The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-02-20
.SHANKLAND BILL
IS UP TOMORROW
CHANGING OF SALOON CONSENT
PETITION TO A BALLOT.
IOTHER LEGISLATIVE MATTERS
The "Long and Short Haul" Again
Comes up--Lesislature viii Take
Usual Mid-session Adjournment
From Feb. &c to March s.

4
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Des Moines, Ia, Feb. l9.--Repre-
sentative Shankland of Polk county
will tomorrow introduce his bill pro-
Ividing for securing consent to oper-
ate mulct saloons by ballot instead
iof by petition as at present, and pur-
poses to throw a bomb into the alleg-
ed dry forces opposing it by citing
that f. S. Root, Secretary of the Des
Moines Citizens League, which has
been fighting the Des Moines petit.
ton, is in favor of his measure. He
has figures from the secretary of the
Des Moines dry" organization to
show that in fighting the Des Moines
saloon petition which is now in the
Isupreme court they have spent $12,-
1000. Had there have been secret
ballot no such expensive contest could
have been waged. Waterloo and OF
ltumwa, which are torn up in bust
ness way as a result of the fierce
contention over the public petitions,
will also be cited by Representative
Shankland as examples why his bill
should pass.
The Shankland measure will pro-
saloon permit shall be submitted to
IA vote of the people in cities having
a population of 5000 or more when
twenty-five per cent of the electors
at the last general election shall sign
la petition to the mayor to call such
an election. And the mayor is to
call no such election until the liquor
interests desiring the mulct opera
ton file with the mayor or city coun-
Gil an approved bond for sufficient
money to cover the expense Of the
special election which shall be paid
for by the liquor interests. Mr..
Shankland makes the special election
provision to keep the issue entirely
divorced from other questions that
might be submitted at a general cleo
ton. At this special election, his
measure provides, only those may
vote who have registered and voted
at the preceding election, and judges
are to check In and out the voters
from the precinct poll books.
Il want to say" said Mr.. Shank
land today, that this is not a wet
measure. There are as many "drys"
favoring this method as there are
vets / make it applicable at this
time to cities of 5000 or over that it
may have a thorough trial. That is
where the chief trouble now lies is
in the cities"
Representative Thomas +. Griffin
of Sioux City this morning introduced
the long and short haul bill that
has regularly made its perennial ap-
pearance in the Iowa general assem-
bly, for several sessions. The meas
ure is being urged by the Iowa Corn
Belt Meat Producers Association
which held its meeting here yester-
day and approved the bill. A num-
Der of the meat producers were in the
House chamber this morning when
the measure was introduced.
- - -
The public utilities bill has been
drafted by a subcommittee and is
now in the hands of Senator Grist of
Osceola, chairman of the senate
committee. II is far sweeping for ii
absorbs the railroad commissioners,
gives the governor power to appoint
two more members and gives these
five men power over railroads, ex-
press companies, telephone and tele-
graph companies. interurban rail.
roads and gas and electric light com.
panies, power companies and water
power sites. Ii gives the commission
power to grant indeterminate fran.
chises for public service corporations
in cities but no permanent franchise. -.
- - -
State officers are beginning to put in
their objections TO the bill introduced
by the Retrenchment and Reform
committee as a result of its flash
light" investigation providing state
officials turn over their daily receipts
every night to the state treasurer.
The clerk of the supreme court recei-
YES checks, including money, to go to
estates and private individuals as the
result of judgments and included in
the amount of court costs. He wants
to know IL he shall turn over the
whole amount and how he is going to
pay the private individuals what is
due them. The secretary of state dur
ing the past month has received
checks for automobile licenses in
which 1l3 were too large and refunds
had TO be made. He wants to know
If he had to turn over those checks,
how he would make the refund, for
they cannot be computed always on
the day made with present help. Other
officers want TO know if the treasurer
OF state will accept the personal
checks, which might be protested, and
give their own money to the treasur-
er. 1t develops that the disco cry
that officers have been holding money
for some time before turning over TO
the treasurer will find some justifica.
ton when the bill is brought up be.
fore the committee for consideration
and hearing.
- - -
Dissertation OF the American flag
was discussed before a joint meeting
OF the committees on military yester.
day afternoon. II was the Grout bill
under consideration, the one to pre-
vent the flag being used for adyertis-
ing purposes and other dlsrespectfnl
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