Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-02

he was worth
Mr. Cosson, defining the duties and
powers of sheriffs in the matter OF
law enforcement was passed unani-
mously after being amended SO that
sheriffs or deputies may charge the
actual and necessary expenses con-
tracted in ferreting out crime. The
bill makes it the duty Of the sheriff
to investigate any cases of infraction
of law at the request of the county
attorney, and furnish the evidence to
the county attorney and the grand
| jury. This bill is the first of a
series Of measures drawn up by the
attorney general for the better en-
forcement of law. 1t is especially di-
rected to the enforcement of the mulct
law and will be followed by other bills
intended to make disobedience to law
unpopular in Iowa.
Rattle Snake Bill Passes.
After making 1t more difficult to
get booze" illegally, the senate turn
ed it's attention to snakes and passed
Senator Quigleys rattlesnake bill put
! ting price on the head of every rep
tile of that species in Iowa. The bill
makes it optional with boards of sup
ervisors in. each county to pay bounty
of SO cents for every rattlesnake killed.
In order to collect this bounty the
person killing the snake must bring to
the county auditor Eat least two inches
of the tail of such rattlesnake, with
the rattles attached thereto" 1t also
provides that after paying the bounty,
the auditor shall destroy the portion
of the tail, having first detached the
rattles, which are to be returned to
| the person killing the snake. The bill
created considerable amusement, but
was passed without opposition.
Peterson's Primary Bill.
Senator Peterson introduced bill
amending the primary election law by
providing that counties shall pay. the
expenses of such elections, also that
the names Of candidates shall rotate
on the ballot. After each one hundred
ballots are printed, the order of
names shall be changed and in the
distribution of ballots to different vot-
! ing precincts care shall be taken that
each candidates name is at the head
of the ballot an equal number of
| times.
The campaign being made on be-
half of an increase in the pay of the
shorthand reporters of the district
courts of the state Is meeting with
much favor at the hands Of the legis.
lators. OF course there are all sorts
Of bill proposing increase of pay, but
in the case Of the official reporters
there seems to be more reason for 1t
than for other proposals. What is
wanted is a rate of So per day while
the reporter is actually engaged In
the taking down of testimony in a
case, guaranty of $100 a year In
stead of $1,000 and 10 instead of 6
POINTED out that the standard OF
qualification is as high in Iowa as
anywhere and yet the rate of COM
pensation does not compare with that
in other states.
The latest of the salary raising bills
is that to increase the pay Of the four
district judges in Polk county by per-
hitting the county to pay them each
$1,000 year in addition to the $500
year they each now get from the
state. This is on the theory that Polk
county gets a very superior quality OF
Judge for the bench. At the same time
it is proposed that the law be permit
ted SO that all judges shall be nominal
ed at the primary elections instead OF
leaving these Offices to the tender
mercies Of the politicians.
There are bills to increase the pay
of assessors in cities, to increase the
pay Of deputy county officers, and to
increase the salaries of members OF
the railroad commission. There will
doubtless also be bill to increase the
pay of the curator of the historical
department, to add to the pay Of sew
eral state officers and possibly to in
crease the pay of members of the
board of control
Some of the members contemplate
radical Improvement with respect t.
the publicity of emergency bills by
having the secretary Of state print and
send out to district judges and county
auditors copies of every bill which
goes into effect with publication
clause. This would require small
added expense, but 1t would enable
those who ought to know, to keep tai
on what is being done by the legisla
ture without waiting until some time