Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-21
.2.C[NI FARE BILL
IS REPORTED OUT
Recommended For Passage By
the Committee of the
Iowa Senate
RAILROADS PLAY LAST TRUMP
Danger Of Tactics for Delay BY oppo-
sition Resulting in Defeat Of the
Msasure.-Proposed Shifting of State
Departments ~ A Lobby Substitute
Proposed for Iowa on Wisconsin Plan

Proposed for Iowa on Wisconsin Plan
| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Feb. 21.--The railroads
played their-last trump card yesterday
before the senate railroad committee In
the game affecting the rate Of fare in
Iowa.
| one copy of the evidence and find
| ings of the Wisconsin commission in
regard to passenger fares in that state
ihad reached the city and it was shown
number of the senator's. The Wis
consin commission after long investi-
cation had found that a 2-cent fare
4 was not feasible in that state, but that
2ls cents was low enough. 1t is said
that this report and finding is a com
rrehensive presentation of the whole
subject.
Mr.. Davis, on behalf of the North
| western, and the representatives of the
Burlington, Milwaukee and Rock Is
| y b
land railroads, appeared before the
Icommittee and presented written Pc
tition asking for few days delay un-
It'll the wisconsin report can be secured
and copies be in the hands of all the
senators. He promised to go to Chi
cago last night and to secure a suffi-
cient number Of copies for the members
iof the committee.
In this connection he brought out
the fact that because of the Wisconsin
commission report 1t will be very en-
| barrassing for the railroads II Iowa
adopts q 2-cent rate, and that the sit
uation is one which will virtually force
! the railroads to make fight In the
courts against acquiescence in the Iowa
law. To accept the Iowa law would
be to discredit the findings OF the Wis
consin commission to the effect that q
2-cent passenger rate is, in fact con-
flsc2tory. The railroads will therefore
fight an Iowa law requiring q 2-cent
fare, while one for IN cents will be
accepted.
The friends of legislation for lower
rates fear that the whole movement for
delay, which has been part of the pro-
gram of the railroads from the start,
will ultimately result in such confus-
ion that no bill can be passed. They
have desired the completest discussion
of the question, but are somewhat sus-
picious Of the attitude Of the railroad
representatives in all the time talking
for delay.
The committee today reported the
2-cent bill for passage.
II the bills introduced in the house
shifting some OF the work Of the vari-
Gus departments carry and become law
there will be no insurance department
created at this session of the legisla-
ture. Since Auditor Carroll came into
come popular to shift many new things
onto his department, till the auditors
office has more than its share while
the state treasurer has little to care
for The bills propose to change the
banking department from the auditor
office to the state treasurer's office,
the municipal accounts department
from the auditors office to the. secre-
tary Of states Office, and ythe notarial
commission business which has been
divided between the governors office
and the secretary Of states Office all to
the governors Office.
If this is done the proposed depart
ment OF insurance which has been dis
cussed much and has been recommend
ed by the auditor himself will not be
created at this time at least. One of
the reasons for leaving it with the aud
itor is that the good work in the insur-
ance line startedNby Auditor Carroll
may be continued by him. It is not
impossible but that the legislature fol-
create the department of Insurance and
place Auditor Carroll at the head OF
the department..
Representative Cottrell has a long
letter from Charles Mccarthy, the man
with a Phi. d. and an idea. who stirred
things up in Wisconsin and put the
corporation crowd to fight by supply
ing the members of the legislature with
information. Mr.. Cottrell has intro
duced bill in the house copied after
the Ohio law which Mccarthy drew
and he proposes to secure It's passage
lie possible. In Wisconsin Mccarthy a
student and lecturer at the state uni-
versity, discovered that members OF the
legislature were taking the word Of the
corporations for many things that were
not so. He found on investigating that
when member spent an entire fore
noon at Legislative session and all
the afternoon attending committee
meetings, he had little time left to use
In doing clerical work looking up infor-
nation on the hundred and one bills up
for consideration and consequently
they were voting on things without
knowledge of the vitals of the measure.
He opened an office in the attic of the
state house and supplied the informa
ton and when the work grew and be-
came important they gave him assist
ants. He now has during the sessions
of the legislature over fifty assistants
in the work and no legislature lacks in
formation.
1t will frequently take one mans
time a couple Of days or more to look
up the information on subject and
prepare it for q member SO that he
will have a comprehensive knowledge
of the matter before voting. The mem
hers do NOT l1avA tho time to give Thev