Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-02-09
(By George Gallarno)

aug DoQ8I lMCuts
(By George Gallarno)
Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 6-(SpeciaD
With the fourth week Of the general
assembly we'll under way the legisla-
tors are facing a problem, the answer
to which may seal the fate of all the
measures before the body and mean
the death Of all Of them, excepting
such as relate to necessary appropria-
lions and road legislation. The prob
lem confronting the lawmakers was
placed before them by Governor
Harding at the close of last week,
when he appeared in person and read
to the assembly special message
suggesting the wisdom Of a recess to
be taken for the purpose Of more fully
and more carefully considering sew
eral vital questions. These, as out
lined by the executive include the
naming Of q committee to fully inves-
tigate and report upon a reorganiza-
ton Of the states business; q commit
tee to consider a change in the tax
ing system of the state; q committee
to revise and recodify the laws OF the
state; and the authorization OF the
expenditure by the governor. or on
his recommendation, Of $1OO, 900 to Sc
cure a physical valuation of railroads
and railroad systems In Iowa. The
governor, in his message made It clear
to the members that all these things
should be done, but that they could
not be hastily done, or, to get the best
results, when the Legislators were har-
raised by the hundreds Of puzzles
which come to them in the working
days of a regular 90-day session.
Mandate from the Voters.
In his message Governor Harding
expressed his belief that the mandate
to himself and the members of the
senate and house, by the voters VINO
elected them last November, was plain
and clear on the points enumerated.
He spoke of the present governmental
machinery (which was designed IN
days of greater simplicity and for
comparatively small volume Of busi-
ness" and of the many new govern
mental activities which have from
time to time been entered into, and
declared: eve are definitely pledged,
l believe, to reduce the number OF
persons and public bodies now en-
ployed in the public business, to see
that there are not two, or several OIL
GERS or public bodies unnecessarily
engaged in the same work; to see that
there are not state officers and pub
lie bodies performing public business
which cannot as we'll and more cheap
~ be performed by long established To-
cal officers to the existence OF which
the people are accustomed. l believe
that an intelligent study OF the scope
of these activities, and OF the posi-
bility of reducing expense and conflict
of authority by the elimination OF IN
necessary bodies, and by combining the
functions of others should be under
taken in q comparative leisure which
the ordinary length Of a legislative
session does not afford. I believe this
program should be carried out and 1t
should be carried out by you in the two
years which the people have given you
for that purpose and not by succeed
ing legislature"
Cutting Out of Laws.
without attempting to place
blame" the governor said, "for all of
us may have some measure Of 1t, we
have in the past been ready and will
ing victims to the delusion that any
thing can be accomplished by law and
the length and multiplicity of our
statutes is daily and depressing re-
hinder of our folly. We are under
definite pledges to reduce our laws
to a readable limit. We must have not
only time for this task, but technical
skill and concentrated effort, to the
employment of which the ordinary
business of the session is an insuper-
able obstacle"
Speaking of the taxation problem
the governor told the legislators that
our system of taxation is in urgent
need of revision, that it is almost i'm
possible to learn in what amount and |
for what purpose public funds are to |
be or have been expended, because |
they are so gagged as to exhaust lev
les instead of levies being framed to |
provide for public expenditures. Fol- |
lowing this subject he said: "Our pub
lie business, which is immense In
volume, is simple. 1t is entirely pos
sible to accurately forecast the proba-
BILE necessary expenditures for any
given period. No public body should
be permitted to secure money by tax
alton until it submits a detailed esti-
mate of its probable necessary eX- |
pense for a given period and its prob
able income from every source"
As to Railway Valuation.
The governor dwelt at considerable
length on the necessity Of securing a
physical valuation of railroads and
railroad property in the state, and
called attention to the investigation
and appraisement now in course of
completion by the Interstate Com
MERGE commission, under act Of con-
gress and by the railways themselves.
He called attention to the national act |