Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-03
ILLINOIS TO ADOPT BOARD OF
CONTROL FOR STATE
INSTITUTIONS.
HOPE TO ELIMINATE
POLITICAL DICTATION
Iowa Railroads to Make Suit Against
Anti-Pass Law a Decisive Contest
Attack Upon Supreme Court Appar-
ently lnexcusable - Need Seen for
Commerce Counsel.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, May 3.-Last winter a
committee of the Illinois state senate
visited Des Moines and made a careful
investigation of the methods of Iowa
In the management OF the state insti-
tutions The senators Indicated their
great pleasure at what they found. Tha
past week the Iowa board received in
formation to the effect that virtual
agreement had been reached in the HI
inois Legislature on a bill for a state
board of control patterned somewhat
after the Iowa board. The Illinois board
will consist of five persons at a salary
of $500 each, requiring that every one
shall devote his entire time to the
work. The bill is backed by the persons
who have Interested themselves in re-
form work in that state and the main
purpose is TO take the institutions out
of politics and establish a business
basis. The State Medical Association,
which has hitherto opposed reforms, is
said to be in favor of the bill There
are twenty institutions in Illinois
against fifteen in Iowa. Members of the
Iowa board feel it is quite a compli-
ment to this state that so many other
states are coming 10 The Iowa. plan OF
non-partisan control of state institu-
tions.
Since the legislature authorized a
bounty on rattlesnakes and groundhogs
some inquiry has been made as TO the
operations of the bounty law, and it
has been discovered that in Jackson
county the bounty offered on gophers
is yielding nice sum to the boys of
the county. Last year bounty was paid
on over 1000 gophers in that county
and within twenty days bounty was
paid on 523 of the small rodents. There
is fear that if the activity of the bounty
hunters Is kept up it will be necessary
to increase the tax levy.
That the railroads intend the Iowa
suit on the anti-pass law to be the
one great contest for overturning the
entire scheme of legal restraint of the
companies in the matter of issuance
of transportation is certain from the
fact that the argument which they filed
in the case from Buena Vista county
covers material which is good in any
county and at any time. In fact the
whole field of the rights of companies
to issue transportation is covered in
the Salinger brief, and it is said that
NIP liager has devoted most of his
he past six monthsto preparation
y. the argument. The fact that the H.
linois Central was the company inter-
ested while Mr.. Sannger is the attor-
ney who is handling the case is taken
to indicate that the roads nave COM
bined in the attack on the Iowa law
at have little patience with this talk
about the supreme court" said Sena-
tor Gillilland while in the city the
other day. 1T seems to me that the
criticism is without any force. Take
for instance, the criticism in regard te
the judges having rooms in the capitol
The fact is that these private rooms
are absolutely necessary if the court
Is to do Its work with ease, and there
is abundant reason why it should be
made possible for a judge to remain ir
his room occasionally all night rattle,
than to go to hotel when the nights
work is done. AS for the talk of en-
ploying relatives in confidential rela-
ton that answers itself In the case OF
Judge Mccain there is no doubt what
ever OF the regularity and legality Of
the act of the code commission in pur-
chasing his annotations. 1t must be re-
membered that Judge McClain is {
wonderful worker, capable of fourteen
to sixteen hours of labor a day and tina
unless there is an accusation that HI
has shirked his share of the labor o.
the court there is no ground for crit
icism if he does not devote every ONT
of his hours TO the task of deciding
cases. Nothing could have been moro
inexcusable than the attack upon the
court which has had no other effec
than to give thoughtless persons al
excuse for complaining"
In both the Dubuque bridge case ant
the Nebraska City bridge case, il
which the rights of the travelling public
are being looked after by the attorney
general. the state is giving practica
illustration of the practicability o.
having a commerce counsel devotins
his entire time to considera ton of mat
ters affecting the rights of the public
in rate and similar matters. Attorne!
General Byers has taken up these case!
on relations of citizens of the state act.
ing thru the railroad commission, ant
If successful in reducing the bridge ar.
bitrary at each place it will be worth
far more to the travelling and shipping
public than the cost of a commerc.
counsel, yet the exactions at thu
bridges have been going on for man,
years. Attorney General Byers expect
to compel a change of policy at thes.
bridges and may even make tn,
bridges free.