Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1914-10-23

| WAS. 1t is not the purpose mere To
criticise, but to tell the people OF the
state exactly what was done and how
it was DONE AS stated above, the bill
came from the committee April 3, and
was printed in the house journal.
Members and others generally look to
the bill files for copies of bills. and
this not being printed there, occasion
ed little if any comment There must
have been good organization OF the
hackers of the bill, for when it started
through the general assembly, it went
like creased lightning. 1t was taken
up for consideration on the morning OF
April 8, and with practically no debate,
was carried. When it was messaged
to the senate, the writer went over to
the house to learn when it had passed
that body. and was told that it had not
been five minutes since the roll cali
was taken. A member who watched
the operation said that the roll call
had not been announced when one OF
the desk clerks started over to the SEN
ate with the message.
1t was near noon when the bill reach
ed the senate. A rule of that body
forbids the third reading and pla"ing
upon passage of bill on the day Of
its introduction or receipt from the
house, but in the afternoon. the senate
was asked to give consent for consider
alton of the bill. Objections being
offered, motion was made and car
ried to suspend the rule and the bill
was passed.
Speaker Cunningham said he was
astonished early the next morning to
find that the bill had been enrolled,
passed upon by the joint committee on
enrolled bills and was presented to
him for consideration. During the
day some of the members who had vot.
ed for the bill got cold feet and want-
ed to get the bill reconsidered, but
found that it was in the hands of the
governor. 1t WIS signed by the gov
ernor on the morning of the 10th, and
was placed on file in the Office Of the
secretary of state.
Representative Bauman of Van
Buren, county says that persons work
ing for the bill assured members that
an agreement had been made with the
Des Moines newspapers and cores
pondents not to publish the roll call on
the bill, as they were in the habit of
doing on all important bills. This ev'
IDENTIFY was to keep people in ignor-
ance as to how members voted.
The Des Moines people had been criti-
cising and even abusing the legislature
collectively and sometimes individually,
but the next morning when they read
in the papers that the city had been
given a two million dollar start for the
finest capitol grounds in the United
States, there went over the city a
shout of approval. A legislative body
that had been an object of derision be-
came a body of statesmen. Even the
roads committees looked like angels
perched on the pinnacle of glory. The
enlarged capitol grounds washed away
a multitude of sins, and so joyous were
the people, that the commercial club,
or possibly the Greater Des Moines
committee, gave the legislature a
great banquet. One enthusiastic Des
Moines man declared, Il am so happy
/ could 60 over to the capitol and hug
all the committee clerks"
Just to show how the action of the
legislature had washed away the feel
ing of criticism, the committee on
arrangements placed Editor Harvey
Ingham and Representative Brock
way side by side, and speakers laugh
ingly called attention how the lion and
the lamb had taken to the same bunk.
The transformation will be appreciated
when it is recalled that Mr.. Brockway
is chairman of the house committee
on roads and highways and has been
the object of criticism and ridicule most
of the winter by Mr.. Ingham. But
Brockway is now n sort of Des Moines
hero. Till late hour the banqueters
jollied each other. Des Moines had
pulled a two million starter from the
legislature, and nothing makes
Ces Moines SO happy as liberal state
appropriation, except both state and
national haul in the same season.
In the opinion of many there is no
need Of the capitol ground extension
on any such basis as planned. Proba
bly, it would have been we'll to have
bought . few lots for necessary build.
mgr. 1No otherjstate in the union has any
such grounds ~ here contemplated.
and We do not recall ever having seen
any state capitol grounds as good as
those now occupied by the Iowa CAPT
tol building.
In time it will be developed just who
was back of this deal, and it will not