Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-03-17
A THOU& . BILLS
INTRoD5><o so FAR
1904 Measures oneN4 yxacdy the
Number at Same ~ Last
Session.
NOT PROGRESSING VERY
RAPIDLY WITH THE BILLS
Legislature Piling Up New Proposals
Much Faster Than 1t Finishes
Them.

More than a thousand bills hav.
been introduced in the general as
sembly in the eight weeks it has
been at work. The exact number is
1904, of which 597 have been in
troduced in the house and 497 il
the senate.
Last week was a prolific one il
proposals of new legislation. Due to
the fact that the house had agreed
upon March 10 as the last day Oh
which members could introduce
bills, the proposals in the house were
unusually numerous. The number
filed on the last day, eighty-two,
broke the record for the session.
The total for the week in the house
was 127 and 80 more were filed in
the senate. The 20S, total for both
sides, swept the number for the ses-
sion far over the thousand mark.
1t is a curious coincidence that
the total Of new bills for this session
is exactly the same that it was to
the corresponding time of the Thir-
ty-Rlth session. On the correspond
ing day two years ago the senate had
filed 449 bills and the house 645, to-
tai 1904
While both houses were piling up
new proposals during the week,
neither was making more than ordi-
nary progress in terminating consid-
Grafton of various measures. The
house passed fifteen bills and the
senate passed twelve. Each post
poned indefinitely or defeated on a
vote considerably larger number
Many Big Measures Killed.
The house killed two. of the big
measures before it whendit voted
down the teachers annuities bill by
Grason On Thursday and when 1t de-
feated yesterday the plan for es-
tablishment of station for child
welfare research. y The teachers an
nuities bill lost by but narrow mar
gin and may win on reconsideration.
The house killed also two constitu-
tional amendments which had been
adopted by the Thirty-ffth general
assembly, one to allow raising OF
taxes for state purposes only, the
other to adopt the initiative and rel
erendum. A bill by Slaught TO re-
quire a years residence in Iowa be-
fore beginning of divorce proceed
ings was introduced and killed on
adoption of committee report within
the week. The absent voters bill by
klinker won by big vote.
Among the bills passed in the SEN
ate was one by Kimball to make
criminal the giving of fraudulent
checks. bill by Whitmore to reor-
ganize the Iowa militia was approved
with practically no opposition.
The house passed the bill to Gre
ate a state poultry department and
appropriate $500 to its support,
the bill by Taylor of Buchanan to
increase the state aid for county
and district fairs, and the bill by
Coast of Johnson to examine and Ii
cense state accountants.
Liquor Measures Proposed.
Outstanding in the new proposals
was the series of bills on enforce
ment of the liquor laws, intended to
be auxiliary to the prohibition bill
passed earlier in the session. Sena-
tor Whitmore introduced in the SEN
ate bills to compel common carriers
to keep an open record OF liquor
shipments, to authorize conhscation
of vehicles used to carry liquor in
tended for illegal use, to prohibit
Others than common carriers trans
ferring liquor from place to place,
to impose penitentiary sentence ON
persistent violators of the liquor
laws, to prevent illegal soliciting or
orders for liquor, and several other
measures of the kind.
The drys in the senate appear TO
have strength enough to put the
whole series through if they desire
to do so.
In contrast to these bills were the
senate bill by Hagemann to permit
operation Of saloons under certain
conditions, and the house bill by
Kane and Kimberly to give life until
Jan. to a member of saloons in the
special charter cities that Will be
done away with July II a provision
of the Moon law limiting saloons TO
one for each / 900 people Is allowed
to go into effect
Public Health Bills.
Senator Hagemann introduced