Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-16
AtBusY LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

The legislature VIII nav e -
gram during the present session II
confines itself to consideration Oh lne
recommendations made Ill tne nee
sage of Retiring Governor Garsl anu
the inaugural address of Governor "a
roll But with the Inauguration OF d
governor. the election OF ohlteu
States senator, the consideration VI
the report of the committee Wnicn IN
yestigated the school question Win Tvs
recommendation for revision or the
system. and the individual bills or the
various legislators, in addition 10 the
two messages, the legislature is GER
tain to have an unusually busy SEES
sion.
The message of the retiring execu-
tive MT. Garst and the inaugural ao
dress of Gov. Carroll advocated no
startling reforms, but they contained
recommendations of the utmost I'M
nortance to the state. Gov. Carrolls
nlan for the establishment of public
utilities commission with powers 10
regulate the issue of stocks and bonds,
the method of accounting, the making
of rates and with the power TO inspect
one which should not be decided VIII
out the fullest investigation. Inc
public utilities he would have come
under the regulation OF such com
mission are the railway companies,
street railways, telephone lines, cleo
tric light gas and water plants and
other similar interests. The authority
he would have granted the commission
is now lodged with various omclals'
the executive council, the railway CON-
mission, the city council and the peo'
pie of cities by the granting OF tran
chises. He believes 1t would be a
wiser plan If all this power were
lodged with one commission.
Gov. Carroll also favors commits
sion on natural resources, pointing out
that it is time for us now as natlon
to exercise the same reasonable fore
sight in dealing with our great natura
resources as would be shown by q
prudent man in conserving his OWE
property for himself and his children
Iowa is interested in this matter, he
points out because it has reached the
state where its forests are practical
ly gone, where it's coal, although the
supply is apparently inexhaustible, IL
being mined at an enormous rate, ane
its rivers and other resources are
being given no consideration. He sug
gested that the aid of the commercial
associations of the leading cite:
should be sought in providing natura
resources commission.
Gov. Carroll advocates the restoring
of the circle to the ballot, pointing
out how in the recent general election
hundreds and perhaps thousands Q
ballots were thrown out and not count
ed because the voter placed eros
opposite the name of the candidate TO
president. A citizen, he said, might a
well be denied the right to vote a
that his ballot should be thrown on
where the intention was so clearly ea
pressed. AS to the primary law h
believed that it should be amended a
to place all the candidates on an equa
footing as to the place they should OF
cupy OF the ticket. He favored chang
ing the, date of the primary from Jun
to March in order to permit the farm
ers to get to the polls at time whe
they were not so busy in the field:
Each county too, should pay its ow
primary election expense.
Retiring Gov Garst also recon
menQeQ Ine puDuC UTILITIES Conuls
sion, but suggested that this authorit
should be extended to the railroa
commission He favored rotation {
names on the primary ballot instea
of the present alphabetical arrang'
ment.
He recommended the increasing {
the state mulct tax from 5000 to l,20
one-third to go to the cities, one-third
the counties and one-third TO tn
state. This would gives the state a
additional income of 100000 yea
he asserted. which sum he believe
should be set apart to be used fc
permanent road construction.