Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-12-26
CALL DEPENDING ON sENTI.
MENTs OF MEMBERS OF
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HARDING ExAcTlNG
PLEDGES FROM soLoNs
Decision to 30 Reached by Governor
by End Of Week-shors Session Be-
ing Insisted Upon-state Institutions
Now in Debt $4,000 and in Need Of
Special Appropriations.
Special to mes-Republican.


Oes Moines, Dec EFF Governor
Harding receives replies promptly from
the members of the Thirty seventh
general assembly he will decide by the
end OF the week whether or not to call
the special session.
The calling Of the session, however,
all depends on the attitude Of the
solons as shown in their replies to the
chief executive The governor appar-
entity Is determined to hold rigidly to
his position Of refusing under any
conditions to call a special session I'M
less he feels assured from the solons'
themselves that they will not consider
anything except war legislation and
the taking care Of the state board of
control institutions now $4,000 in debt.
The governors whole tendency Is ana
has been against q special session. For
that reason it will not take very much
adverse sentiment or very much side
stepping on the part Of the members
as to whether or not they will hold
to war legislation exclusively to get
the governors mind wholly against 1t.
AS a matter Of fact the governor was
especially importuned- by defense coun-
Gil members to9call the session and not
by politicians. Politically there Is
nothing to gain from the special session
and there mightrbe considerable to lose,
the governors, friends say, and they
point out that no one knows this bet
ter than the governor himself.
Members Of the Legislature have not
been asked by the governor to definite
ly and positively. pledge themselves to
consider only war legislation and the
board Of control finances. In his let
ter to them the governor declared there
were two vitality important questions
before the state, the board Of control
finances and the matter Of the state
defense council for which there is at
the present time no authority or
money. He also declares that some
where there should be authority to
mobilize the factories Of the state for
war purposes and as far as possible see
that those which are classed as non
essential he changed over to essential
factories without any upsetting Of in
dustry.
Short Session Insisted Upon.
The governor further declares en-
phatically that he Will not call the
session unless he can be assured by
the members that 1t will be a short
session and that the business will be
confined to taking care Of the state In
stitutions and matters growing out Of
the war. N
Some Of the members Of the 1egisla-
k,,-n 10 x1S}n ~
favor Z special session until they know
more specifically what sort Of legisla-
ton may be proposed. Such members
are for war legislation only but they
say the don't know what the other fell
low is for. If the governor secures no
pledge from the members he will have
absolutely nothing to say about what
they consider and what they don't con-.
slider, once they are in session. It Is
pointed out that the history Of all spe-
cial sessions is that they usually last
much longer than originally planned.
and enter a much wider field.
The date for calling the special ses-
sion which has been given most con-
sideration Is Jan. 8, Just two weeks
from Christmas day. But in the mean
time at least three special elections
must be held, requiring ten days no.
tice to the voters in the respective leg
islative districts. Other arrangements
will have to be completed, all Of which
take more or less time.
w. w. Anderson. Of Greene county,
will probably be a candidate for state
senator to succeed Senator Helmer In
the Forty-eighth senatorial district
who has gone to war. This district in
cludes Carroll, Greene and Sac coun-
ties. This would Of course necessitate
electing some one In Anderson's place
as state representative. Then there
must be some one to succeed Repre-,
sentative A. w. Jackson, of Stanwood.
Cedar county, who has removed from
the county.