Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-03
/ LECTION LAWS
HAVE. HARD Time
IN LEGISLATURE:
Presidential Primary Law
Reported Out; Senate Re
fuses to Change Time OF
Holding Primaries.
IBY ORA WILLIAMS.1

Des Moines, April 2.-There has
been small disposition In the legisla
ture to make sweeping changes IN
regard to the primary election laws
81 the state. Yesterday the senate
received and placed on the calendar
bill which at the beginning OF the
session was favored by everyone. !,
Is a bill for a real presidential pref
erence primary, one wherein the 'Vot.
ers will have the right to express
themselves on their preference and
have that preference expressed fair.
". Senator Darrah has been trying a
long time to get this started and nm
ally has got report. There is also
reported a bill for a way to vote for
president and vice president without
voting for a lot Of candidates for cleo
tor. and this single bill is having q
hard time.
Yesterday, also, the senate refused
nv vote OF "a to 81 to change the
date for the holding Of the primary.
The senate bill as 1t stood was for
holding the primary the third week
in August. An effort was made 70 get
it fixed for the third week OF June
and this failed. Then the whole Dill
lacked two votes of enough to carry.
The bill to provide a way by which
the travelling men and others who are
usually away from home on election
day may vote where they are, stands
very small show of adoption. The bill
viii, h provides for direct election OF
senator's. in case the amendment to
~ federal constitution is adopted,
will probably pass the legislature and
become law.
Defeat Utilities Bill.
The house also got gay and 1ndulg-
ed in a "call of the house" delay. 1t
came when Lund moved to strike out
the enacting clause of the public util-
ities hill from the senate. The bill had
already been amended all out OF shape.
The house was spending time on 1t
that seemed impossible of results.
When the motion was made to strike
out the enacting clause call OF the
house" was demanded on a roll call,
for the motion meant the death OF
the bill and the end Of all discussion
on the subject 'this year. While the
"caIr' was on the members OF the
house INDUCED in singing all the
songs they could think Of. The bill
was then defeated, 81 to- Al.
The bill to appropriate to aid In the
entertainment by Des Moipes of the
next e. A. r. encampment came up
and the senate rejected the committee
amendment to reduce the appropria-
tion from $4,000 to $1,000. Then the
hill was laid over until today.
Il was Senators Head, Sullivan and
Kin1ball who on Monday voted for i'm
mediate formation OF q sitting COM
mittee who changed and caused the
reversal of the situation on Tuesday.
They declared they had gone as far as
thew could go and would not stand
longer with those who wanted the
sitting committee to Immediately take
over the entire management OF the
senate affairs. AS a result OF this
change a delay for a day was secured.
Il means that the senate will con-
time to handle bills on their merits
for short time and not permit any
INN ediate shutting OF Of the work Of
as planned by Cowles and
his followers. :.
The senate passed the Boe bill in
regard to reduced railroad fares to
fairs and expositions. It provides a
cent and half fare on excursions to
fairs where the previous year there
were $4,000 paid admissions.
There is trouble over the Miller
anti. trust bill which passed the house.
:, =. n ]. ,.--.. !, -,f7 = x 7