Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-03-29
IOWA SOLONS ARE BUSY
Great Mass of Over 1 200 Bills Being
Rapidly Disposed of.
NO ELECTIoN OF SENATOR.
Past Week Spent i'm Discussion Of
Disposition of Important Meas
ures. Session Nearing
the End.

/
lature. Many important measures
have been discussed in committee
and before both branches of the
. legislature, with the result that
much progress is being made in
disposing Of the mass of over 1900
bills introduced, either by killing
them off or passing them. OF course
the great majority are killed either
in committee or by vote of one or
the ether of the houses. But out
of 1t all, some very good measures
are being passed, and the present
session bids fair to go down in his
tory as one of the most business
like legislatures we have had in
many years in Iowa.
Outside of the senatorial contro-
versy, over which all kinds of poll
ties have been played throughout
the whole session, there is disposi-
tion to kill off all freak bills and
to adopt only such measures as have
seemed, after thorough investiga-
ton and ample discussion, to be for
the best interests of the state. In
] the senatorial balloting from day to
day, there has been no material
change from last week, and unless
along toward the end of the session
they stampede for one or the other
of the candidates, there is little
prospect of the deadlock being
broken.
During the week the house cleo
tions committee killed the Dabney
bill to nominate supreme, district
and superior court judges at the
June primaries. The house passed
the dairy and food adulteration bill,
also the Hunt bill permitting mu-
[tual fire insurance companies to sell
insurance On municipal and county
buildings, and the kidnapping bill.
which was inadvertently repealed
by the last legislature.
Tuesday the senate killed the wo-
man suffrage bill, and the house
passed the salary increase bill, al
ready passed by tht senate. The
house killed. the fire insurance ex-
aminer bill and later reversed it
self and passed it; also passed the
Hogan bill providing that the clerk
and reporter of the supreme court
shall be elected by the court instead
of by the people. 1t also abolished
the veterinary examining board and
created commission of animal
| health.
Wednesday the senate killed the
Chase contributory negligence en-
ployer's liability bill, and the house
passed the wholesale drug bill, per-
mitting wholesale druggists to ship
consignments of liquor to druggists
and physicians holding permits, also
the Hutchins bill, changing the day
of the June primary election from
Tuesday to Monday.
Thursday the senate killed the
terminal tax bill, the same as 1t
did two years ago, and passed the
bill by Adams of Fayette providing
for. the normal training of rural
school teachers also passed the bill
providing for life certificates for
teachers.
Friday the senate passed the
monies and credits bill, one of the
most important before the legisla-
.Iture. 1t provides for fiat five-mill
tax on monies and credits and that
bank stocks shall be assessed at 20
per cent of their valuation in the
districts where owned. This is be-
Ilieved to be the simplest and fairest
method of taxation of monies and
credits yet devised.
Saturday the house passed the
Griggs bill authorizing cities and
towns to issue bonds to build city
and town halls and fire stations,
killed city department of publicity
bill, and passed Boettger's bill regu-
lating boards of police and fire COM
missioners. The senate passed the
bill fixing salaries of county record
ers as follows: In counties OF 15,-
600 to 10000 population. $1,3O0;
in counties 10000 to $4,000 popula-
ton, $1,4O0; also bill to extend Tor
4 five years the millage tax to create
fund for erection and maintenance
Of buildings for state educational
institutions also bill defining and
providing punishment for contribu-
tory delinquency; also bilf regulat-
ing sale of eggs and requiring all
eggs kept for sale to be candled'
and for the removal of bad eggs;
also bill changing time OF June
primary from Tuesday to Monday
4