Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-22
Contract Companies Have Mer-
cenary Motives in Fight
ing Measure
FORT MADISON PEOPLE JoLreD
Ono Legislator Says That City Ought
to Lose tho Institution Entirely =
Grain Dealers Claim They Never
Have Combined to Fix Prices-vig-
orousIy Opposing tho stiIman RiII.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Feb. PA hearing on
the reformatory bills brought out into
strong light the fact that the chief
reason why there is opposition to the
bill is the mercenary motive Of the
contract labor companies which are
Fort Madison. They have had their
lobbyist here this year as in the past
engaged in working up sentiment in
opposition to anything that will less
sen the amount Of convict labor they
will have at hand. In the hearing yes
terday Representative Jones declared
plainly that this was the sole reason
for the appearance Of the lobby here
to fight the bill and that while he was
not opposing the penitentiary at Fort
Madison he felt that IL the people OF
Fort Madison place so low an estimate
on the purposes OF a penitentiary they
ought to lose 1t entirely. Both Repre-
sentative Jones and Senator Saunders
presented the real purposes of a re-
formatory in clear language. The in
tent Is not to make 1t easier for GRIM
inals nor to lessen the term OF sem
tence nor to make OF the prison col
lege. as some have said, but it Is to
separate the real criminals from those
who are accidental offenders, and to
do what is possible in lettering the
system we now have OF making good
citizens out Of all who are amenable
1t was shown that fifteen states now
have adopted the system and not one
has ever abandoned it after trial. Prac-
tically every warden In the country
favors the system. The late Warden
Hunter was an earnest advocate Of
the system. and Warden Jones favors
it. Judge Deemer and many others OF
the eminent judges of the state favor
it. The board of control has long fav-.
ored the system. The only opposition,
apparently. comes from those who
make profit from the labor Of those
who labor under the Iowa penal laws.
Arguing that they never have and
never will combine to fix prices on
grain the Iowa Grain Dealers Associa-
ton is endeavoring to kill off the Still
man bill prohibiting such combinations.
The bill has passed the house and is
now in the senate. They argue too,
that there is no need of such law
as there is already law on the stat
ute books which prohibits trusts and
combines. The bill has been referred
to subcommittee Of the committee
on agriculture, in the SEN
ate by Senator Bruce, chair
man of the senate committee
on agriculture and it is understood
that Senator Bruce is opposed to the
measure
Farmers of the state consider the
bill one Of the most important as eff
fecting their interests that has been
introduced at this session Of the leg
fslature and there Is real demand
over the state for the passage of the
bill It is possible that if the bill is
reported by the senate committee for
indefinite postponement there will be
"a minority report In favor of its pass
age, which will insure the bill getting
before the senate for action and vote.
For three years the county attorneys
state association has regularly declared
that the trust laws Of this state are
not adequate for the prosecution of
the trusts that are doing business in
the state, which more or less effectu-
ally answers the arguments of the
grain dealers. The friends of the Still
man bill are further declaring that If
the grain dealers association members
are so good that they will never unite
to fix prices then the bill on the stat
ute books will never interfere with
them and they should allow 1t to be-
come a law.
The grain dealers are, however, very
active in their opposition to the. bill
and will do everything that they can
to defeat it. In the meantime the in