Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-08
Railroads Scared as a Result of
the Hearing Before iowa
Commission
LIVESTOCK MEN "sHow THEM"
Iowa Not on Footing With illinois and
MISUNDERSTANDING Committee Of
Legislature Wrestling With tho Prob
lem of Jury selections-Many Bills
Presented as Suggested Remedies.
Special to Times-Republican

Des Moines Feb S.-The freight rate
vast Importance. The Corn Belt Mea
1 Producers made a surprisingly strong
showing as to discrimination in live
stock rates. The railroad men are
somewhat alarmed over the situation
and they sent their strongest men tt
appear before the railroad commission
to offset the testimony given by repre-
sentative shippers.
This is a new thing with u.s." saie
President Thomas Thornburg, OF the
Corn Belt Meat Producers. who gave
most of the testimony. I'VE had nc
/ thought of bringing the matter to a
head until few months ago. We Their
decided that we would lay it before the
lboard and see if we could not get re-
lief. But the fact that we have gone
on paying the rates for years without
bringing suit or making; complaint does
not argue that we were satisfied. We
knew that rates were unfair, but OF
course we did not do anything SO long
as we knew it was not worth while.
| II firmly believe he continued
| that If we could get reduction in To-
cal rates on cattle and horses and
sheep it would be of great benefit to
Iowa. that there would be great deal
of business done in sending feeders
from one part of the state to another
and in shipping to local packing
houses. And this with joint rates,
which we ought to have, would develop
markets in the state that would be of
great advantage. AS for myself. be-
lieve that the law we have contem-
plated the making Of joint rates."
The general testimony of the ship
pers was to the effect that local rates
under the Iowa schedule are above
those especially in Illinois and Mis-
souri,.
The railroad men contend this is
more apparent than real, and that
there is no such variation in fact as
indicated in the testimony, and further
that there is really very little business
done in Iowa under the Iowa distance
be very little benefit to the feeders and
farmers.
Tn the opinion of Chairman, Weeks OF
the house Judiciary committee the most
important task for, the Judiciary COM
mbttee at this session is reporting on a
law changing the methods Of jury se-
lections. His remedy which is provid-
ed for in bill that he has drawn is
the simplest that has yet been present.
ed at this session.
Nearly score of bills have been in
troduced, each attempting to get at the
root Of the difficulty and remedy the
abuses that have grown up about the
methods of getting juries in this state.
Since the legislature has met it has
come to light that in many counties
there are gross abuses of the presen.
law and that in some counties, at least
on the claim of members of the leg
islature, single individual sometimes
a lawyer so controls the election
judges that the lists of persons certi-
fed for jury service are always per-
sons under his political influence whila
in other counties corporations and po-
litical machines control the election
judges.
The most complicated and least de-
sirable solution is perhaps the method
suggested by Judge McHenry of Polk
county, who wanted law whereby the
judges of the district court would Sc
lect a commission of five men, lock
them in a room with the poll books,
and keep them there till they had GER
titled jury lists.
The simplest is the method provided
by Weeks of Guthrie, whose bill Of
ton judges shall. as the voters cast
their ballots, write the name of each
man qualified for jury service on a
slip of paper and drop it into a sealed
box, from which by lot and in the pres
ence Of the public, as many names are
drawn as the precinct is entitled to for
jury service.
Between these extremes there are all
sorts Of bills and measures and the
judiciary committees will some time
the coming week take these bills up
and consider each and from the lot
prepare a bill to report to the house.
Yesterday there was introduced by
Bonwell and Dye Of Pottawattamie,
bills which are duplicates in every re-
spect which have the endorsement of
Judge Thornell and the other judges of
the district court in his district. This
bill provides that on the last day of
the last term of court the district court
in each county shall appoint commits
sions of five men to prepare the jury
lists. They are given the poll books,
the assessors books and all other infor-
nation needful.
1t is the idea Of these eminent law
yers that a commission is the best
method thru which jury lists should be
selected from which the juries are to
be drawn. 1t is understood that they
believe that there should be some hui
man discretion in the matter of prepar-
ing jury lists. In law briefly speaking
provides that any person not in the
penitentiary, or an idiot or insane per-
son is eligible to Jury service. They
believe that inside this limit there is
still demand for discretion as there
are persons too ignorant for jury serv-
ice and disqualified in more ways than
one. either by their preverse and stub
born ways or for other reasons who
should never be on jury. They there
fore believe there should be a jury
and the best way TO select
this commission to insure its freedom
from bias and to insure that it will be
made Of competent men who will do
their whole duty impartially, is to have