Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-21
Story of Extravaganza and I'm
morality in State House
Taken as a Joke
EMAhATes FROM CEDAR RAPIDS
Accusation Made That State House is
Filled With Useless Boards Who Sit
in IdIeness-Aspersions on Women
EmpIoyes-supreme Court Rules
That Crossings Are Dangerous.
Special to Times-Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Oct. 21.-There was
more amusement than anger. more rid
1 icule than resentment, more regret than
anything else, over publications in a
| local newspaper yesterday of a bitter
/ ly partisan and abusive article which
had been originally printed in a Cedar
Rapids paper noted for it's persistent
| dishonesty. The article attacked the
republican administration of state at
| fairs of Iowa, and stranger reading
it would think that Iowa is in most
distressing condition and it's state cap
| itaI fostering sore. The writer de-
clared that ''the state house has been
| filled up with boards and commissions
with little or nothing to do but sit in
easy chairs" The state officials were
referred to as 'loafers'' and the state
house is "teeming with affinitlesY
and great deal of petticoating go
| ing on" whatever that may mean. Ad-
| vice was to abolish the offices of idle
ness" etc.
| Some one at the state house called
attention to the fact that almost any
| thing can be expected in campaign
times. The most conspicuous and most
expensive of the new boards at the
state house is the board of control. For
long time a certain group of editors
rallied at this board and continued to
|
| nobody has ever claimed that the mem-
bers are '1oafers."
| Another of the commissions is the
dairy and food commission. now or
ganized into bureau. A visit to its Of
fees would convince the most skeptical
| that there is not much idang done
here. 1t is true that now and then
complaint comes against this COM
mission from some part of the state
where stale food has been condemned
| Then there is the railroad commits
| sion, which narrowly escaped belns
| abolished few years ago. Tor some
mysterious reason, but still the leg
islature has been adding enormously
| to its duties Incidentally, it is prob
ably run on as small an annual allow
ance as any commission in the coun-
| try.
There has been larger expense added
| in matters relating to insurance, bank
ing, municipal accounting and the
commission to secure county unlfor-
mity in accounts than elsewhere in the
past few years; but the sentiment is
strong for making both the insurance
and the banking departmentsAinto sep
arate bureaus.
The commissions having to do with
the professions-with law, medicine,
pharmacy, etc., are practically without
expense to the state The departments
having to do with labor statistics and
with mining have been more proficient
recently than ever before. A commits
sion is at work on the war records, an
other built the monuments, the G. A. r.
has an office in the capitol, there is
work being done in school law reyis-
ion, board is at work on the archives.
What they are wanting to know at
the state house is which is meant.
Someone is likely to move for a more
specific statement If there is idleness
all around then it is time it was
known. If the state house is filled with
affinities the half hundred most es-
and hard hours Of labor would like to
have names published so that suspicion
might not fall on all alike.
But the matter has not been taken
with any degree of seriousness, and
the outbreak is charged up to cam
paign zeal and political brain storm.
go
The supreme court insists that no
hard and fast rule shall be laid down
as to the duty Of a person in keeping
watch to avoid accidents at railroad
crossings. The court refused to aid a
Sigourney mail carrier who deliberat-
ely drove upon the track ahead Of a
train, after making sure no train was
in sight when he was four rods away,
then not looking again.
"It is a matter of common know
ledge" said the court, that railway
crossing is a place of danger and the
duty of the traveller on the highway
to exercise reasonable care to avoid
injury is clearly manifest to every
reasonable mind. The person who
knowingly approaches such crossing
when the track is open to view for any
considerable distance and does not ex-
ercise senses to ascertain if train Is
within distance to threaten a collision
is clearly negligent, and such is the
instructive judgment of all persons of
ordinary prudence. In some jurisdic-
tions, notably in the state of Pennsyl-
vania. it is a practically unvarying
rule of the law that the highway trav-
eler before venturing upon railway
crossing must stop. look both ways
for approaching trains and listen for
sounds and signals indicating such
approach, and that failure to do so is,
in all cases, negligence per Sc. This
extreme and harsh rule has never been
approved in this state, and whether
the traveller should stop, look and
listen is held to depend upon the cir
cumstances of the particular case un-
der consideration, and. save in excep-
tional cases, is a question for the Jury.