Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-25
WOULD CREATE
SINKING FUND
SENATOR WHlTMoRE WRITES
GOVERNOR ABOUT PROPOSED
SPECIAL SESSION..

Il " z ,.e.5
The local Representatives in legisla.
ture have received q letter from Gov
ernor w. L. Harding regarding the
probability of calling special session
of the legislature to take care of GER
tain matters that have arisen since
the last session with reference to state
institutions and the saving of numer-
GUS Iowa factories that are engaged
In manufacture Of what is termed nom
essentials.
Senator c.. w. Whitmore in his re-
ply to the governors communication
refers to the probable difficulty in
handling the mobilization Of Iowa fac
tories and also tells the executive that
he would like to present plan for pro-
viding sinking funds for counties to
prevent financial endorsements
such as Wapello county has expert
enced within the past month.
MANY JOBS ENDANGERED.
Following are excerpts from Cover
nor Harding's letter showing the need
for immediate action by the legisla-
ture to meet the conditions that have
arisen:
To illustrate, cite one incident.
We have approximately five thousand
factories in Iowa. The government
has now said that certain articles
manufactured are ESSENTIAL and others
on-essential. The factory that is max
ing what is known as nonessentials
will have to quit. This means that
men and women will be thrown out of
employment, the factory will stand
idle, and great loss will come to our
state. In a great national crisis like
the one In which we are engaged,
somewhere in the state there should
be lodged authority to mobilize these
factories and as far as possible see
that they continue to operate by
changing them from factories produc-
ing non-essentials, to those producing
essentials.
'Then there are the questions Of
labor, of'seeds, and others growing out
of the agricultural interests that are
constantly requiring attention and as
sistance The help that was given In
the closing days Of the last session has
been sufficient up to this time. ] am
sure no state In the union can give
better account than Iowa.
ONLY IMPORTANT THINGS.
II do not want to be put in the posi-
ton Of calling special session to go
over general legislation. want 1t
confined to matters that are OF prime
importance, growing out OF extraOrdi-
nary conditions.
II will be glad to hear from you on
this matter at very early date.
am not putting this in the form OF
pledge, but for the purpose of finding
out for my own information what the
attitude of the members of the legisla-
ture will be upon these subjects"
WHiTMoRE GIVES HIS VIEW.
Senator Whitmore's reply to the
governor takes up the purposes of the
proposed special session in detail
and among other things lays partic-
ular emphasis on the need for legis-
lation that will prevent financial sit
uations such as Wapello county faces
in the future. His letter follows:
December "a, 1917.
ITO His Excellency, the Governor
OF the State of Iowa,
Hon. w. L. Harding,
'Des Moines, Iowa.
Dear Governor:
"Your vision is from q wider emf,
nence than ours. The responsibility
for the calling of a special session
rests alone with you.
"The responsibility for the decent
conduct of that session Of course
rests with the members.
I've were all in hopes we could
get along without special session.
know we all strove to do our hest
at the thirty-seventh to make a spe-
cial session unnecessary, and ] think
a great deal Of credit is due to the
members who outlined the war meas
ures adopted. But of course we could
not read into the future and anticipate
everything. can readily appre-
ciate from what you write that call
may be necessary and agree with you
that if called its work should be con-
fined strictly to measures needed by
war conditions.
WANTS SINKING FUND.
II have some matters would like
to present, one especially. WapeIlo
county, though amply rich. is just now
financially embarrassed. has reached
her Limitation of Indebtedness, new
warrants can not be issued, the court