Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-20
DOW TALKS Of BJSSE
Declares Legislature Considered
1t and Sentence Should Be
Carried Out
PEOPLE WOULD HAVE LYNcHED
Butler County Residents Only Prevent
ed From Hanging 6usse on Assur-
anes That He Would Be Properly
Dealt With LesalIy-No Conflict in
Insurance Changes.
pecial to Times-Repup,ican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 20-"I see that they
are still Juggling with the Busse case"
remarked Representative Dow, Of
Franklin county while in the city. I'VE
had that case before the legislative
committee on pardons and disposed of
| 1t SO far as we were able. The COM
mittee was unanimous in refusing to
recommend any clemency for Busse.
We decided, and properly. that a case
of that kind has no business before the
legislature. But we did in fact give
regard to the merits Of the case and we
decided against the contentious of Bus
SEES attorneys. If Busse doesn't hang 1t
will be regarded as in some way pal
liation Of his horrible crime. There is
| no sentiment In the state for commu-
tatton Of the sentence. AS matter of
fact and history, Busse would have
been lynched by the people at the time
Of the commission Of the crime but for
the fact that the authorities promised
and pledged themselves In every way
that he should have fair trial and be
made to suffer the punishment impos-
ed. But here 1t has been five or six
years and nothing has been done be-
yond giving him sentence see that
the legislature, by the way, is to have
lot of new cases submitted to it for
consideration. am In favor Of the
legislature taking them UP and dispos-
ing of most Of the old cases."
w. o. Payne Of Nevada, takes strong
ground against election Of senators by
| direct vote Of the people. In the city
the other day he called attention to
the fact that the passage Of the Ding
ley bill, the Mckinley bill and other
epoch making measures, was made
possible In each instance by q senate
made republican under our present
system when a system Of direct election
of the senators would have resulted in
democratic senate. In other words,
running back number Of years he
found thirteen instances where the
state election resulted in governor
Of one party and a senator Of another
party, and in all but two of these
cases it was a democratic governor and
a republican senator. In other words,
1t is easier for the republicans to make
sure of electing senators under the
present system than under a direct
system. History shows that good
| many more northern governors have
been democrats than northern senators.
1t now seems not at all likely there
will be any serious conflict between the
state legislative insurance committee
and the national insurance commission
In regard to what changes should be
made In the Iowa laws to improve the
insurance business. 1t is recalled that
the national commission, consisting
largely of the commissioners of the diff
ferent states, after a series of meet
ings, decided upon recommendations of
important character. One of these was
that the laws Of the states should pro-
hibit deferred dividend" policies. The
New York commission virtually decided
that this form of policy was the chief
cause of the unwieldy surplus funds
which have been the indirect cause of
all the great scandals in the big insur-
ance companies. Wise students of the
insurance question have long regarded
the enormous surplus Of the big in
surance company as a menace and have
SHE'D at these companies. The New
York commission condemned the policy
Of deferring dividends, and the ma
tional commission did the same thing
II is now pretty certain that the Iowa
commission viii follow suit and rec
olnend a change in Iowa laws so that
the deferred dividends will be abolish
ed 1t may be in the form of IAN
nlal accounting" or in some other way,
but the effect will be the same The
Iowa commission meets today to sign
up the report Its recommendations
will go to the legislature, as also those
OF the national commission
The Davenport attack on the state
board of education is sure to be one of
the prominent features of the meeting
OF the State Teachers Association next
week. It is discovered that the teach
ers in the State of Scott" have been
sending to every member Of the legis-
lature copies Of their resolutions and
other matter making attacks upon the
new law and demanding something
entirely contrary to the law. 1t is ex-
pected that Superintendent Riggs will
devote good deal Of his time at his
annual address to the workings of the
new law, but unfortunately his address
comes last thing on the program, so
that it will not form the basis for much
of the discussion. Superintendent
Riggs is in receipt of letters from sew
eral members Of the legislature stating
they are being bombarded from the
Davenport end Of the controversy, but
that they believe the position of the
state board and superintendent is right.
Superintendent Morgridge. of the
state institution for the feeble minded
at Glenwood. believes that within a
few years the state will have at least
400 inmates Of that institution. The
population is steadily growing. It is
not because there are more feeble
minded in proportion to population, but
a larger proportion are being got into
the institution. Not very many are
now cared for at the county farms. A
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