake, an old cutoff of
the Missouri river. The railroad
company applied for the land under
the act relating to abandoned river
beds, passed by the general assembly
Of 1904. This law gives the first APP
plicant to buy at the appraised price,
no matter who may be in possession.
In this instance, the Illinois General
has taken only precautionary meas.
ures. The strip it has purchased is
200-foot right of way along which its
tracks now run. The officials of the
road were fearful that someone else
would apply before them and thus
gain title to the roadbed. This has
been the case in West Council Bluffs,
where 200 acres of valuable land in a
freight yard and factory district is
now in litigation, due to the fact that
C. R. Hannah and Jacob Sims have
taken the legal steps necessary to
purchase 1t and have already made
payment upon 1t.
When you hear of, man of few
words It may be that his wife has