Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-05-20
CARRoLuS TAX COMMISSION
DOES NOT CONTAIN NAMES EN-.
TiTlEpTo RECOGNITION.
like PLAY OF HAMLET
WITH HAMLET LEFT OUT
None Who Have Been Leaders in Tax
Reform Movement Given Places
Professor srindIey Strongly Urged
But Ienored-Commissio Contains
Some Good Men.
Special to Times-Republican.

Des Moines, May 20.-There was sur
prise and chagrin among the friends
Of progressive legislation in Iowa when
| the names of the members of the Iowa
tax commission We're announced, not
! so much because Of the names found
there as because Of some names not
found there. Tax reform has been
| urged for a number of years in Iowa
| by men who are of a distinctly agrees
| sive type who are familiar with legisla-
ton and how to get things done in
matter Of Legislative reform Not one
Of the members OF the commission
named has been at all active in this re-
form. Not one has been conspicuous
for leadership in this or any other re-
form. Only one member of the legis-
lature was named and ne is kindly
disposed gentleman who would hardly
be singled out as leader in legislative
work
The surprising thing, however, was
that the list does not contain the name
of one person who has approached the
subject from the standpoint Of profess
sional economics. No real student Of
the subject was named II was ex-
pected that Prof John r. Brindley. of
go on that commission, but for some
mysterious reason he was left Off
Professor Brindley is regarded as an
authority on the subject of taxation,
not only in Iowa but all over the coun-
try. II is not known that he was in
any sense a candidate, and certainly
he was not able TO bring any political
pull to bear on the subject. But few
days before the commission was named
the professor Of economics in one Of the
big eastern colleges, a man who has no
personal acquaintance with Brindley,
wHote the governor urging that Brind-
ley be named on the commission and
virtually stating that to name a tax
commission for Iowa with him not in
cluded would be like playing Hamlet
with no Hamlet, Professor Brindley's
rwo-volume treatise on the history Of
taxation in Iowa was SO we'll thought
Of that the legislature ordered a set
for each and every member. In fact
he has devoted himself to the subject
for dozen years and is rightly re-
garded as the most eminent student Of
the subject that Iowa has.
Professor Brindley is not politician.
He has been helped in his work by
Prof Benjamin F Shambaugh, who is
gressive.
There is no doubt, however, that the
tax commission will get busy and pre-
pare a report that will form the basis
OF action in Iowa two years hence
Those who have pushed the tax reform
movement thus far will see it thru
to a finish.
If the members Of the standpat fac
ton in the Ninth district do not change
their views they will make an effort TO
defeat the will Of the republicans of the
district by desperate effort to keep
the name Of the republican nominee
from Appearing on the ballot at all. In
formation comes from, Atlantic that the
plan is to go into court and seek an
order to restrain the secretary Of state
from certifying out the name Of the
candidate on the theory that one who
is on the district bench can not be
certified as eligible to the office of
member Of congress. There was some
talk Of that here a few years ago when
Judge Prouty, then on the bench. was
a candidate for congress, but nothing
came Of it. Whether any court can be
found that will take this action is an
other question; but it is certain that
those who compose what is left Of the
standpat faction are in an ugly mood
An amusing thing was the reference
in the editorial here announcing the
candidacy Of Senator Allen for Sec
rotary Of state to the fact that he
would have an advantage because his
name commences with IA This would
seem to indicate that a least some
newspaper editors fail to keep abreast
Of the progressive legislation IN Iowa
and do not know that the alphabetical
advantage was taken out of the pri-
mary law. The only advantage left
is in appearing first on the ballot in
Polk county, which may not be much
of an advantage. The rotation system
has proven satisfactory. With Allen,
Benedict and Chassell in the race it
would be an A. 3. C. affair anyway,
and the winner probably would need
only 25 per cent 1t is probable that in
this race there would not be factionai
lines drawn.
The Webster City Freeman Tribune
states that Congressman Frank P.
Woods will be a candidate for renomi-
nation next year. Two very prominent
republicans who met in the supreme
court last week, one from Fort Dodge
and one from Carroll, discussed the sit
uation and stated that they understood
Mr.. Woods would be a candidate to
succeed himself, and both indicated
that anybody who made the race
against him would know he had at least
been in a race. 1T Is true that Mr..
Woods is a progressive" one Of them
said, 'and because OF that fact he has
been abused a great deal, but it is a
How's 1his7