Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-02-21
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
FINDS MUCH WORK
LEGISLATURE UNABLE TO CON.
PLETE WORK in SHORT
SESSION.
PREs. WILSON SENDS THANKS
One Dry Measure Gets Through Senate
To Eradicate Tuberculosis
From Stock.

To Eradicate Tuberculosis
From Stock. q
BY. J. W. Jarnagln
Des Moines, Iowa, February ~,
Members of the legislature who are
in close touch with the situation aver
that all hope Of short SESSION has
departed. Bills in the house are Climb
ing up toward the 400 mark and many
important measures are in the hands
OF COMMITTEES. Investigating. commit
tees galore have been appointed and
some friction has thereby been en-
gendered. A committee on retrench-
ment and reform, composed OF mem
bers from both houses and OF members
OF both political parties is charged
with numerous and far reaching pow
ers. The creation Of investigating
committees to take up work that pc
longs to retrenchment and reform has
beeh taken as lack Of confidence In
the committe charged with the re-
spOnsibility Of investigating such mat
ters and finally at the suggestion OF
Representative Klinker, of Crawford.
who spoke of the mania for special
committees as something of a joke, the
house smOthered several attempts TO
further burden the session. The spe-
cial committe that was to investigate
the high price Of coal and to which
was committed the duty also OF as
certaining the cause and remedy for q
scarcity OF cars, has had no funds
placed at its disposal to carry on the
work and nothing particular has been
done. Many large measures are await
ing action but nothing OF consequence
will be accomplished until the new
highway bill is out of the way. It Will
probably take several days to get 10 a
vote on that measure. The house is
practically tie on the proposition as
tar as the republican members are
concerned and the fourteen democrats
in the house hold the balance Of pow
er. Public meetings are being held IN
counties thus represented In an effort
to get sufficient pressure to hear to
cause opposition to the Pitt-JOnnstOn
bill. It has been decreed that the
general assembly take recess on Feb
Yuary "a for ten days. reconvening on
Tuesday, March 6. A rule was estab-
nshed February Is that after that date
no ssmember will be permitted to In
troduce more, than two bills without
the unanimous consent OF the house.
President Wilson Sends Thanks.
& Speaker Pitt received telegram
f,om President Wilson in appreciation
of the resolutions of confidence passed
recently by the house. His message
was as follows:
s "WiH you not accept for yourself
and the, memhars eof the Ihouse of the
Thirty.seventh general assembly Of
the state OF Iowa thi expression obf
my warmest thanks for their generous
pledge Of support? deeply appreciate
the confidence and the appreciation OF
your colleagues and yourself and am
heartened by your friendly assurances
Cordially yours.
Woodrow Wilson"
Change Demanded In Ancient Blue
Laws.
I An organization with headquarters
in Des Moines has been organized
which has for its object concerted
action in the enforcement Of the Sum
day laws. Rev. Wickman, late OF Ok.
lahoma, is at the head OF the organ
ization which is state wide Gov.
Harding stated in his inaugural ad-
dress that II there we're unpopular
laws left upon the statue books when
the legislature adjourned the general
assembly and not the officials should
be blamed for the unpopularity of their
enforcement Representative Griffin,
of Sioux City, has introduced q bfll to
amend the Sunday laws by outlining
hat shall be permissible under lib
eral construction of the enactments
which will prevent infraction OF the
law. His bill makes the following in
terpretation:
The provisions of this section shall
not be held to prohibit the mainte-
rance, and operation of railroads,
street and interurban railways, tele-
phone and telegraph service, heating
and lighting plants, waterworks and
other public service. livery stables, un-
dertaking establishments, automobile
garages and service stations, hotels,
eating houses and drug stores; nor the
sale and delivery of milk and ice; nor
the publishing, sale and delivery of
newspapers; nor the sale Of period
icals; nor the giving OF concerts of
music and the opening of public IL
brarfes and museums. Nor shall the
provisions of this section be held to
prohibit the maintenance and opera
ttiDn of bakeries, confectionery stores,
fruit stores, cigar stores, bath houses,
amusements parks, baseball games, the
eters and moving picture shows, but
towns and cities having population
of less than 10000 shall have the pow
er by ordinance to prohibit the same
on Sunday and provide penalties for
violations thereof"
State Finances IN Bad Shape
Gov. Harding read second message
to the Joint meeting of both houses
and this time he devoted attention to a
fjnfca1 report from the state treas
rrer. This report shows that there
was cash on hand Jan. /. 1917, in the
amount of $1l6,247 and that the rev.
enues available up to June 30. 1917,
Including this cash, will be $4.239.447.
1t also shows, that there has already
been appropriated by former legisla-
lures, subject to warrant, for the same
slx months peroid, the sum OF $5,724,-
95S. This will leave a deficit June
3Ot 1917, of $1,4S6,511. The Governor
suggests that there are three avenues
open for rehabilitating the depleted
treasury. One is by reducing the ex-
penses we are already under, by con-
solidation of departments and insti-
tutfons and reduction Of the over
head expense incident to carrying on
the various departments and institu-
tions. The other Is by reduction OF the