The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-03-02
, THE GOVERNORS VETO.

oregon plan law pTOVluluS lHdl III
people of Iowa shall say who shall
represent them in the United State
Senate, Notwithstanding the propos
ed law passed both the senate AM
house by good majorities, and spec
ulation is rife as to whether tn
legislature will be able to pass tn
law over the governors veto. In or
der to pass it the bill must receive
4 two-thirds majority in both tn
senate and the house, and Marcel
18th, has been fixed for the time o
voting on it. Should either the senate
or house fail to cast the required
two-thirds vote in favor of passing
the bill over the governors veto il
is Immediately killed and it will no.
be necessary for the other branch
of the legislature to vote on it. There
has been a great deal of criticism
Of the governors action, and it has
been intimated that the message We
+toing the bill was not written by
governor Carroll, but by well
known corporation attorney of Des
Moines. Governor Carroll gives as
his reason for vetoing the bill that
1t violates both the federal and
state constitution.
THE entire measure he wrote,
CONSTITUTES an effort to indirectly
accomplish something which cannot
be done directly, and it is therefore
an attempt to evade the constitution.
The question which we must de-
termine is whether we, as citizens of
great commonwealth and a great
lepublic will insist upon strict con-
formity to and compliance with the
provisions of the constitution or
whether we will encourage the en-
actment of laws that seek to circum-
vent some of it's positive require
nents'
Says It's a Menace.
The governor also pointed out that
#, this policy is followed it will not
be until there is a demand for the
direct election of presidents, and
that IAN effort will be made to re-
quire that candidates for presiden-
tial electors shall surrender their
constitutional and statutory rights
to vote for the presidential candi-
date who receives the largest popu-
lar VOTE"
~ Evasion of Constitution.
because of the above reasons and
because l believe that the solemn
oaths taken by members of the legis-
lature should be respected and be
held inviolate and because that !
believe that the constitution in all
IT'S, parts should be immune from
practical notification, subversion or
amended according to it's own terms
and requirements, and because I be-
feve that states as well as public
officials and private citizens should
conform to and observe the spirit
as we'll as substance of the consti-
tuition, and because l believe the
of such laws as the meas
ure in question is practical un-
dermining of the constitution and
danger and menace to our form of
and because l believe
that the effect of such legislation
will be to lessen the respect of the
people in general for the fundament-
al law of the land, l herewith re-
eurn house file number l without |
my approval"
Sensation in House.
When the veto message was read
In the house there was a decided |
sensation as the word had been
passed along that the veto was not
to- come until tomorrow. Immedi-
ately on reading the message Dab
hey moved to make it a special Or
der for 8 o'clock tomorrow. Moore
objected to this and said there was
40 occasion for making haste in the
matter. 1t was finally agreed to
vote on the Oregon plan bill veto
At 1880 o'clock tomorrow, when it
will be passed IN the house.
:. A fractional Issue.
That this veto may have the effect
Of emphasizing the dividing line
between the factions is freely pre-
ticted. Aside from the senatorial
contest the factional line has not
been very we'll defined in the legis-
Eature. The veto will force an is
rue aside from the senatorial cleo
lion.
Following the veto the bill must
6rst go to the house, which origin
ated the bill nominally, and the
house will unquestionably pass it |
over the veto. The senate will not |
be able to pass it over the veto. 1t
will take thirty-four votes to pass
the bill in the senate and it received |
only thirty-one on first passage. The |
other three can hardly be secured. |
The veto for the Oregon plan for
direct election of senators will be
sure to come up as an issue in the
in the future especially if
Governor Carroll carries out his in
tention of being a senatorial candi-
date.
The bill that passed is exactly
the bill of Senator Smith and Rep
resentative Klay, which was prepar-
ed before the legislature met 1t is
a bill effecting the general election
and not the primary, for nominal
lions for senators will be made just
as now and afterwards, at the time
of the general election, the opposing
candidates., one from each party
are pitted against each other.
What Law Contemplated.
*. Under the Oregon plan, as explain
ed by Senator Smith, who intro
duced senator file No. to provide
o1~