Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-02-20
SEVENTH week OF
THE LEGISLATURE
Believed That Most Of Important
Bills Will be Put Over Until
After Recess.

Des Moines, Feb. 19.-Special tt
the Freeman-Tribune: The seventh
week of the legislature opening to
day has on its schedule for Tuesda,
and Wednesday possible votes o,
liquor legislation. primary law re
peal and sale Of part Of the capito
extension tract. While the over
,shadowing roads fight may bob vi
at any session 1t was regarded a!
likely that the most important bill:
will be put over until after the two
weeks recess beginning next Satur
day. Both houses have over SOC
bills each in the chopper" and nc
legislator is talking of anything less
than a 80 day session now.
Except for creating a separate
state banking department, repeating
the presidential preference primary
law, stirring up the question of state
finances, and submitting the prohib.
itory amendment to the people the
six weeks of the session so far have
not disposed of the big issues.
II the Johnston road faction in the
house clinches the necessary mum
ber of votes to~abolish the highway
commission and prohibit bond issues
the big fight on the roads question
may be staged this week. The
friends Of the commission are now
not claiming more than SO pledged
votes. The Johnston forces admit
tedly have the edge at present but
four doubtful representatives are
yet to be won over to make passage
Of the arti-highway commission bill
certain. The bill is on the calendar
and may be reached any day in the
natural course of business.
The progressives claim that the
senate + safely for the highway
commission and last sessions result
when the house voted to abolish the
commission and the senate refused
to concur may be repeated this year.
Next to the subject of roads, the
capitol grounds improvement plan
is always sure to produce fight in
the house. The senate has already
indicated its belief that repeal of the
capitol extension tax of $150,00O a
year should be considered seriously.
However, this bill is still pending in
the senate. The house Wednesday
will debate the question of selling
more than half of the capitol tract.
The chances of this bill passing the
house, at one time bright, are now
rapidly dimming.
The new element in the capitol
grounds fight was Governor Hard
ing's suggestion to the state execu-
tive council that the legislature
ought to be apprised fully as to the
need of additional Office room for the
state departments and the supreme
court. He is likely to convey the
facts to the legislature in a commun-
ication shortly after the "spring" re-
cess. Plans for a new state office
building on the capitol grounds are
already being drawn in accordance
with the governors suggestion. But
to build such structure would re-
quire continuation of the $150,000
annual tax for five years.
While the governor specifically
stated his resolution adopted by the
executive council was not to be TAX
en- as an Endorsement of the new
building project, friends of the cap
itol extension plan declared it could
be considered as nothing else.
Creation of new department of
banks, talk Of a new state Office
disclosures of possible
$1.500,OO0 deficit by next June in
the state treasury and retrenchment|
and reform agitation have held the
floor in the present legislature at
various times with no idea of con-
sistency. No legislator is talking
seriously now of reducing taxes but
the house appropriation sub-commit-
tees action in reducing by 100000
the sums to be allowed the states 16
penal and charitable institutions has
revived economy agitation. At the
same time the house had no hesi-
fancy in voting $65.00O for a new
at the soldiers home at
Friends of state educational insti-
tutions are writing the members of
both houses, urging no decrease in
the appropriations requested by the
state board of education. However, it
would not surprise followers of the
legislature to see these appropria-
tions cut materially.