Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-15
LEGISLATURE HAS MUCH WORK
TO DO BEFORE CONSIDERING
FINAL ADJOURNMENT.
MUCH PRELIMINARY WORK,
LITTLE YET FINISHED
Chase Bill Calling For Change OF Policy
Regarding Drainage of Lakes and
Swamps Up in Senate-older lesis-
Iators May Decline to Join in Effort
to Aid Reactionaries in Making Issue.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, March Is. - sitting
committee is a plain confession OF
legislative body of failure 10 do the
work before it in orderly and sensible
way. Members of the house are al
ready talking of a Sitting committee.
That means that members believe al
ready that as the house is now con-
stituted it can never legisla1ite save on
unimportant things, hence must abro-
gate its powers and turn matters over
TO the speaker to be delegated in sec
ondary way to few members. Similar
talk may be expected in the senate
soon if the experience Of Saturday is
repeated.
AS matters stands at present there
is nothing whatever on which TO base
any guess as to the coming OF the I'm
( ish Neither house is today in posi-
ton to contemplate in any way an ad-
/ journment.
/ The past week has been fruitful Of
much work, but il IS preliminary ana
not finishing. This week there will be
! number Of interesting things. II the
program is carried cut.
Drainage Bill Up.
| The Chase bill to change the long
! time policy of the state with regard TO
| drainage of swamps and lakes is up for
| today. The senate spent all day Sat
urday on this bill and got nowhere.
! The author was inslsrent on Jamming
: it thru half finished. II forced to a
vote it would have lost. There was
well defined suspicion that some who
urged il TO a vote wanted it to fail.
! The bill was badly introduced, the
author presenting to the senate bitter
attack on the governor and most mex
| cusa Die faIsehood as TO the record re
sarding a certain lake n his district.
He virtually held the governor up De
| fore the senate as a knave and unht
TO handle state business. This left
! bad taste for the rest OF the bill. But
! il was soon discovered that the bill was
dangerous in that II would nave in
! volved vast property rights and LETT no
way for justice to The people anected.
! Finally an amendment was proposed TO
open the door to the state treasury for
reimbursing, and with this matter un-
| der discussion the senate finally ad-
| ;ourned. 1t seems that practically al!
| the senators wanted to follow the sug-
gestion of the governor and dispose
of the lake bed troubles. but not all
wanted to do SO in a way to cause
property losses.
The house committee on mines
should meet this afternoon and decide
upon the senate bill for shot firers.
peculiar situation has developed which
| indicates the caliber Of the legislators
who are in the saddle. The chairman
of the committee is Mr.. Johnson, OF
Lucas county. When the representa-
tives of the miners called upon him to
ask to be heard he notified them ne
would not call the committee together
today, nor at any time, until his bill to
abolish the highway commission Is dis
posed of. He went further and init
mated that they might expect moth
ing unless they whipped into line FOL
the Johnson bill Mr.. Freeman, Of Wa.
pello comfy. who IS friendly TO the
miners but not for repeal Of the com
mission law. There IS no relation be-
tween the two bills, but SO intensely
determined are those who are fighting
the state highway commission tina
they are willing to tie up all Legislation
unless they can have their way. Thu
Of the legislature to really legislate.
Road Legislation Program.
There is some talk among the olde
legislators of declining to join issues
with the radical on the highway com
mission repeal bill, Of simply offernt
the substitute hill. which retains th
centralized form Of administration, ant
, letting il go to vote without debate
he nG
son repeal bill without debate. 1t il
: now confessed that the sole purpose o
: the Johnson bill is to make a politica
issue and to fulfill political promises
:, and that everybody knows it can no
: become the law. Therefore, it is ar
gued, why not let those who want tni
as an issue to have their way with a
, little fuss as possible. But Of cours
!. there are many members Of the hous
= who really want to do something t
: improve legislation.
;, On Wednesday Senator Clarkson wi
;, De given All opportunity 10 urge in
adoption of the socalled state insuranc
. plan of having the workmen's compen
. sation provided for. The bill Is on tn
: calendar for indefinite postponemen
!, That gives opportunity for discussion
There is no disposition to debate tn
. matter at great length. 1t is concede
), that the most that can be done is
provide some publicity which in tt
, future may bring good results.
4 Dry Bills UP Wednesday.
On Wednesday the senate committe
on suppression Of intemperance is undo
;, orders to fetch back to the senate, n
matter how recommended, the bills {
= the drys to stiffen up the law for er
. forcement Of prohibition. There al
), a dozen of the bills. Their characte
:, has been explained before. They Pre-
: vide for severer penalties for violatio
:, of the liquor laws, for greater facilit
e
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