Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-10


enx~n & Woodman. Mallers Bulaint.
Chicago: 225 Fifth Ave.. New !oEk
City; Gumbel Bldg. Kansas City. MO-
HIDING THE REAL ISSUE
The Des Moines Register and
Leader ia making a very labored ef'
fort to divert the attention OF the peo,
nile from the real issue in the capltol
grounds extension case. 1t says that
the tax payers of Iowa are not speno-
Ing as much money on their state
capitol as are the tax payers or otneE
states spending in their capital cues
The people must not be confused by
this dust throwing-it is just made
to hide the real issue.
It is stated that the state or
Nebraska spends q great deal more
money tn Lincoln than the state OF
Iowa does in Des Moines. 1T IS
natural that It should, because mum
her of state institutions are located at
Lincoln, The people OF Iowa nave
not been. and they are not now, op-
iecting to the legislature making an!
necessary appropriations for the con
d,,ct of the regular institutions OF the
state. no matter how much that ma!
require. but a great many OF them 90
object to the legislature levying a tax
mon the people for any purpose othef
than the regular conduct of the state S
business without giving the people
the right to have voice IN IL: ina.
is all there Is to this contentlon' II
is setting a precedent that can pans
rupt the state. 1t was to protect the
people against that very th1ng ina.
section 5 of article 7 was incorporated
in the constitution Of the state OF
Iowa. This contention Is not dlrecteo
against Des Moines at all, and ever!
fair man knows that. The fact that
this measure happened to apply TO
Des Moines is simply an incidental
and not an important phase IN this
question. - {,
II ia not a question O. spending the
money in any particular part OF the
state-it is not a question OF spend
ing a million dollars in Des MONIES
or a billion dollars in Des Molnes, or
any other amount at any point. Inc
proposition is that the people or the
state should have had right to say
whether they did or did not want to
nav taxes to raise the sum OF money
necessary for the capitol grounds ex-
tension-because it sets precedent
of ignoring the constitution.
If this matter had been referred to
the people and the majority OF those
voting upon 1t 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 oppor-
tunity of voting on this matter, and
therefore this discussion. That shows
plainly what the issue is.
This is not discussion about the
city of Des Moines at all, and no
paper should try to make 1t such. 1t
Is a. discussion about the rights OF the
people as guaranteed to them under
the constitution Of the state.
This is not a discussion so much
about the supreme court decision on
this question 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 pro-
yides that the legislature can, Initiate
such measures and that they shall
then be referred to the people. But
the legislature ignored the constitu-
ton and the people. The legislature
of the state should study we'll its acts
and the effect of them, and should
not try to shift it's possibilities on
the supreme court of the state. 1t
should not try to repudiate or pervert
the fundamental principles Of the
constitution of the state and then
throw the burden on other shoulders.
The last legislature should have
framed a measure providing for the
state to issue bonds for money to pay
for the work along the streams Of
the state for flood prevention, and
then submitted it to the people to vote
upon it. Such movement must come
in the near future and it Is OF I'M
mensely more Importance to the state
than the, capitol grounds extension at
this time. y
1t is strange thing that the papers
of the state that year or two ago
were the loudest in their cry of '1et
the people rule" give the people
voice in the government" have now
forgotten their great interest in the
people. The tax payers may or may
mot pay a great deal Of attention to
this act OF the legislature in which
they were deprived Of their rights,
but they should not allow this discus
sion to be diverted from the real
issue. They were denied the right to
vote on it in spite of the fact that the
constitution accords it to them.
If they had had the opportunity OF
voting on this matter there would be
no discussion on it.
So it will be seen that this discus
sion is not about Des Moines-it's
about the rights of the people. The
Register and Leader must get over
the idea that every time two people
meet they talk about Des Moines.
THE SEWERS MOUTH.
Rock Island, ILL.,, which acts in the
capacity of booze dispenser for prac-
tically the whole of Iowa, is in fair
way Of going dry. News dispatches
~ AL 80