Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-10-05
NOTES FROM The CAPITAL
Des Moines. Sept. 80, 1905.

Des Moines, Sept 80, 1908.
The failure Of the supreme court to
hand down a decision in the soldiers
preference law case from Marshall
town, during the first week Of the re-
convened session, leads these espec-
tally interested in the case to specula-
ton as to whether a decision will be
handed down before the legislature
convenes. If no opinion is filed before
the session opens in January 1t is not
unlikely that movement will be I'M
dertaken to secure amendments to the
law which will meet the objections
raised against it and which were the
basis for the adverse decision Of
Judge Caswell of Marshall county. If
these objections which were carried
to the supreme court in argument
were met by suitable amendments to
the law, it is supposed that the decis-
lon of the supreme court would lose
its significance, so far as cases uis-
similar to the Marshalltown case are
concerned. One Of the objections re-
ferred to was the fact that the law
applies solely to veterans of the civil
war and does not include other sold
iers. This is the point on which the
technical claim of class legislation is
based. Other objections of like char
acter are made and could be met by
amendments to the law without dis
counting the real purposes of the law.
Not quite $4,000 is available for
use in improvements at the state
fair grounds, according to the state
ment made yesterday by Secretary
John Simpson of the department of
agriculture, and which will be sub
mitted to the directors of the organ
izatiOn at their annual meeting in De.
cember. The total surplus is almost
10000. In the meantime the execu-
tive committee Of the department will
meet and consider the ACCESSIBILITY
Of the expenditure of this fund to the
best advantage on the fair grounds
next summer, preceding the state fair
of 1906. The directors have not yet
decided on how much they will ask
the legislature to appropriate for the
fair this year. Perhaps 100000 will
be asked; possibly only enough to
build a fireproof steel and brick
grandstand and a swine pavilion,
when added to the $4,000 surplus
that the fair management finds on
hand. 1t is certain that the manage
ment will erect a large grandstand,
sufficient to hold 10000 people. The
present stand is unsafe for it is built
g
pie in 1t would be in serious danger.
During the past six years the fair
management has expended $174,167
in permanent improvements on the
state fair grounds. About 100000
additional is needed at this time to
make the grounds presentable. OF
the $174,167 spent in permanent i'm
provements over 100000, or more
than half, was expended out Of the
receipts of the state fairs, showing
great economy of management and
expenditure. The state legislature
appropriated $4,000.
A. P. Chamberlin, right-of-way agent
for the Inter-Urban Railway company,
states that the new line to Woodward
and Perry is now being pushed rapid
ly and that in all probability the road
will be finished as far as Woodward
by the first of the year From that
point it will be completed to Perry
early in the year of 1906. With the
securing CT strip from Woodward to
Perry the entire right-of-way to Perry
will have been obtained Rolling
stock for the new line has been or
dered. 1t is the intention Of the COM
pany to begin operating its line to
Woodward as soon as it is completed
to that point.
In the trial of the case of Albert
Hummer of Johnson county, charged
with seduction, the trial Judge permit
ted the state to offer testimony to
prove the general good moral char
acter Of the prosecuting witness.
This, the supreme court has decided,
was an error. 1t was an error on
the part of the court to allow "the
prosecution to introduce and the jury
to consider evidence of general repu-
tation for morality as tending to re-
but the testimony for the defendant,
which tended to show unchaste char
acter," says the supreme court. The
supreme court also gave to the law
yers Of the state definition Of the
distinction between lasciviousness
and indeCency, which will be of great
value to the profession in the handl.
ing of cases like that from johnson
county. The court says that when
lasciviousness is proven an unchaste
character is established thereby That
is, persons may indulge in conduct
which may not be decent or in con-
versation which may be indecent, but
they may be chaste, but if lascivious
ness is added it must be certain that
unchastity exists. The Hummer YER
dict of guilt was reversed by the
court.
Leon Follis, the 9-year-old son of
Datactivn MiGo To1l;c ~ fbo S;ov,,