Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-25

Home rule for cities. municipal
ownership, utility franchises. and i'm
provement of the dairy herds Of Iowa,
We're the topics discussed at the meet
ing OF the League Of Iowa Municipal
tiles at the Pilgrim hotel Wednesday
evening. Mayor A. c. Mueller. Of DAY.
export. Mayor b. p. Hoist. of Boone,
Mayor ]. r. Hanna, of Des Moines. anG
State Dairy and Food Commissioner
w b. Barney were the speakers.
The speaking followed supper
given the delegates by the MARSHALL
town Club.
Banquet Disappoints.
An unfortunate feature of the ban
quet was that the meal served was a
great disappointment to every one,
guests committee and caterer alike, so
much so that +. G.. Pierce. secretary OF
the league. publicly apolosized in the
meeting. The failure was due to .he
fact that the work of furnishing ac-
commonda tons for more guests than
the house would hold had so sWamped
the hotel force that they We're unable
To take care of a banquet of such mag
nituCe. Cots were in evidence all over
the house and regular meals were in
demand in excess of the capacity OF the
force to serve. Mr.. Sal1y. however.
comes forward with manly acinowl-
edgement that he was swamped and
refuses to accept pay.
Crowd Swamped Caterer.
r. W Scott chairman Of the enter
tainment committee of he MARSHALL
town Club. said today:
our committee of the NarshalitoWn
Club regrets the fact that our guests
were not served s we expected they
would he but we, of course trusted
everything to our caterer. Mr.. Sclby.
of the Pilgrim. however, : entitled 70
sympathy for the circumstances winch
overwhelmed him. He Acknowledges to
us that his force was literally swamped
with the work of attending 10 the
guests in his house and found that
they We're unable to handle 200 guests
immediately following the regular sup
per TO 100 others. Mr. Selby is so
Inundated at the inability of his force
to handle so many at one time that ne
refuses today to accept lay for the
banquet on the ground that he had
failed to deliver what he had planned
for the occasion. We knew that Mr.
Selby had served two smaller banquets
recently with the utmost success
hence we were unprepared for what
happened. as much so as Mr.. Selby
himself"
"Home Rule For Cities"
It has been the general belief for
years that the city of Davenport en-
joyed all the freedom and privileges OF
an independent territory, but this old
Idea was secuted at by Mayor Alfred
c. Mueller, who spoke on Home Rule
For Cities Those who had felt that
Davenport enjoyed too much freedom
as capital of the state of Scott were
disabuseG of this idea by Mr.. Mueller,
who convinced his brother executives
that the average city of Iowa does not
nave the freedom it should enjoy, but
is tied by antiquated legislation bet
ter designed 20 meet the needs of cities
Il century ago.
Mr.. Mueller said that at the last
convention of the league a resolution
was Introduced at the instance OF
Mayo Hanna, Of Des Moines. to bring
home rule for cities. with the nope that
changes might be made in the laws of
the state 10 permit d CITY 70 expand
improve and progress without being
hampered by old outgrown statutes,
and asking that the legislature appoint
a commission to investigate the status
Of the cities and towns and report
back it's findings and reconrnenda tons
but the appeal received little, if any.
consideration.
Home Rule Only Solution.
There is but one way of meeting
the situation and that is by giving to
the cities home rule But that / mean
comforting upon them the right TO
frame their own charte. and after
this has been done submitting the
same TO the voters of the particular
community. The power given to cities
should be broad instead Of limited and
they should be permitted to do every
thing in the way of municipal activity
with this qualification that there be
no encroachment upon rights and pow
ers which are properly those of the
state.
Sane and reasonable restrictions of
the taxing power, and of the right to
issue bonds would be proper because
the state is directly affected and it is
further contended that the state should
reserve for itself to a reasonable ex-
tent the police power in order to insure
that criminal laws which vitality affect
the state as such receive the proper at
tention.
Limitations Of this kind. however.
should be carefully considered and
scrutiniZed.
Trust in the People.
TT Is our proud boast that we can
safely put our trust in the people-the
general public. Why then should we