Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-11
Entitled 1O MEDAL
FOR SLOW WORK
Present Legislature Fails to
Make Good Its Promise to
Expedite Business
LITTLE ACCOMPLISHED % DAYS
But One important Bill, the Maximum
Passenger Fare Measure, Reported
for Pas.aae-siII Will Probably Be
Speedily Disposed OF by the House
No fractional Lineup.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican
Des Moines, Feb. 11.--The senate met
at 1880 this afternoon and the house at
2 o'clock. In spite of all efforts ON the
part OF the speaker OF the house 10
hurry committees there was little work
on hand this afternoon for the two
houses. 1t is just twenty-eignt Gays
since the legislature convened Jan
IA. but there have been but eighteen
working days of the session thus Ear
because of Sundays, the inaugural ana
the visiting OF the state institutions by
IN, committees and the recess which
that necessitated. When the session
fret orened there was talk OF getting
thru with all business and adjourn,ng
by the middle of March. There is' NJ
such talk at this time for there WAS
never legislature that moved slower
than does this. After eighteen work.
ing days the only bill OF vital imports
ance that has been reported out for
passage is the bill lowering the max
imum rates Of passenger fare on rail-
roads and possibly the baby farm
bill reported out and passed by the
senate Saturday.
The maximum passenger fare bill is
special order for tomorrow at 10 o'clock
in the house and there is in the air a
feeling that it is going to be passed.
The speed with which the committee
reported out bill after having its first
hearing on the proposition is one In.
dication in that direction. There has
attempted on the measure but quite
generally members of all shades of po-
litical belief and affiliation have in
troduced maximum passenger rate
bills and 1t is therefore very certain
that there will be no line-up and di-
vision on political lines. It is in the
democratic platform and the governors
message and standpatters as well as
democrats and progressives are the
authors of bills that have been intro
duced The bills introduced vary all
the way from fiat rates OF two cents a
mile on all roads for all distances to
bills varying from two to four cents
mile, depending on the classification
and earnings of the roads and some
taking into account the distance to be
travelled.
The speed with which the. house
S.l
ing the railroad men four hours or
more to talk against the measure is not
an indication that the committee did
not weigh carefully what the railroad
men had to say against the bill But
the railroad men with the exception Of
ex-Speaker Funk did not make a very
great effort to give the committee
facts and figures that would show that
a two-cent fare would cripple the
roads. They made the statement that
it would cripple them but did not
give any figures to show 1t. John
Sebastian of the Rock Island, took up
the time he was addressing the COM
mittee in saying that he had heard
alarming reports that the population of
Iowa was rapidly decreasing and told
of his efforts while travelling in Europe
to look up the sources of immigration
in order to help out Iowa and other
wise told of the things he had done
members present expressed themselves
privately afterward as being not at all
alarmed over the situation as to the
population of the state and more con-
cerned in knowing how much the Rock
Island was making out of it's passenger
traffic
If the house acts with. the same
promptness in passing the maximum
passenger fare bill that the committee
did in reporting it, and there is every
indication now that it will, the house
will be left again with few bills for
consideration when it adjourns tomor-
row noon.
The maximum passenger fare bill,
however, is not a bill that requires
much work in its preparation. 1t is
almost wholly a question of expediency.
The primary election measure is a
matter that requires more labor in it's
preparation. The committee has been
at work for some days and it is UNDER
stood that some time this week the
Joint committee on elections and the
two elections committees will perhaps
by the last of the week report for pass
age bills to both houses. The bills
will then be made special order on the
calendar. Two or three days, in all
probability. will be devoted to the dis
cussion of the measure on the floor of
each house before vote is reached.
While there is no doubt but a primary
measure will be passed in some form
or other there is some little doubt as
to some Of the provisions of the bill.
1t will in all probability be a plurality
measure, but the provisions as to dec
laration OF party affiliation and some
other features are matters on which
there is disagreement OF opinion among
even friends Of the measure and this
will have to be fought out on the floor.