Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-04-03

bidding Misrepresentation regarding
policy contracts or conditions of CON-
panies; for annual dividends and an
nual accountings OF surplus by all
life companies, and other corrective
acts. A hard fight has been made on
the department bill from the start.
but 1t went through the senate witS
30 votes for it to IL against. If the
department is created it will provide
for the appointment by Governor
Cummins of an insurance commission
err at salary of $4,000 and will trans
fer all the insurance business from
the office OF the auditor of state to
the commissioner.
Not Many Pardons.
The last week of Ihe legislature is
generally pardon week. Nearly twenty
prisoners in the penitentiaries at An
amosa and Fort Madison have had ap-
plications before the pardons commit
tees of the two houses this session for
release from their imprisonment, but
1t is understood that not more than
three of the whole list will stand a
show of having their applications act
ed on favorably. They are: Betsy
Smith of Des Moines, convicted of
poisoning her husband. Her plea has
made the lawmakers believe that she
was not guilty of the crime. She has
had applications for pardon before
several sessions of the assembly and,
it is claimed, has stated this will be
her last effort, and if denied she will
appeal her case to higher court.
George Weems, who was released a
few days last week in order that he
might be at the death bed of his
mother, is another of the favored
prisoners. He was convicted of kill
ing Conductor Redpath of Des Moines.
The committee has been convinced
that he did not do the shooting and it
is likely he was not present when the
conductor was murdered. Weems
aged soldier father made touching
plea in his behalf.
Jasper Mason is another condemned
murderer who may be freed. He has
always claimed self-defense, and be-
sides he has served many years for
the crime and is now an old man.
The rejected pardon applications in
clude the Rainsbarger boys from near
Eldora. The wife of one of the men;
now remarked, appeared before the
committee to oppose leniency toward
her former husband
For Primary, but Don't Like It.
II is stated by members of the legis-
lature, now that the primary bill is
enacted into law, that if all the legis-
lators had been moved by the real
sentiment deep down in their hearts
on the subject, the bill would not have
received more than rs or 80 votes in
both houses. Many of the members
filed explanations of their votes.
Many of the Democrats who voted for
the bill said they did SO because their
platform pledged them to legislation
along that line, but they condemned
the bill as undemocratic and unfair to
minority parties. Representative Nc
Allister of Linn and Representative
Ofhl of Jasper, both wheelhorse Re-
publicans, had their names registered
in explanation of their votes. Mr..
McAllister said he was against the
measure first, last and all the time,
because he considered it not only I'M
wise, but vicious. He said he would
never stand as candidate under such
law. Mr.. Onl said he voted AYE"
on the bill because his party was
pledged to primary law, but he said:
Il believe this primary law will prove
the most expensive, the most unsatis-
factory, the most unpopular measure
ever passed by any general assembly
in this state, and my judgment is
there will be demand for its re.
peal"
Just One Veto.
Governor Cummins has only vetoed
one bill passed by the legislature SO
far. The bill was an act making the
position of document librarian a stat
utory office. The governor said the
Office should remain under control of
the secretary of state. James Wilson,
former secretary and political man
ager for Lieutenant Governor John
Herriott, holds the position. He Sc
cured the passage of the bill on the
theory that being an old soldier he
would come under the soldiers pref
erence law, and could undoubtedly
hold the place as long as he desired
1t has been charged that there is poll
ties back Of the veto. because Wilson
has always been opposed to Governor
Cummins, but the governors friends
say the veto was strictly on the flaws
in the bill and because the executive
had been informed by its author and
those who favored its passage that
they did not realize its effect in taking
the control of the documents from the
office OF the secretary of state.
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