Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-06-26
Commission Finds it Has I'm
mense Task in Doing Work
Properly
COUNTY UNIT PLAN FAVORED
Many Contradictions Found in Present
Laws = Hamilton Says He Ha'
Enough As Candidate for Cover 4
Says Carroll Will Be Given S, 5
Term. A.
Special to T,mes-Repuplican.


Des Moines, June ADMINISTRATIONS
by the school law revision commits
sion have led to the unanimous agree
ment that the commission must be-
gin from the bottom and construct
new fabric The original school laws
of Iowa were made fifty years ago
and were drawn on a plan that suited
that time. Progress of events and the
settling up Of the state have made
changes in the laws necessary, but IN
stead of following the original plan
of architecture the new additions have
been put on by legislators who seemed
to have no idea Of the original plans
or of the ideas of the pioneer legis-
lators.
The result Is that there are many
contradictions in the Iowa school laws.
out in the subsequent additions and
changes it would be possible 1t is
thought, to keep the general plan, but
the new additions, amendments and
changes now really constitute the main
part of the structure. 1t is therefore
believed that it is as we'll to begin
the structure over again.
In this rebuilding it is more than
likely that the county will be con-
sidered the unit instead of the town
-bt ha ~ ,;cc of
three men has progressed to the point
where in a few weeks the fundament-
ais will be decided upon. There was
general discussion by the commission
at it's first meetings. Then the work
was divided and each member pre-
pared plans for his share of the work.
This has been completed and this week
the three members exchanged their
work each member giving to each
Of the other two copy of his work.
AS soon as the summer school at
the state university is closed so that
Professor Bolton will have time at his
disposal, at which time it is believed
the courts will have adjourned for
the summer and the two lawyer mem
bers of the commission will be at
leisure, the commission will meet
again. In the meantime the state OF
Pennsylvania has a commission which
is at work along the same lines. This
commission has sent an invitation to
that in Iowa and to similar commits
sions which are at work in Illinois,
Kansas and North Dakota, to meet
with it the first Of July in Ohio, at
the meeting of the National Educa-
tional association in Cleveland when
the commissions Jointly will discuss
the matter of school legislation and
endeavor to gain some ideas from each
other. The question Of adopting
uniform plan may also be brought up
at that time, tho this is not mentioned
In the invitation Immediately follow
ing this meeting in Chicago the Iowa
commission will meet in Des Moines
in the office of Judge Baily, who Is
a member Of the commission. and IN
few weeks prepare the report. 1t is the
intention of the commission to finish
the report by the first of Septemb Der.
The state university opens at about
that time and Professor Bolton will
be busy from that on. The courts open
about the first of September and the
two lawyer members Of the commits
sion will be unable to devote any time
to the work after September 1. 1t is
almost necessary for the work to be
finished by that time and the members
of the commission believe that 1t Will
be finished by that time.
No commission appointed by the leg
islature in recent years has ever had
the honor to have its work accepted
nv the succeeding legislature. The re-
port nearly always has to be presented
two or three times before 1t is finally
adopted but educators of Iowa are in
homes that the report Of the school
law revision commission will meet a
better fate. When the commission to
visit the penitentiaries and report to
the legislature did its work the report
was given scant consideration. The
commission reported the indetermin-
ate sentence law as part OF Its work
and the Transformation of the Anamosa
nenitertiary into a reformatory. The
legislature defeated it but the next leg
islature accepted it.
The commission to report on a board
of control system for the state edu-
cational institutions has had its rec
concentrations refused by two legisla-
lures and it is doubtful whether or not
it VIII be presented to the third. The
insurance commission met better
fate. It's report, however, was some-
what different from those of other COM
missions. 1t presented number of
new Insurance laws. The majority of
them were passed but the commission
itself was not agreed and there was a
minority report.
Iowa legislatures have universally
been slow to adopt radical changes in
the political system of the state. There
are old fogies in every legislature and
if the school law revision commission
reports a system that contemplates
anything but little red school house
ON top Of every hill with a teacher and