Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-17
Accounts All Square.

The account of every one Of the ninety
nine counties Of the state with the state
auditors office will be square on the first
day of January, next, for the first time
in the history of the state. At one time
the counties were indebted to the state
$94, 900. This was gradually reduced little
at a time till at one time it was down to
$1,000 This, since Auditor Carroll came
into office. Under the direction of Auditor
Carroll, ]. F. Wall Of Mount Ayr clerk
for the revenue department, pressed the
matter in correspondence with the various
county auditors in an effort to get the &C
counts all straight The amount was
greatly reduced, but could not be wiped
out, and on the recommendation of Auditor
Carroll the legislature last winter enacted
law providing that counties must pay
2 per cent a month interest on all back
accounts This Is the same amount that
the counties are allowed to collect from
citizens who fail 10 pay their taxes This
law did the business The law went into
effect July 4. Since that time the counties
have been reducing the amounts they owed.
They were unable to wipe out the indebted
ness entirely but It will be wiped out by
January l, according to the state auditors
office.
would Abolish Legislature.
c. s. Byrkitt formerly deputy secretar.
OF state, has advanced the theory that tn.
legislature should be abolished and com
mission Of fifteen or twenty men appointed
or elected to make the laws, the governor
and the attorney general to be members
OF the commission, with authority to cal
on the supreme court at any time to de-
termine whether or not a proposed law IL
I constitutional. Mr.. Byrkitt Is now the
/ secretary of the insurance commission. He
! does not expect to see his idea adopted
/ soon, but is fortified in his unusual position
4 with many ingenious arguments. His po-
sitOn Is that the present plan Of two
[ houses is cumbersome. To get a bill en-
acted into law IL is necessary 20 get the
matter through a committee, then through
I the house. then through the committee OF
/ the other chamber and then through the
I house, finally to be presented TO the COVER
nor for his approval. Finally, after all
/ this work, Mr.. Byrktt points to the fact
/ that frequently the law Is declared un-
I constitutional He thinks commission
would give a proposed law closer study
I before enacting II, and with the attorney
I general and supreme court to advise with
I there could be no excuse for enacting I'M
/ constitutional laws.
Clash over Summer school.
Agricultural college at Ames, may be the
cause Of a clash between the three state
! educational institutions Of Iowa when the
legislature meets, and may be an addl-
tonal ground for the legislature passlns
the law providing for a board Of contro
for the three institutions. II Is beins
claimed by friends OF the two other insu-
tutions that the State college promised
faithfully that Il would not start a summer
school In opposition 20 the summer schools
OF the two other institutions. provided. the
two other institutions did certain things.
Now Il seems assured that Ames will ask
the legislature for an appropriation SUM-
cient TO inaugurate a summer school. and
the two other schools viii attack and re-
sist the request. The annual report OF
President Storms has not yet been filed
with Governor Cummins. though IL Is ex-
pected any day and Is now over due. In
that report viii be enumerated the various