Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-04
BRYAN 5 STATEMENT
IS QUESTIONED
In Regard to Primary Elections
Being Held All Over the
South
OPTIONAL, MANDATORY LAWS
While Among Other Statistics May be
Given That Showing Optional Pri-
mary Election Laws In Eleven OF tho
Southern States, Fifteen Northern
States Now Have Mandatory Laws.

Des Moines, April AT the Jeffer-
son democratic banquet Saturday
night William Jennings Bryan mace
the statement that the northern repup-
leans in taking up the matter OF pil-
mary election laws were merely tol-
lowing in the footsteps of the south
ern democrats and that primary elec-
tions were held all over the south. Pri-
mary elections may be held all over
the south but the showing on the sta
tute books in the way OF legislation IN
that direction does not bear out Mr.
fsryan's statement. If primary cleo
lions are held all over the state they
are, held merely on the party lnltia-
tive and not from statutory enactment.
Alabama. Arkansas, Delaware Florida
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana. Missou-
ri. North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, all have primary election
laws. but they are optional with the
PARTY managers. Maryland. Texas and
Mississippi have mandatory primary
election laws and Virginia and west
Virginia have no primary election laws
at all. These we believe are rightly
classed as southern states. On the
other hand while there are eleven
states in the south that have optional
primary election laws, there are fifteen
northern states that have mandatory
laws. These are California, Connecu-
cut. Illinois, Indiana, Maine. Massa-
chusetts. Michigan, Minnesota, New
Hampshire. New Jersey, New York,
Oregon. Rhode !. Island. Wisconsin
Wyoming. Pennsylvania, Vermont
Utah. and idaho are the only north"
ern states with no primary electlon
laws. iowa has a, law which applies
to counties of more than $4,000 popu-
lation which makes lit apply to polM
county only. Yet in many other coun-
ties of the state primary elections arc
held on the initiative,of the party man
ayers. Many of the northern states
Furthermore are now strengthening
their primary election laws.
The picture of George Washington
which has adorned the panel at the
head of the grand staircase IN ths
state house has been removed TO the
treasurer's office for safe keeping. Ing
picture is about six by ten feet anu
lis the property of Mrs. Amelia Eek
hart of Washington. d. 9. Some tihie
ago she tried to get the leglsla .ure W
make an appropriation OF S1bo tof tue
purpose of buying the painting from
her. but the legislature refused. INC
nicture has been hanging on the wall
for many years and many peop'e nad
forgotten where it came from. Ire
owner has been informed by Custodian
NrcCnrdy that in making the decora-
+;ons ahout the state house 1t was nee
essarv 10 remove the painting and that
~ ia hing in the private office of the
traa surer of state awaiting her pleas
ure The painting is not the only one
ut the state house that is not the
nroperty of the state. The governor $
office is full OF pictures which belong
10 the Wcman's Club in Des Moinas.
There are too many to hang on the
walls and so lot Of them are stored
in the vault. They have been placed
th,re by. the club awaiting the efforts
to secure a building or club rooms.
The date Of the meeting OF the re
5aents of the state university at iowa
r,ty has been changed from Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday of this week
"a tho same days next week. The next
,,eatinp of one Of the four district
teachers. associations Of the state viii
ha the meeting of the northwestern
sssociation at Sioux City, April 20, 81
and %.
The members Of the legislative COM
nittee to investigate the proposition OIL
a board of control for state educa-
tional institutions are in the Guy.
They spent some time yesterday ana
TODAY asking questions OF the mem
bers of the state board OF control Oh
charitable and penal institutions.
Their purpose was to ascertain some
thing of the methods Of the board ana
the saving in expense in handling the
institutions thru one board instead OF
thru separate boards for each institu-
ton. While the educational board will
he considerably different from the
present board of control in many ways
there will be a similarity as to i'm
provements and expenditures and other
matters. On this line they will be
able to get vast amount OF valuable
information. Before the present board
was created 1t was the custom of the
superintendents of. the institutions to
do a great deal of the buying. They
bought their groceries of the stores in
the local towns. 1t was for that Dur-
pose largely that the location of the in
stitution was sought after by the peo-
pie there. The superintendent bought
SO cent coffee for use in his own family
and 10 cent coffee for the Inmates.
Everything else was bought In the
same way at retail prices. Now the
board buys everything and most of it
is by competitive bids. The superin-
tendent gets the same quality Of coffee
that the inmates have and 1t is always
the best that there is on the market.
But it is bought at less than wholesale
rates for the board buys to supply
population of 10000 people.
The board of control in a general
way divide the work somewhat. Mr..
Cownie. who is business man, looks
after purcha sing the supplies; Judge
Robinson looks after contracts and le-
gal matters. and Judge Kline the pro-
fessional matters. All three members
pass on everything before 1t is finally
acted on There has been some claim
that board of control for education
al institutions would look after the
matter of buying supplies but that