Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-07-17
TIE STATE CONVENTION
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lican to stand loyalty to all oil the
party nominations made in the state,
in districts and in counties, leaving
to his individual conscience the con
troyersy over the national nolhina-
tons. We hereby declare that our
| representatives in the state leaisla-
ture and in the national congress
should use every effort TO enact such
4 legislation rs Will secure a direct eX-
preston of the voters choice for the
nomination Of party candidates for
president and ice president of the
/ United States.
We believe that a free government
| is government OF the people, and
! therefore, we believe that the people
should have the right, under their
state constitutions and under proper
safeguards, TO initiate and adopt both
! legislation and amendments to their
constitutions and to review through
! the referendum the work OF their leg
! islatures.
We favor a complete revision of
court practice and procedure, both
civil and criminal, to the end that
the business Of our courts may be
promptly dispatched with as little ex-
pense as possible.
We are unalterably opposed to mo-
nopolies and we stand by the anti
trust law. We applaud every effort
made TO enforce it, and deeply regret
| that it has not been executed as it
should have been. We depiore the
weak outcome of the DEGREES in the
Standard Oil company and TIE Amer
! lean Tobacco company cases. we in
sist that the antitrust law shall be
so strengthened that reasonable nv
airy and competition in business will
be restored and maintained.
| We recognize that with the growth
of our cities the problem Of more di-
rect control Of the rates and service
OF public utilities becomes of vital
! Importance to large portion of our
people, and we urge upon our legis-
| lature the revision OF present stat
utes to require reasonable publicity
| of public utility accounts, to the end
| that all public bodies charged with
the duty of regulating rates and SER
vice shall have access to the facts as
to costs of operating and Installing
said utility properties; and if a state
militia commission is deemed wise.
we declare that the jurisdiction of
city councils over rate making and
regulation be preserved.
We are opposed to the contract
labor system existing in our penal
! institutions, and believe that the
same should be abolished. We be-
| lieve that all persons confined in an
! institution as punishment for crime
should be engaged at productive la
Dor, and that a part of his earnings
should go to support of his depel-
dents.
The uncertainty OF our school
laws makes it important that the
next general assembly should revise
| them: that more adequate means for
! the preparation of teachers for rural
and graded schools should be proyid-
/ ed, and q more liberal policy of fl
: Eanciai support for rural and second
airy schools provided; and we COM
mend the advanced position of the
Iowa State Teachers association.
We recognize the necessity of a
revision of the banking and currency
4 lows OF the United States, and believe
| that the agricultural and commercial
! interests of Iowa could be relieved
/
and harmful panics if lonpartiSan
monetary legislation should be en-
acted, providing an elastic note and
credit system to meet the demands of
Legitimate trade without possibility
Of oyer-eXpansion, American in it's
spirit. and maintaining our indepen-
dent banks free from the dominating
control Of either financial Or political
interests.
The agricultural interests of the
state are vitality interested iieithe
success of the Iowa state fair, and
we pledge the state to continuance
OF the policy OF development OF To-
was chief industry through the state
fair. We demand of the railways
that they grant reduced passenger
rates for the Iowa state fair the same
as to other large gatherings else
where.
We believe that the time has come
in the state and nation for legislation
which will promote the systematic
and scientific construction of perma-
neat roads, without burdensome tax
alton, and we commend to the mem
bers of the state legislature TO be
elected this year the specific duty or
investigating all of the many meth
DDS already adopted by other Ameri-
can commonwealth for the improve
ment of their roads that they may
enact for us wise and considerable
laws which will keep our state
abreast of the most advanced prog
ress il matters of internal improve
ment. We urge upon our members
of the national congress 10 contribute
their support to some plan of nation
al aid or encouragement for better
highways.
We recommend that the general
assembly of Iowa, as soon as possible
submit TO the voters of the state
constitutional amendment providing
that the state constitution be amend
ed by striking from section one %
or article two GU thereof the word
male"
We indorse the action of the Thir-
ty-fourth general assembly in the ere
alton of commission 10 investigate
and report TO the leXt session of the
legislature, upon the subject of en-
ployers' liability and workmen's
compensation and we favor the en-
actment of adequate laws with ref
erence thereto.
We recognize the necessity of re-
yising our tax laws and therefore we
urge the enactment by our legisla-
ture Of such statutes as will produce
uniformity in assessments and equal