Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-20
+ L00kER.ON IN IOWA !
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| Bows, Jan. 19.-Down east the meet
ing of the state legislature is virtually
| a town meeting" of three months
duration, in which the people take part
IN the proceedings, this by letter, petit
ton and visiting committees. But
here in Iowa we seem to think our
whole duty performed by the election
OF some good man as senator or repre-
sentative, and then let him run things
according to his personal views All
this is suggested by the story that
comes to the writer of an Iowa senator
representing three counties that told
a friend of his that he does not know
what the sentiments of his constituents
are concerning the talked of state-w wide
primary law. He personally thinks it
good move, but admits that the few
! men that have come to him to talk
about it are opposed to such a law.
But again, these men so calling on
him are county politicians and he has
a shrewd opinion "they have been sent
to see the senator"
gentleman accustomed to notice
the trend of affairs in Iowa, gave this
connundrum to the writer the other
day. Said he, will you tell me why
such papers as the Daily Capital. the
Cedar Rapids Republican, the Burling-
ton Hawkeye and the Sioux City Jour-
nal, are all opposed to the proposed
statewide primary law. This
scribe had his answer ready by
asking why all of these papers are OPP
posed to Cummins, and that would
require full page of explanation. AT
hotel today a lawyer from Nextown,
speaking of this matter, said what sur
prised him was that iowa, progressive
as she is in nearly all public matters,
is the slowest state in the union to
make many needed reforms He illus
trated the point by speaking of our
representation in adopting the board
of control plan. saying now that we
have it the former strong opponents
would be the last to favor a repeal of
the law.
An opponent of an Iowa pure food
law, a merchant. sees in tie enactment
of such law, another factor to kill the
trade of the Iowa storekeepers. In
fact he says cts bill that should be
entitled. "a measure to increase the
business of the catalog houses of Chi
cago.'" The idea is these catalog
houses can advertise food products
made of any old thing. say water pail
full of currant jelly made of glue, glu-
cose, aniline dye and a pint of currant
seeds, for 30 cents, while an Iowa mer-
chant. to sell a quart of pure currant
jelly would necessarily ask 30 cents
for the quart. Says we can make no
Iowa law to prevent such sales and
shipments from Illinois. When asked
if he thought the people of Iowa were
such fools as to buy a water pail of
Jelly for 80 cents, replied: "Why they
are doing it every day now And then
he waxed eloquent: "The next thing
for the government to do to completely
kill our Iowa retail trade. is to pass
the postal parcels law. Then the far
mer gets his catalo9 of 80 cents for
two gallons of pure currant jelly. pail
thrown in the rural route agent takes
his letter ordering it for two cents,
takes his money for money order
for three cents, gets the order in the
postoffice. puts it in the directed let
ter for the farmer. and then the United
States government brings that pail of
Jelly from Chicago to Bows for ten
cents and takes it out in the rural
route wagon for five cents more. For
another cent will probably spread it on
the bread for the children"
The other important measure which
this legislature will be probably called
upon to take some action, that if a
big license or mulct tax, on liquor ped
.1lers, receives almost unanimous APP
prevail. Naturally the good temper
ance people favor and ask for it. SO
do the wholesale liquor dealers. And !
also the saloon men. And the druggists
insist that $1,000 mulct tax is none too
nigh price for such business. Some
iverymen think it is too bad to kill |
his infant industry as some of these
peddlers pay them SIS a day for
cam and driver, this generally for
.hree or four days in succession, and |
.egularly once month "they cover
he territory