Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-27
SUNDAY MEASURE
BEFORE COMMITTEE
DIES MONIES PEOPLE ARGUE FOR
LEGISLATION TO PRESERVE
CHARACTER OF THE AMERICAN
SABBATH.
Dies Moines Bureau OF
The Ottumwa Courier.

Des Moines, Feb. 25.
The state marshal bill made its ap
pearance in the house today, having
been introduced by Representative In
man of Floyd county. Mr.. Rankin
representing the State Marshal clubs
Is here to take charge of the bill.
The senate this morning received
the report of the cities and towns ad,
verse to the Van Law bill to permit
the investigation of public service cor,
porations. The bill was placed on the
calendar and ordered printed In the
Journal and this will bring the tight
on the floor to pass the bill.
Both houses Of the legislature ad,
1ourned today for a recess until next
/ Wednesday. The senate passed the
optometry bill by vote of 33 to 5,
after several Intellectual attempts
were made to have the board made up
Of majority Of doctors.
Health Secretary Criticised.
In the house there was harsh crit
cism of Secretary Thomas of the state
board of health and Secretary David
son of the state executive council for
alleged discourtesy to members and
refusal to give out information and
aid the departments.
The house passed the senate bill to
authorize tax aid for libraries and
hospitals, the bill. to change the name
of the poor farms to county homes
the bill to require the annual cutting
of hedges along roads and severa
bills relating to voting for franchise:
in cities The senate passed the bill
appropriating $4,000 for 5000 copies
of the soldiers roster and several
minor bills.
The Sunday Observance Measures.
The showing in favor of the bill for
the better observance of the Sabbath
day, as made before the house com
mittee Wednesday afternoon, was
much stronger than the opponents OF
the bill had anticipated. Among those
who spoke in favor of some legisla
ton along the line of preserving the
character of the American Sabbath
was Henry Wallace, also w. B. Martin
F. S. Dunshee and Rev. H. Hansen
The latter read carefully prepared
argument for the bill in which he took
the position that it was not giving anJ
new standing to the Sabbath but rath
&er a measure for protecting day al
ready established and recognized IN
Iowa law. Mr.. Wallace pointed to the
fact that every state now has laws
safeguarding the Sabbath Mr.. Martin
formerly secretary of state, strongly
supported the measure. The letter
from the secretary of the actors
union to Senator Proudfoot was read
in which it was made very plain that
the actors and actresses desire a res:
day. A question was asked as tc
whether or not there is not already
sufficient law and that the local au
thorities can prevent theatrical enter
tainments If they desire. but in an
swer to this it was stated that the at
torney general Of the state is of opin
ion that there is not now actual au
thority for forbidding theatres on Sun
day and the city authorities in Des
MONIES and most of the cities of thl
state take this view. The advocates 81
the bill called special attention to the
fact that the only purpose of the Mere
dith bill, which was under considera
ton. was to put stop to those things
which are on purely commercial ba
sis and thus to eliminate the money
making features of Sabbath breaking
The Railroad Bills.
It is stated now that the railroads