Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-23
Iowa
WAR ON SALE OFCICARETTES
Jesse B. Hammond Asks Attorney
General for Interpretation of Law.
WILL CLOSE STATE ARCHIVES
Appropriation for This Department
VIII he Exhausted by September
-CrOckery Men Protest
Tariff Change.

DIES MONIES, Ia. Jun 22.-(special
Telegram)-Jesse B. Hammond, who has
announced an intention to stop the sale
Of cigarettes in Iowa, called on
Attorney General Byers today and will
write a letter asking him for the interpre-
tation of the law. There is little question
but thai the handling or selling of cigar
cites is illegal and as soon as he gets
the opinion of General Byers he will start
a statewide prosecution OF cigarette sell
ers. Dealers all over the state have taken
1t for granted that the paying of the mulct
tax exempted them from punishment for
the sale. Section 507 Of the code states
specifically that this is not the case,
though nine-tenths Of the people Of the
state have probably supposed the law to
operate the same as the liquor mulct tax.
1t is believed that General Byers can in
terpret the law but one way and that Is
that cigarettes selling is Illegal and sub
ject to a fine whether the cigarette mulct
tax Is paid or not.
VIII Close Archives.
The executive council today decided to
close up the archives department after
September l. The money available from
the state appropriation will by that time
be exhausted and the department must re-
main closed till another legislature meets.
Some of the employees have thought the
council would merely cut down the force
and that they could thus hold on.
improvements at Fair Grounds.
The state fair board today let contracts
for the erection Of a 1900 cattle barn, for
the erection of the steel balcony in the
agricultural building, for the permanent
bandstand and vaudeville stage in front
OF the amphitheater and for the addition
TO TIE swine pavilion.
Proposed ~IHterurban Railroad.
Articles Of incorporation OF the lows
& Omaha Railroad company, with a cap
ital stock Of 1000, 900, were left with the
secretary OF state today and will be filed
when the balance OF the filing fee is paid.
The company has been incorporated In
South Dakota and its object is to build a
railroad from Des Moines through Dallas,
Guthrie, Audubon, Shelby and Pottawat-
TAME counties to Omaha. 1t Is to be an
interurban, with privilege to use steam
electricity, gasoline or any other power
George w. Adams OF Walnut, Ia, is un,
derstood TO be the moving spirit in the
matter and has been working on the prop
osition for some years. He claims the
road will be built with local capital. The
directors are business men OF Treynor
Adair and Walnut, la.
CrOckery Men In Convention.
Big crockery merchants Of the Mississippi
valley are in session here to frame a pro-
test against changing the tariff on crook
cry from an adValorem to a specific duty
Nichols Nearly SuROcatsd.
While p Ank Nichols, deputy United
States marshal. was in the vault of the
office a friend. as a Joke, swung the door
TO and walked away. thinking that Nichols
could easily push the door open. An hour
later Harry Hammond, another deputy, en-
tered and was attracted by Nichols faint
knocks on the door and traced II to the
vault The bolts had 1A-unE and Nichols