Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-01-06


ately following the November cleo
ton, is being made to defeat DR..
George A. Newman, the veteran secre-
tary of that body. Pitted against DR..
Newman is s. w. Neal Of Washington
county. Each candidate has made a
vigorous campaign by letter and in
person, and the friends of each are
confident their favorite will win when
the final vote is taken in the Repub-
lican caucus, to be held Saturday
evening, Jan. 9. From all that can be
learned the chances seem to favor the
retention of DR.. Newman at the Sec
retary's desk, but if he wins it will be
by narrow margin of the caucus
votes. For the remaining chief offices
of the senate there will be little or no
contest, and it is safe to predict that
the lineup will be practically as fol-
lows: First assistant secretary
George A. Wilson of Adair; second as
sistant secretary, Joseph E. Meyer of
Clayton; journal clerk, j. S. Irish of
Polk; assistant journal clerk, William
Lane of Guthrie; engrossing clerk, F.
E. Cass of Taylor.
Many Up for Speaker.
On the house side of the legislature
a lively and intensely interesting fight
for the speakership will terminate
with the caucus to be held next Satur-
day afternoon. The candidates for
the place are more numerous than
ovar hoforo opd tho 70 ot that ca MANY
are after the prize has placed it be-
yond the pale of political prognostica-
ton. The candidates, each of whom
apparently believes the mantle of for
mer Speaker Nate Kendall is ready
to fall on his shoulders, are: Repre-
sentatives Lee of Emmett, Feeley of
Blackhawk, Harding Of Woodbury.,
Hacker of Webster, White of Story,
Darrah OF Lucas, Stillman of Greene,
and Marston of Cerro Gordo. More
or less Of the old factional trouble
Of the Republicans Is coming to the
surface in this fight, and II lines are
drawn in the caucus the standpatters,
while they will not have strength
enough to elect their own man, will
be in a position to dictate which Of
the other candidates will be given the
honor. In the above list all the can
didates named are so called progress
sives, with the exception of Harding
Of Woodbury.. All have been members
OF former general assemblies and all
are well qualified for the honor sought.
Outside of this contest, it Is predicted
there will be found no return to the
factional disturbances which have
pervaded the Republican membership
of the legislative assemblies in re-
cent years.
Little is heard about the candidates
for other positions in the house. 1t
is understood that Rush Benedict of
Shelby, who has been chief clerk in
the past three sessions, will be given
the place again without opposition.
For the other places, no candidates
are in the field as yet, though it is
known they will be plentiful before
the time for the caucus to decide such
matters.
Good Roads Legislation.
: Attorney General Byers is back of a
proposed bill which will eventually,
should it become law, put Iowa in
the van of her sister states in the mat
ter of good roads. The bill continues
the good roads commission, now lodged
In the State college at Ames, and pro-
vides for the appointment Of state
highway engineer, who will be the
head of the department. One interest
ing feature of the bill is that it will be
accompanied by a measure providing
for a wheelage tax on automobiles. In
this manner it Is proposed to make the
auto owners pay the large share Of the
cost of creating and maintaining per-
manent good roads for the state. The
Byers bill provides for an appropria-
ton of 100000 to be used In paying
rewards to counties in which good and
permanent highways are constructed.
The method involved In the law is a
novel one, but it is pronounced highly
practical.
The automobile tax bill, which will
be pushed in conjunction with the
good roads measure, will provide tax
Of IS year on automobiles Of less
than thirty-horse power and $40 year
on machines exceeding that power.
There are, it is estimated, about 5000
automobiles in the state, and this tax
would average about $4,000 a year for
the good roads treasury.
Bills Always on Hand.
The first week Of the coming session
of the assembly will see the usual
food of bills, and among them are
sure to be the Iowa legislators old and
time tried friends, the measure to Gre
ate state marshal law for the regula-
ton of the liquor traffic, and the con-
stitutional amendment resolution Civ.
ing women the right to vote on all po-
litical candidates. and questions
Neither Of. these measures will be
adopted, but they will afford the regu-
lation opportunities for members to go
on record. The suffrage amendment is
due this time to be adopted by the SEN
ate and killed In the house. Since
time immemorial this has been the
practice of the Iowa legislature, the
hnucac altarpatolv occapfipu tho 70