Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-03
Outside Point of View

One of the noticeable operations CT
the citizens of Iowa is to elect a leg
islature, and then before it has been
In session a week to metaphorically
damn it till it's day Of adjournment
Literally it is damned if 1T does and
damned If 1t doesn't" Many men OF
many minds" find a session Of the leg
islature the opportunity of their lives,
and thus they appear before commit
tees to which certain bills are referred
and air their eloquence, frequently do
ing more to enact or prevent the pas
sage of proposed laws than the mem
bers of the legislature themselves.
The situation in Des Moines today
concerning the proposed public utilities
commission for Iowa is a good Illus
tration of this statement. 1t is the
worst and it is the best piece of pro-
posed legislation ever talked of. We
had all this in previous legislatures,
when the primary law, the board of
control, the parole board and the rail-
bills were being agitated. Even the
Australian ballot was discussed pro
and con as is today, "the restoration
of the circle" To hear some Of this
talk one would think the state would
go to the "dimndtion bow vows il we
established a public utilities commits
sion in Iowa, similar to that Of New
York state, where to remove it from
the statute books and to go back to
previous conditions would be impossi-
BILE.
Another thing, each succeeding leg
islature is prototype of all preceding
ones. We have the member from
Podunk, who hobs up on all possible
occasions and talks, talks, talks. He
has speech ready on all occasions,
from a eulogy to a legalizing act. Ev-
erybody all over the state knows him
by reputation, windbag, full of hot
air and in his own estimation q states
man. He is especially prominent in
the senate this year.
K Again the member from Nextown in
the house is there this year with a
big record Of rabsent or not voting"
"If had been in the house should
have voted with the majority, but was
in the committe room at work when
the vote was taken" This member
tries to please all Of his constituents
and avoids going on record on all pos
sible occasions, with the deserved re-
suit Of failing of reelection. And the
good and morality member from
some county is there again this year.
His "long suit" is the eloquent speech,
when Sunday baseball" Sunday clos
Ing" "the bible in the public schools"
profanity in public places" gambling"
or "horse racing for money" is under
discussion.
And the member from North county,
the man who works, who does things,
who seldom has his name in the pa
pers, is not interviewed" but makes
his presence felt; he is there as usual,
but few know it. He hasn't made a
speech this session, and his constitu-
ents think he isn't earning his salary.
But just the same, one of these days
he will be nominated for higher Office,
by those who know him, and the talk
ing man from Podunk will wonder
how 1t all happened.
And here's another thing that all
observers of past and present legisla-
lures will agree upon. And that Is.
that less than score Of men out of
the $50 actually do the work. They
make and unmake. They do 1t in var
ious ways. It Is killed in committee; it
Is indefinitely postponed; the previous
question is called. They are adopts in
parliamentary practice, or, to push a
fv>od mn
scratch my back and I'll scratch
yours" members are dined and wined;
their friends become oil inspectors and
their sons pages and committee
clerks. They are log rollers and good
ones. They are wise as serpents and
harmless as doves" They are there
this year working nights and Sundays.
And we private citizens read the leg
islative reports and some of us
damn the legislature" hardly know
ing what the public utilities commits
sion is. We get smart and say If
they'd adjourn and come home 1t would
be the best thing they have done this
session.
But two years from now We'll again
have another. legislature, all of these
things will happen again, and still the
sun will rise and set as usual. His
tory will repeat itself. Two years from
now we will again damn the legis-
lature"
Mr.aLeza