Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-25
PLEAS FOR PROHIBITION
Legislature Being Flooded-with Peti'
tons to Submit Amendment.
CHANGE IN RULE ON NEGLIGENCE
House Refuses 60 Extend Provisions
of CommissiO Form of Govern
ment 20 cities of the
second Glass.

-.
temperance forces Of the state descended
Upon the legislature today and poured out
a great volume Of petitions in favor Of the
submission to the voters of an amendment
to the constitution forbidding sales of
liquors. An immense quantity of these
petitions was dumped into the committee
rooms, and the claim is made by the per-
sons interested that the number of signers
now reaches about 5000. No action has
been taken in either branch Of the legisla-
ture indicating that the matter will be
started on its way to q place in the con-
stitution.
Committee for ResubmissIOn.
BY a vote of II to s the house committee
on the suppression of intemperance voted
for the resubmission of a constitutional
amendment prohibiting the sale and manu-
facture Of liquor In Iowa and urged the
passage OF the bill.
Only two republicans cast their votes
against the measure and the resolution was
carried without discussion. The fight will
be waged on the floor of the house this
week. Opposed to r~esubmlssion will be a
small body of determined republicans. An
effort will be made to substitute the Cas-
sons bill for the enforcement OF the ex-
listing law. 1t is predicted that the senate
committee on suppression OF mtemperdnCe
will not report favorably upon 1t.
Change Rule as to Risks.
The senate today spent three hours de-
batting the Peterson bill to change the rule
of law as to contributory negligence and
the assumption of risks by railroad men.
The bill provides that in damage suits con-
tributory negligence Of the employee shall
not be a bar to recovery, but shall be
,on.fdarod a., v-oo.,~to, tla Jon,ooac -
as to assumption of the ordinary risks
Of the employment that is not to be pleaded
as against the railroad man. Senator
Saunders offered an amendment somewhat
similar to that which was placed upon the
national law by the United States senate
limiting the assumption OF risk rule to
cases where the railroad company has
violated some law. This was defeated and
the bill was passed.
Commission Plan Not Extended.
The house refused, after a long debate,
to give the people of cities of the second
class in Iowa a chance to vote in favor
of adoption of the commission plan of city
government. There was much opposition
to this on the ground that the law was as
yet an experiment and that it was unwise
to try it on the smaller cities of the state.
The house passed the O'Connor bill 10
create the office of state inspector of ho-
tells and to require that hotels shall have
fire apparatus and fire escapes.
New Bills.
Senator De Armand introduced a bill to
strengthen the law as to carrying fire
arms.
Senator Ream introduced a bill to make
use of Jail ~convicts on public road work
or other public work and to pay to their
families 81 a day.
Senator Moon introduced a bill to amend
the present law as to selection of juries
and to provide that juries shall be selected
from a larger list,
The senate on vote refused to recon
slider the vote by which 1t late Monday
afternoon passed the Hammill bill to for
bic sales of liquor to persons who have
been inmates of drink cure establishments.
Normal School Name.
Another effort is to be made to effect a
change in the name of the State Normal
school. A number of the senators believe
that II a stand had been taken simply to
change the name to Normal college" in
stead of the Teachers college," it would
have been successful. The bill on final
vote had 20 votes. One who voted against
it has changed and moved to reconsider.
This is Senator Chapman. There were also
three OF the democrats VINO talled 10 vote
for the bill. and as Senator DeWolf, who
fathered the bill, is popular with the demo-
Gratis. It is believed these three can be won
over to support the bill largely as a. COM
pl. aent TO the senator from Grundy. There
was really a good deal Of feeling stirred up
over the bill because of a prevalent feeling
that there was something back of it more
important than merely a desire to get a
chance at the Carnegie pension fund. In
fact it was practically admitted on the
floor OF the senate that the school can now
| secure the benefits of the Carnegie pension
fund by showing that the standard is right.
The most serious accusation against the
bill was that 1t was. a covert attempt to
legalize the change In character of the
normal school and to open the way for
larger appropriations by reason of the in
s~titution being I'm fact a college or unlver-
sity. The motion to reconsider is on the
senate calendar.
The bill to increase the pay OF shorthand
reporters is having some difficulty getting
out of the hands of a house committee,
but the reporters are confident they will
get some kind of a report this week. II