Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-05-16
VALUABLE RECORDS
ARE endangered.
Geological Survey Objects to
Having Its Valuable Materials
Moved From Capitol
,rlNERANr NJ. DIS GET LICENSES
Attorney General Rules That Issuanoe
i. Not Optional With State Board
of Medical Examiners-Bidders on
State Contracts Wary-Hish Price
Of Materials Makes Them Cautious.
Special to Times-Republican.

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Special to es-Republican.
Des Moines, May 16.-The executive
council may have to back pedal a little
on the question of the assignment of
rooms at the state house. The coun-
Gil ordered that the geological survey
be moved to the residence building
STANDING on the states land east of the
capitol across the street. This was
to make room for the secretary Of the
executive council, which in turn was
to make room for the attorney general.
But the geological survey department
objects. Professor Calvin of the State
University who is the state geologist
and a man of such ability that the
state wouldn't lose him for anything,
has called attention to the fact that
the rooms Of the geological survey are
fl with charts and field work notes
of 'inestimable value. 1t has taken
years of labor to prepare them and
their value is not question Of dollars
and cents for the reason that dollars
and cents could not replace them. Be-
sides there are costly books and ma
terIals of all kinds and he objects de-
cidedly to moving the department into
any building that Is less fire proof
and less protected than the capitol
Besides the labor the state has spent
thousands of dollars on the work of
preparing the material and the state
could not afford to hazard the material
for the further reason that some of 1T
never could be replaced. After this
showing it is very doubtful whether
the geological survey moves out, at
least to any rooms less desirable than
the ones they have.
At the request of the state board
of medical examiners the attorney
general has given an opinion as to
the itinerant physicians licenses. The
state board is not particularly friendly
to itinerant licenses. 1t wanted to
know whether or not it had to issue
them or whether it had an option. The
attorney general in effect tells the
board that it has no option and must
issue them when the applicant COM
plies with the law but advises the
board that it is warranted in going
to the extreme in the, question of sat
isfying itself that the applicant does
comply. He points out that the ap-
plicant must have a physicians IL
cense as provided under 2576 before
he can get an itinerant license and
furthermore must satisfy the board as
to his competency and morality. At
torney General Byers calls attention
Of the board to the fact that the law
was not enacted to add revenue to the
treasury, altho it requires license
fee of $3.50 and he therefore advises
the board that it is justified In pro-
tecting the public health by exercise
ing all it's authority as to competency
and morality. There are only six
itinerant physicians in the state.
50
For some reason or other there are
not as many bidders on the big con-
tracts as there were in former years,
at least not on the state work. Where
formerly on anything over $4,000
there were from six to a dozen bidders
nowadays there are two on three.
Some times there is but one. When the
city opened it's bids for the big $780,
900 river Improvements 1t found only
one bid. The sstate had but one bidder
on the Glenwood building, q wing TO-
the custodial cottage. During the
hard times the contracts had difficulty
in getting contracts. Now the con-
tracts have difficulty in getting the
contractors. Various explanations are
being given for the changed condition.
Contracts say there is a great deal OF
work but they say too that contractors
are careful about taking contracts for
the reason that the price of material
goes up over night and they are liable
to lose money.
According to all appearances ct least
the charges Of Bribery against Mana
ger Htppee of the Des Moines street
Railway Company, and Mr.. Hadley, the
manager of one Of Polk's farms, are to
be dropped. The last grand jury IN
1906 failed to indict tho the evidence
was given to them good and strong.
Then the forces Of reform got vigilant
and saw to it that there was some at
tention paid to the manner in which
the next grand jury was drawn This
attention lead to an action in court
in which the grossest irregularity IN
the manner of drawing the grand and
petit turies was disclosed and the jury
lists were thrown out. Then there
was two months delay and more TIL
the legislature had passed bill that
would provide a means for getting a
new grand Jury. This done the grand
jury began the grinding out of petty
cases. The big fellows were allowed
to go by because the grand jury was
too busy. Then again incidentally 1t
was pointed out that j. D. Whisenand,
one of the mos. honored and respected
citizens of Des Moines, a banker and
lawyer. was on the grand jury, and
the public was given the impression
that all the other members of the
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