Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1914-02-06

4 20 back into their districts to take part
in the preliminaries for the campaign
Hiding the Realslssue.
The Des Moines Register and Leader
is making very labored effort to diver,
the attention Of the people from the
real issue in the capitol grounds
extension case. It, says that the tar
payers of Iowa are not spending a:
much money on their state capitol az
! are the tax payers Of other states
spending in their capital cities. The
people must not be confused by this
dust throwing-it is just made to hide
the real issue. NJ
tits stated that the state Of Nebras-
I ka spends great deal more money in
Lincoln than the state of Iowa does in
Des Moines. 1t is natural that it should
because number Of state institutions
are located at Lincoln. The people of
Iowa have not been. and they are not
now. now, Directing to the legislature
making any necessary appropriations
for the conduct of the regular conduct
Of the regular institutions Of the state,
no matter how much that may require,
but great many Of them do object to
the Legislature levying q tax upon the
people for any purpose other than the
regular conduct of the states business
without giving the people the right to
have q voice in it. That is all there is
to this contention. It is setting q prec.
|edent that can bankrupt tn state. It
was TO protect the people against that
very thing that section 5 Of article z
was incorporated in the constitution Of
the state of Iowa. This contention is
not directed against Des Moines at all,
and every fair man knows that. The
fact that this measure happened to ap-
ply to Des Moines is simply an inciden-
tai and not an important phase in this
question. RI st
ut is not . question Of spending the
money in anyparticular part Of the state
1t is not 4 question Of spending mil
lion dollars in Des Moines, or any other
amount at any point. The proposition
is that the people Of the state should
have had right to say whether they
did or did not want to pay taxes to
raise the sum Of money necessary for
the capitol grounds extension because
it sets a precedent Of ignoring to con-
stitution.
If this matter had been referred to
the people and the maj ority Of those
voting upon it had voted in favor of
levying this tax. there would not have
been any discussion about it. The
Register and Leader knows that. But
the people did not have the opportunity
OF voting on this matter. and therefore
this discussion. That shows plainly
what the issue is. ~ s
This is not . discussion about the
city Of Des Moines 1t al. and no paper
should try to make it such. It isl Q
discussion about the righ to Of the peo-
pie @ guaranteed to them under the
constipation Of the state.
This is not discussion 30 much about
the supreme court decision on this ques-
ton as it is about the responsibility of
the legislature; that is. the place in
which, as far as the general public
knows, this measure was initiated.
The constitution provides that the leg.
ialature can initiate such measures and
that they shall hen be referred to the
people. But the legislature ignored
the constitution and the people. The
legislature of the state should study
well its acts and the effect of them,
and should not try to shift its respon-.
sibilities on thu supreme court of the
state. It should not try to repudiate
or pervert the fundamental principles
Of the constitution Of the state and
then throw the burden on other should
ers.
The last legislature should have franz
ed measure providing for the state
to issue bonds for money to pay for
the work along the streams of the state
for food prevention, and then submit
ted it to the people t.. vote:upon it. Such
Z movement must come in the near
future and it is Of imr ensely more inn
portance to the state than the capitol
grounds extension ut this time.
It is q strange thing that the papers
of the state that pear or two ago
were the loudest in their cry of ''let
the people rule. give the people q
voice in the government. have now
forg often their great interest in the