Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-02
LEGISLATURE HAS
MADE Good START
WORK IN GOOD SHAPE AL
THOUGH THERE is DISPOSE
TON TO BE DELIBERATE
SCHOOL BILLS IMPORTANT
Division of State Into Four Districts
for These institutions the Plan;
Sheriffs' Bill Passes Senate
With Amendments.
Des Moines Bureau of
The Ottumwa Courier


The Ottumwa Courier
Des Moines. Feb l.
Notwithstanding some evidence of
disposition on the part of members of
the general assembly to be little
more deliberate than seems necessary
the record shows that the legislature
mas really made good start toward
dlsposlng of the work before it. The
only disturbing matter is that, at least
on the part of the older members,
| there is plainly a plan TO hold back
most important matters and not to get
| them up carly in the session, But it
may be that there are no sensational
measures to be sprung.
| The third week closes with about
$50 bills introduced in the two houses,
or really about half that number. for
they are largely duplicates. Nearly
all the appropriation bills for the state
educational and other institutions
nave been presented by the friends of
the respective institutions. It would
be just as we'll not to have these bills
presented at all, for the appropriations
committees in fact ignore them and
make up budget in accordance with
the revenues OF the state and after
comparing the need Of the various in
stitutions. There have been thus far
very few bills calling for large ex-
penditures other than for the various
state institutions.
Inc ways and means committees
will have an important matter to con
slder IN the demand on the part ofsthe
educational institutions of millage
tax for support and to fix a definite
support and contingency fund, also
the proposal for a millage tax to sup
port the proposed agricultural and
manual training academies. The in
heritance tax proposal is also one of
the things these committees must dis
pose OF. Representative Lee has in
troduced the bill for direct inner
itance tax in the exact form of two
years ago, the Gilliland bill exempting
real estate, which would be an en-
couragement to wealthy people to tie
up their property in real estate. But
none of these propositions are as yet
In such form that the ways and means
committees can take hold of them.
The Visiting Committees.
1t is the belief of nearly all that the
matter of visiting the state institu-
lions has been left in about the best
possible condition. There will be
created joint committee of three
from each house, and this committee
will be under the direction of the two
appropriations committees acting
| Jointly, and the visiting squad can be
sent all or in part to any or all of the
| institutions. The plan is to have the
whole committee go to the three state
colleges and possibly to some others,
and then part of the committee be
sent elsewhere Perhaps some of the
institutions will not be visited at all.
In some cases one member may be
sent to look into just one or two small
matters upon which the appropriations
committees desire enlightenment. In
this way the visitation will not inter-
fere in any way with the work of the
| session.
/ Senator Bruce says he will intro
duce a bill to provide for committee
or commission to examine into and
| report upon the conduct of the institu-
tons generally, not because of any
possible bad management, but on the
theory that the legislature is entitled
to more definite information as to how
the money of the state is being spent
and as to whether or not the general
plans Of the board of control and Of
the boards of regents and trustees are
all right He wanted the visiting com
mittees to go into this matter to some
extent.
There is a feeling among members
that a special committee ought to be
sent to the state penitentiary to re-
port upon that institution especially in
view of the onslaught which has been
made upon the board Of control for
having made a change in the head of
the prison. A great many of the mem
bers believe that a report from such a
committee approved by the legislature
1 would greatly strengthen the hands
of the board and tend to firmly estab-
fish for Iowa modern methods in
prison discipline.
Four Agricultural High Schools.
Perhaps the most important of the
bills recently introduced is that for
the establishment OF four agricultural
and mechanical high schools, dividing
the state into four districts This bill
was originally written by Lieut. Gov.
Garst two years ago as a compromise
for the many bills on that subject, and
to it has been added the plan of or
sanization largely as worked out by
Justice Deemer. Such a school can be
established when the city bidding for
it Is ready to donate 100 acres or
more of land. The first school to be
established would probably be at Red
Oak and the second at Mount Pleas
ant. These schools would be in line
for the federal aid contemplated by
congress.
Practically every committee of both
houses has been at work the past
week., mainly upon those bills which
can be got out of the way without
} much discussion, but great many
bills have been placed in the hands of
subcommittee to be perfected. There
will be an immense amount of com
mittee work done the next two weeks.
Each day the sessions will close at