Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-13
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS IN
ITS ENTIRETY MINIMUM WAGE
LAW.
~ CRIMINAL
PROCEEDINGS OR FINE
Law Attacked as Violation Of Right
Of Contraet-Supren,e Court Refuses
Rehearinq in Wisner. Nichols Libel
Suit and Verdict Against Publisher
Sticks-Other Court News. 2A
,pecial to Times Republican.

Des Moines. May 1S.-The teachers
of the state will rejoice greatly over
the victory in supreme court in the
upholding, in its entirety, of the minl-
mum wage law. The court held with
the teachers on the two main points.
The law is constitutional and welt
within the power of the legislature.
The enforcement Of the law may be
by criminal proceedings and fine COR
|violation. So
AS to the latter the statute was at
tackled as not providing for a criminal
action, but merely a forfeiture; but the
court holds this is the same as hne
for violation, and makes the violation
misdemeanor.
The law was attacked as violating the
right OF contract, and the claim was
made that while the legislature couio
not fix a minimum wage it could fix
maximum. But
THE manifest purpose of the law is
to offer and maintain an inducement 10
higher standards in the profession Oh
teaching and to encourage competition
IN QudilllCdtlOlS dlllollS lcdSiASAS Ae>NAA~.
than in the amount Of wages. Even
teachers whose acquired standards may
be equal as indicated by their respec-
tive certificates, may vary greatly IN
their practical success as teachers. AS
to such teachers. school officers would
naturally select the best In preference
to the worst unless such best We're un-
derbid in the competition. The pur-
nose of the statute is to eliminate COM
petition at this point below the specl-
fed rate.
1T is a matter OF common obserVa-
ton that school officers are sometimes
large taxpayers who have no children
dependent upon the public schools tor
their education. Such officers are un-
der constant temptation to oVef-em
phasize the Importance Of low wages
for teachers and to attach too little I'M
portance to the qualifications or
teachers. In such cases the lowest bid
der obtains the employment and TINS
often to the great detrin1ent of the
public interest. That the rights OF In
dividual teachers are not invaded oS
such legislation is we'll settled by the
decisions OF many eminent courts
whether the practical working OF.
this legislation will meet the INTENDED
an,,rnose can be determined only by ex-
uerience. All7new legisla ton is neces-
sarily experimental and in q sense ten
tatiye. The courts can not be called
upon to guarantee it's wisdom nor to
condemn 1t for want Of wisdom. All
that We hold here is that the legtesi
Ia ton in question herein is within tae
domain Of Legislative authority
Libel laws of Iowa are still rigidly
enforced against newspaper publishers.
The supreme court yesterday oVerruleo
a motion for rehearing In the case OF
Lois j. Wisner VS.. Ira A. Nichols. from
Hardin county. This was, a damage
suit brought by one OF the owners OF
the Wisner estate against the publ1she'
of the Iowa Falls Sentinel because OF
elleged libel in an article in which
reference was made to the Wlsner es-
tate and it might be inferred that GER
tain immortality was connected there
with. The courts stuck the publisher
and despite very able petition for.
rehearing the supreme court has now
refused to change. Other applications
for rehearing overruled are:
State VS.. John Ockji appellant Mon
roe county. murder
re-.
railway, appellant.
Bernard A, Dolan, appellant, VS.. +.
T. Bartruff.
Mary A. ]. Keene, appellant, vs..
Wilbur S. Knowles, ~ e.
Fred Brown & Co. vs. Jane NJ. Cash,
appellant.
Barnes & Schuster, appellant, VS..
Century Savings Bank.
D. w. Rapalee VS.. John Nalmquist
appellant.
Judge Ransier, of Waterloo. yester-
day asked the supreme court to Set LOT
hearing June %, or about that time,
hasty appeal involving another con-
stitutional question. 1t involves a tax
voted for aid for the little railroad out
Of Charles City. Decision was rendered
April 2S in the lower court. Haste is
needed so that it can be settled before
time for collecting the first tax. About
s1O0,O 900 is involved. The tax was
voted under the law OF the last legis-
lature permitting formation of dis
trict to vote such aid, and the entire
law is attacked as we'll as the special