Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-06
Only 100000 Available to
Meet the Demand For $3,-
100000 Appropriations
AMOUNT MUST BE SCALED DOWN
Ways and Means Committee Also Has
Hard Job in Asoertainins tho
Amount of Revenue Which Could Be
Counted Upon-senators Hayward
and Garst at Work.
IBy Ora Milllams1

Icy Ora WllllamSJ
Special to Times Republican,.
Des Moines, March 6.--With the re-
turn of the Iowa legislators today to
their work the members of the appro-
priations committees will resume their
task Of trying to satisfy demand for
three million dollars with about $780,
600. This is one of the most difficult
and harassing of the delicate duties
OF Iowa legislators. They must sort
out from the great number of demands
for money those which are most press
Ing and then scale down all estimates
to the lowest notch This Is a work
which must be done largely in commit
tees. 1t would be useless to try TO do
this on the floor Of either chamber.
There must be cold blooded carving
of appropriations and apparently cruel
rejection Of claims that are urged will,
quite as much force as any others.
Thus far the committees have per.
mitted the houses to act on only small
appropriations. The main work has
not been touched.
Much heavy responsibility rests on
the chairman of the two committees.
In the senate, at the head Of the COM.
mittee, Is the veteran, Warren r.
Garst. of Carroll, whose services are
regarded as we'll nigh necessary. In
the house. at the head of the cores
ponding committee, is Joseph r. Mat
Of
county. vigorous and aggressive
young man with broad shoulders and
much firmness of character. But there
liz another work that must be done
along with this Of the appropriations
committees, and before appropriations
ran be considered at all, and that is the
reckoning of income by the ways and
means committees. At the head OF tho
house committee is Col. M. L. Temple,
the veteran of the house, but he pre-
fers to give his time to the judiciary
committee work and the bulk Of tho
work falls on Senator w. G. Hay.
ward, OF the senate committee.
The appropriations committees, hav.
ing collected information In regard tn
the appropriations asked for called
upon the ways and means committees
for something to indicate how rnucli
money was available. Senator Hay
ward, most painstaking and accurate
of legislators, took up the work. With
the figures given by Governor Cummins
in his message to the legislature, ae u
basis, he proceeded to verify, investi-
gate and compute. These figures came
from the various Offices OF state. Sen
ator Hayward, not doubling their sub
stantial accuracy, but to make,
assurance doubly sure. went over
every item and obtained the facts from
original sources. According to the
figures given in the message there
would be about s625,0o0 available for
appropriation for the one year period,
Some time ago the rumor went out
that the figures of the governor were
too conservative and that mucih
larger sum would be found available.
Senator Hayward set out to find, II
possible. any additional revenue. But
after going all over the figures and ind
ing here and there inaccuracies, one
offsetting the other. he reached the
conclusion that the governors figures
were quite liberal enough. With the
HAYWARD found that the total income
Of the state for the fiscal year to be
$4,7s5.s67. With this income there Isl
needed for the regular expenses OF the
state $2,726,720. The unexpended BAL
ances of previous appropriations which
will come out Of the years income
amount to $1,466,S23. This leaves a.
balance available for extraordinary
appropriations of $592,324 Senator
Hayward stated that to this could be
added few items which would run the
sum up to over $800,000 but not very
much over that amount Any appro-
priation by the Legislature in excess or
this sum means an inroad on the
treasury balance or a deficiency ap-
preparation a year hence.
A Difficult Task.
Few appreciate the amount of figur-
ing necessary on the part Of Senator
Hayward and his associates to obtain
these accurate results. The senator
has been at the head of this important
committee so long that he is quite as
familiar with every branch of the
state government as with his strictly
legislative duties. The computation
Will De dcCepleu ny lliC Tvs 6's'it.NSi'' 'AN'
final, though there will be disappoint-
ment that a larger sum was not FOUND
available for appropriation.
Superintendent OF institutions ana
state boards and officials must be pre-
pared to get along with less money
than they had demanded essential
The legislature is in no mood to run
the state in debt. The record made
the past few years. in the matter or
economy of state administration, strict
accounting for all funds. yet adding
much to the permanent properties OF
the state, is one which has never been
challenged by any respectable or paItri-
otic person; and this legislature de-
sires to keep up the record
Clear Lake Nominations.
Special to Times Republican.