Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-03-25
ROAD BILL PASSES
JOHNSTON MEASURE CARRIED BY
LARGE VOTE IN LOWER
HOUSE.
HAS AUTO TAX AMENDMENT
Object OF Law Offered Is To Abolish
State Highway Commission And
Make other Radical Changes In
The Present Road Statute.

Des MolneS.-By vote OF Ga to AZ
the bill by Representative Johnston,
OF Lucas county, to abolish the state
highway commission and otherwise
change the road laws passed the
house OF the Iowa legislature. The
insurgents, as the men who favored
the Johnston bill are called, gained
six votes over the number they had
originally, when a substitute measure
offered by friends of the present law
was voted down IS to AZ. The substi-
tute bill was offered by Barry of Linn
county.
The Johnston bill passed with but
one important amendment Bronson,
OF Black Hawk, proposed a change
whereby cities and towns of the state
will get share of the automobile
taxes. He also proposes to raise
the amount of the tax apportioned
among the counties from SIS to 95
per cent. The cities will be benefited
In proportion to the miles of unpaved
streets as compared with the miles
OF highway in the county outside
corporate limits. The Bronson amend
ment carried 66 to 81.
The representatives who either vot-
ed with the friends of the road law
or did not vote at all and switched
to the Johnston bill are: Anderson.
of Winnebago, Coast OF Johnson,
Darrah, OF Franklin, Neff, of Potto-
wattamie. Taylor, of Buchanan. and
Wenstrand, of Page.
The fight over the Johnston bill
has furnished the greatest contest
of the present session. The question
before the house was the withdrawal
OF an amendment by Bronson, of
crowd. The first Bronson amendment
proposed to send back to the counties
the exact amount of automobile tax
they paid in. This would give a
decided advantage to the larger cities.
1t is said this amendment was adopted
in order to win the support of repre-
sentatives from the larger cities to
the Johnston bill At the close of
the first days consideration of the bill
the house voted to reconsider the vote
by which Bronson's amendment pass
ed.
The Johnston supporters were even
better organized when final action
came as by vote OF Ga to AZ, they
agreed to the withdrawal of Bron-
sons first amendment Friends of
the present law fought the withdrawal
bitterly but could not break the well
organized insurgents.
The Johnston bill, briefly, provides
for the following changes in the pres
ent road law:
Abolishes state highway commits
sion.
Places all control of county roads
and road systems in hands of board
of supervisors.
Provides for state highway engineer
with headquarters in Des Moines.
Creates salary Of $500 year and ex-
penses. Required to give bond of
$4,000 Must be graduate of ac-
credited school and hare experience.
Places county engineers entirely un-
der control of county supervisors with
option as to whether they shall hire
one and continue to employ one.
Under the present law the county
road system, the county engineers
bridge building and other matters re-
lative to road work are under the
supervision of the state highway COM
mission.
Hardlne's Friends to Rescue.
No curb will be placed on the pow
err of the lieutenant governor of Iowa
to appoint committees in the senate.
By vote of q to II the senate re-
fused to alter a time honored GUS
tom that the presiding officers Of the
legislature name their own commit
tees.
The matter came up on motion OF
Senator Francis of Dickinson county,
leader of the drys. Senator Francis
asked that the rules of the senate be
amended by substituting the follow
ing provisions:
Committee of senate be appointed
by a committee of seven men, four
from the majority and three from the
minority.
Protesting Against Militarism.
Petitions In printed form are be-
ginning to come to members of the
house relating to military bills. The
petition Is one of protest against any
possible provision by the state for
the teaching of military science in
the schools. The petition declares
against militarism. There is nothing
to indicate where the petition origi-
mates.
Nonpartlsan Judiciary Law.
The house elections committee rec
commended for passage a bill by
/. Klinker OF Crawford providing for the
repeal OF the nonpartisan judiciary
law passed by the Thirty-ffth general
assembly and restoring the previous
statute under which judges were
selected. The measure was amended
by the committee in order that a
slight change might be made in the
old law relating to the selection of
superior judges and judges in dis
tricts composed Of but one county.
"Bius Law" Measure.
The Iowa senate defeated the Allen
"blue law" measure by vote OF %
to II. In refusing to pass the bill
the legislators declined to make more
stringent the laws with regard to the
ohaAruanca nR Sunday