The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-03-03
|Believed That When Legislature Con-
venes Tomorrow Il viii be
Able to Solve Many
Issues.
TALK WITH HOME FOLKS
This Fact and the Finish Of a,e
Temperance Legislation Believed
TO Forecast Speedy
Work.

1 from their m1d-SeSs1On vacation tney
will have talked with many of their
constituents and be ready to vote on
some of the problems that proved
Iperplexing during the first weeks OF
j their work.
! With the temperance legislation
settled and out of the way, 1t is ex.
pected the more important subjects
left will be heroically dealt with and
an early adjournment arranged.
One Of the most important, because
1t reaches to, every farmers gate, Is
the road uestion. There is bill be.
fore the legislature to abolish the
state highway commission created
two years ago. Friends Of this bill
wish to return to the old method Of
letting the county supervisors control
the work. The opponents insist the
state commission is carrying on a
work that is big improvement over
the old way. Many legislators have
been unsettled in their minds but a
talk with the folks at home will prob
ably determine them how to vote.
Another important bill to decide is
the so-called home rule" bill for
cities. This would let cities and
towns do anything they wish which
Is not contrary to state laws. Under
the present law, they may do nothing
not specifically granted by the state
Legislature.
Just as the roads reach to the gate
way, so taxes reach to the pocket.
book and every taxpayer Is interested
in the proposition Of the appropria.
lions committee to spend the states
money in a business-like way. During
the vacation, members of this COM
mittee are visiting state institutions
with a view of ascertaining their ac-
tual needs. Then they expect to APP
propriate that sum instead of giving
blanket millage tax which may
bring more than Is needed
Those Text Book Bills.
Attempted dictation of school at
fairs by text book publishing houses
is being so generally resented that
members will probably come back in
structed to vote against bills de-
signed only to make business for
book concerns. Active lobbying by
book agents has disclosed that the
Thomas-Anderson compulsory county
uniformity bill is nothing more than
plan to so change conditions as to
compel half the counties to buy about
100000 worth of new books County
uniformity can now be had by vote
Of the people or by agreement "
school directors. Unable to get this
change in forty-f1ve of the counties
some of the book companies devised
the scheme Of forcing those counties
to have uniformity whether they
would or no. This would mean Of
course, adoption Of new texts, letting
Of contracts and boosting book bust
ness. The Joker is disclosed by the
fact that the companies interested
did not include in the, county uniform
ity plan the high schools where they
control the book contracts. There has
been more lobbying done for this
other measure before the Iowa legis-
lature.
It is not expected likely the present
legislature will attempt the reform of
state government recommended by
the retrenchment and reform commit
tee. That is that the governor. be
the only state officer elected with
power of appointing all others.
Another proposed constitutional
amendment that strikes especially
home to tax payers is the one permit
ting the executive council to classify
for taxation for state pur-
poses only. This plan is to let the
state take all the taxes from rail
roads, telephones, telegraphs, etc.
for state purposes. Should this go
through, the counties would lose
these taxes, now distributed among
them. A consequent increased local |
levy would result to make up the de- |
ficiency. The fight against the pro- |
posed amendment has started from !
the cities, but is rapidly spreading in
to the country districts which depend /
largely on the railroad tax for their |
school support fund. As an exam
pie, Pottawattamie county would lose |
$4,000 taxes by the proposed change. I
Others would be in proportion to the |
amount of railroad mileage they /
have.
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