Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-04-20

county. Senator Smith is an editor OF
a{paper at Winterset. but had been q
county superintendent of schools His
bill had but little difficulty in getting
through the senate, and was received
with favor by a good majority of the
house. The legislature refused, how
ever, to repeal the law making the
county superintendent appointive. A
bill for that purpose was acted upon
favorably in the house, but was put
to death in the senate. The present
state superintendent is A. NJ Deyoe,
who had been elected for three terms
to the Office and who was appointed
for anew four year term by Governor
Clarke about year ago. He will
serve till January l, 1918, by virtue OF
his present appointment.
No More Non.Partlsan Judges.
While the temper for repeal of the
legislature was working at its full
limit, and after it had once refused,
in the senate, to seriously consider the
matter, a bill was rushed through CIV
ing death blow to non-partisan cleo
ton Of supreme and district judges.
The question came up on a bill intro
duced in the senate by Senator Kim
ball, of Pottawattamie county. amend
ing the general election laws, so that
the names Of candidates for presiden-
tial electors shall be omitted from the
ballot, and restoring the circle to the
ballot at the head Of each ticket. The
senate passed the bill, but struck out
the provision for the restoration of the
circle, and also voted down an amend
ment which would have repealed the
non-partisan judiciary law and made
the candidates for judges part of the
ballot on each ticket. When the house
considered the bill the circle provi-
sions were reinstated and the nom
partisan feature was tackled on. The
senate accepted the bill as amended.
1t will place the nomination of judges
in district and state conventions Of the
different parties, as they were before
the non-partisan law was enacted. The
circle which will be found on the ballot
at the next election, and which will
make possible the voting of a straight
Of the Australian ballot adopted in the
state in 1890, but was removed by the
action of the 30th general assembly.
Constitutional Amendments.
The assembly decided, after hearing
the advocates of both sides, to start
the ball rolling which will in 1919 give
the voters another chance to declare
themselves for or against woman sui
frage At the election on this Ques-
tion in 1916 the suffragists were de-
feated by more than 10000 votes. The
new proposed amendment must be
adopted by the 3sth general assembly
before being submitted to the cleo.
tors.
October Is. of the present year was
decided on as the date when Iowa will
vote on the proposition to put state
wide prohibition in the state co4sti-
tuition. The time for the special cleo
ttion was fixed in bill by Senator
Wilson of Appanoose county. II the
proposed amendment fails of adoption
It will not necessarily mean the re-
turn of the saloon to the state. Such
a condition could come about only by
the election of law-making body
which would repeal the present pro-
hibitory statute, or modify its pro-
visions in similar law to that In
force before the saloons were ordered
out of the state on January I, 1916.
Retain the Law Forbidding Tipping.
I Through the action Of the house, the
Caswell senate bill to repeal the anti
tipping law, was given its quietus
Senator Caswell introduced the bill as
being in line with the demands of
Governor Harding that unenforced
statutes should be made enforceable or
annulled. The senator declared he
could find on the law books of the
state no statute which was being SO
generally ignored and disobeyed as
that relating to dropping a nickel in
the hands of the hotel porter who
brushes your coat. or q dime in the
plate Of the waiter who brings you
your beans and steak. The senate
agreed with him. but the house re-
fused to nullify or change the law It.
developed according to- statements
made by senators that violations of
the law could be easily found at any
time by watching no further away
from home than the senate cloak
rooms. It also developed that an H.
linois organization is doing consider
able business in this state in pur-
chasing the tipping rights Of hotels
Nearly 400 New Laws Enacted.
One record the legislature estab-
lished was that in relation to the num-
Der of completed acts to its credit.
The total number of laws enacted, in
GLIDING legalizing matters and reso-
lutions was close to 400. This was
one-third OF all the bills
in the two houses, and the
record for new acts is divided prac-
tically evenly between the two houses.
The laws will be published in VOL
ume called Session laws. and the VOL
,,voo will ha roadv for diqfrihutiOn