Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-04
Lower Branch of Legislature
Mad Because Of Methods Of
Doing Business
SENATE STAR CHAMBER SESSION
Methods Likened to Those Adopted by
tho Exclusive Upper House Of United
states-kiIIins Of Important Rail-
road Bills the Cause for Antagon-
ism-.Trust Law Amendments.
to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, April 4.--The house Is
up in arms at some Of the conduct OF
the senators. House members are say
Ing that the Iowa senate Is taking on
too many OF the characteristics of the
United States senate which is classed
as the most exclusive rich mans club
in the United States.
The thing that has stirred up fhe
house Is the fact that the senate rail-
roads committee took some secret ball
lots by which they killed and recently
Inferred the reciprocal demurrage bill,
the Doran speed limit bill and the
Holmes sleeping car rate bill. House
members say that a secret ballot Is a
reversion to the star chamber meth
DDS OF the dark ages and that they
do not propose to stand for it. Just
what they propose to do about 1t Is
not known, btu they say You'll see."
In the meantime the senate stands on
its dignity and insists that it Is a
coordinate body" Furthermore they
claim that the first secret ballots In
committees in the Iowa legislature were
taken in the house and that only this
session the house committee on con-
stitutional amendments took a secret
ballot and killed off the resolution to
allow women to vote.
The matter has progressed to the
place where the only smiles are sick
ly sort of grins. The reciprocal de-
murrage bill and the Doran speed mint
bill are two measures that the farm
ers Of northern Iowa have been led
to believe were vital to their welfare.
They were told last session when the
bills failed that the campaign would
settle it and this session they appeared
in confidence The bills passed the
house and the vote by secret ballot in
the senate railroads committee was to
against the bills. After the bills had
been held up for some time, in the sem
ate committee Doran of Boone offered
resolution mildly protesting. The
resolution was never called up for a
vote largely because Doran was taken
sick soon after introducing it: At,
about that time too the committee re-
ported the death of the bills and the
senate has adopted the committee re-
ports which kill the bills
Because of the prominence into
which these bills have been thrust ut
farmers Institutes and among the
farmers generally the action of the
committee is receiving considerably
more discussion than otherwise. Among
the house members it is claimed that
the secret ballot has no more place
in a legislative committee than IN
either the house or senate. On the pass
age of bill Furthermore they inti-
mate that the senate committee showed
undue haste in destroying the ballots
after the vote was taken. They are
not slow in condemning the whole pro-
cedure and are particularly angered ne
cause they considered the bills among
the most important.
An interesting little bill has been
passed by the legislature, which per-
haps deserves more attention than II
has received. This is bill to amend
the Iowa law in relation to trusts and
combines. 1t is recalled that this law
has been on the statute books many
wears, and that at the time it was
passed there were members who OPP
posed it and voted against it because
of their belief that in the form in
which it was then presented it was
faulty The courts never passed on
the law, but did pass on other similar
Laws, and. indicated that if test was
ever made of this Iowa law 1t would
be held unconstitutional hence the law
has never been enforced and 1T re-
mains a dead letter. Now the law is to
be amended removing the, weakness,
which is in relation to the fines i'm
posed for violation. The present law
makes a variable fine; the amendment
makes all fines alike. Thus the Iowa
ANTITRUST law will be revived and
given life.