Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-02-24
TERMINAL TAX
!. HEARING IS on
Senate Committee Hears Argu-
ments From Railroads.
FATE Of MEASURE i GUESS
Cities Are in Favor Of Bill. but Farm.
ers and Railroads Are Working To.
gether to Accomplish Its Defeat.
Public Utility Bill UP.

gether to Accomplish Its Defeat.
Public Utility Bill Up.
Des Moines, Feb. 23.-The Saunders
terminal taxation bill, which proposes
to apportion the taxation OF railroads
according to the entire mileage and
not as to main: lines only, as under
the present system, will have final
nearing in the senate ways and means
committee tomorrow afternoon. The
committee has spent two days now in
listening to arguments from the rail
roads, which, are opposed to the bill,
and the representatives of the cities
OF the state who are arguing in its ia
vor. After the hearing tomorrow it is
proba BILE the committee will proceed
to vote on the question of recon-
mending the, bill for passage. Those
who are giving the matter closest at
tention declare the report will be IA
vorable, but the outcome of the mat
ter in open session Of the legislature
Is very doubtful. The rather strange
spectacle is found in this measure of
the railroads of the state and the
farmers and rural communities work
ing together to accomplish its defeat.
All the cities are in favor Of the bill
because it will mean large increase
in their portion of railroad taxes. ;.
The public utility bill of Messrs.
White. Grier and Larrahee. which has
been outlined in these letters, is un-
dergoing grueling process in COM
mittee this afternoon. The corpora
tons. which the bill seeks to govern,
have representatives before the CON-
mittee arguing in its behalf, while the
Municipal league of the state has it's
representatives urging the committee
to put the bill to sleep.
Presidential Candidates of Ballot.
There is every probability that the
great Iowa voter, when he comes to
cast his ballot for president and vice
president in 1912, will be confronted
by q ticket on which the names of his
favorites will not appear. In reality,
now the voter casts his ballot only for
candidates for the offices of electors,
but he finds himself buoyed up in his
partisan patriotism by the fact that
the names Of the presidential candi-
dates appear at the head Of his ballot,
aud seeing these names he feels that
he is more fully discharging his duty
of citizenship than by RELOCATING a
portion Of that duty to other persons.
The senate has adopted bill, by Sen
ator Peterson Of Wright county, which
provides that hereafter the official
ballots at presidential elections shall
be printed without the names of can
didates for president and vice presi-
dent appearing thereon. There is lit
tie doubt but the house will in the
course OF week take up the bill and
adopt it. The cause for this radical
change in the method of dealing with
the official ballot on presidential cleo
ton years is found in the numerous
contested election cases which have
had to be disposed of by the two
houses of the legislature this winter.
Three years ago the extra session of
the Thirty-first general assembly
amended the ballot law by removing
the circle from the top of the ballot.
At the election last fall when the bal
lot was first put before the people in
this shape thousands of voters could
not refrain from placing cross marks
in front of the name Of the presiden.
tial candidate although no square ap
peared before the name. In many pre-
cincts where ballots thus marked were
found the judges refused to count them
Will Not Restore Circle. to Ballot.
The adoption of this bill by the leg
islature will mean that the lawmakers
will refuse to take action on another
bill which is now before the senate, tc
restore the circle to the ballot. lowe
has changed its ballot laws so fire.
quently since the adoption of the Aus
tralian form of voting that the people
have never had chance to get thor
oughly acquainted with any one form
of ticket. While many Of the law
makers of the present assembly d.
not like the present method, still the,
feel that it would be foolish to max,
o change now, even back to the simpl,
form by which a mark in circle a
the head of the ticket would vote TO
every candidate on it. The keepin,
of the circle of the ballot will be
victory for the Democrats who hav'
fought against its restoration on tn
, ground that it tends to prevent indie
pendent voting.
, To Enlarge Military Of State.
The new adjutant general Of Iowa
}. Guy A. Logan, is planning to have tn
military force of the state increase
by the addition of 1000 men and tn
addition also of four machine gun CON
q panies. A bill to that effect is no,
J. before the military committee of tn
o two houses, and will be up for specia
), consideration this week. The bill
a revolutionary in its character, becaus
v it practically repeats all laws no,
+. governing the National Guard and Ell
O acts new statutes in their place.
4 calls for an annual appropriation {
$153.O0O. There are four regiment
of the National Guard in Iowa at tn
present time and the legal requir,
b ment is that the companies must mail
q tain minimum membership of fort.
g. five men. The new bill raises the mil
g. lmum to firty-eight. It is also provide
r In the bill that uniforms must be wol
8. while on military duty only.
er Women Will Save the Turtle Dove
30 Game Warden George A. Linco
X says there is little danger of the pa
e. sage of the McManus bill, making Il
Is turtle dove by law game bird al
h permitting the killing of doves duril
tn the hunting season. The women
r. Iowa have come to the rescue Of Il
* cooling dove and their protests to N
Lincoln, which he has carried to t
members of the legislature, will
lbt be needed. Senator McMan,
D: ne author of the bill, says his on
ne reason for introducing it was to pla