Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-22
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE REPORT.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE REPORT
Several Important Measures That Have
Been Advocated During Year.
One of the most important papers
Of the convention yesterday was that
| On Contemplated legislation which
was presented by E. l.. Chaplin of
Springfield. The paper shows what
is being done toward effecting reforms
through the aid of laws. Mr. Chaplin
said:
Your legislative committee begs
leave to report that during the year
some work has been undertaken to-
ward getting such legislation as would
seem to be to the interests of the re-
tail merchants of the state. The spe
cial work undertaken by your commit
tee has been:
An amendment to the garnishment
law. making 80 per cent of weekly
wages exempt and 10 per cent only
subject to punishment
The law. as you know, now pro
vides for SIS a week exempt, and the
effect has been, with few exceptions.
the same as though the law had alb
solutely prohibited garnishment in any
case.
IF the amendment as suggested
should become a law your committee
does not claim for it anything more
than a persuasive measure And yet
we anticipate that thousands of dol
lars would be voluntarily paid under
it that is now unjustly withheld.
To GarnIshee Corporation.
Another and new law has been |
drafted. providing for the punishment |
of municipal corporations. No law
has yet been passed in this state pro !,
viding that municipal corporations
may be garnisheed for debts due from
officers and employers thereof. and it !
often occurs that men seek these posi- |
lions with the thought in mind that
the salaries or wages cannot be reach
ed by law.
To Regulate stamp stores.
The third bill that the committee
has drafted is to regulate the stamp
stores by requiring a license to oper-
ate the same.
Trading stamps and laws apple
able thereto have been very inter
esting study TO your committee, and
considering the holdings of the courts
on the various laws of the various
states of the union covering the stamp
stores, ii is impossible TO frame a law
that is constitutional and that will
please everybody.
The decisions are practically unani-
| nous in holding that a state which
makes it unlawful for the vendor of
goods to give away to the purchaser
at the time and as part of the same
transaction any stamp. coupon or 9th
er devise which will entitle him to re-
ceive from the vendor himself or from
any other person or corporation a GER
| tain weIldefined additional article is
an unwarranted interference with in
dividual liberty and is unconstitution
al
THE question of licensing stamp
stores has not been before the courts
to any extent. but there can hardly be
any doubt that the state can license
everything and everybody al it's pleas
ure for the purpose of revenue. and we
believe that a license law would be
upheld by the courts.
Reduction of Freights.
There is another and very import
ant matter which has been under in
vestigation 10 some extent by your
committee. and that is the question of
the reduction of freight rates in Hi
nois. Perhaps there is no other ques-
| ton before the people that ought tot
demand so much attention as this one.
You can get around the garnishee Law
by selling for cash 10 people who wont
pay otherwise. You can get together
and freeze out the stamp stores. And
by the way why don't you do il? But
with he law as il is nov you must
pay the freight and in such amount
as you have been paying for the last
% years While Illinois has changed /
for the better in all other respects the
freight rates still remain the same
For years past a few associations |
have been spending time and money !
and lots of il too. to get these rates |
reduced. but no change has come. Now, |
gentlemen. with a new administration. |
and we believe one that will be for the
people. the Illinois merchants are TAX
liz on new courage. Again the asso-
Citations that I have spoken Of have
taken up the work Attorneys have
been employed. and the governor and
CONTINUED on Page Eighth