The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-04-24
LEGISLATIVE LETTER.

Des Moines, April 21.-The thirty
fifth Iowa General Assembly closed
Saturday. While much that was
proposed has been left undone, the
Thirty-fifth General Assembly has
much to it's credit. Among the more
important measures enacted into law
are:
Workingmen' compensation.
Arbitration and Cancellation of la
Dor disputes.
Presidential preference primary.
Election of delegates to National
Convention.
Non-partisan judiciary law.
Establish state epileptic colony.
Provide separate wOman's reform
atory.
Appropriate for state custodial
farm.
Keep saloons five miles distant
from state schools.
Extend privilege Of commission
government to cities OF 1000 or
over.
Provide S2,OOO,O0O extension to
Capitol grounds.
Reorganized state board of edu-
cation.
Reorganized state board of health.
Enlarged the supreme court.
Widowed mothers pension.
FAILED TO PASS.
Among some of the important
measures proposed by different COM
missions, organizations and officials,
which failed to receive the official
sanction of the Iowa legislature, are
the following:
Permanent tax commission.
Direct inheritance tax.
School teachers pension.
Political party fusion bill.
Adjustment of prison labor con-
tracts
First and second choice election
ballot
Three-fourths verdict in civil case.
Compulsory state or county uni
formity of text books.
Railway terminal tax bill.
Public utilities commission.
More bills relative to elections and
appointments were passed than on
any other subject. Five joint resolu
tons providing amendments to the
were passed and will be
before the next General Assembly
for action Should they then be
passed the subject will be referred
to the people.
According to the auditor Of state
the legislative expense for salaries
alone amounted to about S225,0OO.
Because of appropriations made
and miIlage taxes levied by the as
sembly, the taxes in Iowa will be in
creased 2.7 mills. OF this amount
1.2 mills is required to raise the
$1,250,OO0 increase of state expenses
made by the state and is mills is
made necessary by three half mill
1evies ordered, one for capitol extern
sion, one for board of control i'm
provements, and one for state board
of education improvements. During
consideration of the appropriation
budget Representative kulp tried to
get through an amendment making
the millage tax applicable to moneys
and credits which now are taxed a
straight five mills, but he failed. The
farmers will accordingly pay the
freight The big salary increase
made by the appropriation commit
tee went to the bull moose state
officials, Attornel General Cosson get
ting a $1,000 increase with three
assistants at $4,000 each. State
of Public instruction
Deyoe was boosted $1,000 annual
ly and given four additional assist
ants Clerk of the Supreme Court
Garrett was given boost. On the
other hand, the salaries of Auditor
of State Bleakley, Treasurer Brown
and Secretary of State Allen, regu-
lar republicans, were raised but
5000. The effort to raise salaries
of railroad commissioners, regular
was entirely defeated.
Salaries of three clerks in the secre-
tary of states office were reduced
$500 each and two stenographers
entirely eliminated.
The bill proposing a permanent
tax commission melted before the
fifty thousand protests like snow be-
fore the spring sun. Representative
of Clarke county is prob
ably as responsible for defeating the
measure as any other man in the
assembly, Elected on a platform that
he would oppose it he sent out all
over the state petitions asking people
to sign and protest against the COM
mission.
The school book companies failed
to get through the Craig bill which
would have compelled county uni
formity in the forty counties where
the people under the present optional
law have voted it down. A formid