Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-05
ROAD CROWD READY
TO INTRODUCE REACTION.
AIRY MEASURE.
COMMISSION FRIENDS
WILL SEEK TO AMEND
Issue to Be SquareIy Drawn Over Ono
Measure Which Seeks to SuppIant
Commission by Highway Engineer
Temperance Men Fear Bone Dry
Bills Would Open Way For Booze.
,ecial to Times Republican.

Des Moines, Feb. 5.-The Thirty sew
enth general assembly started on its
fifth week today with two especially
important issues pending.
The one is the road issue involving
the support or the rejection of the
state highway commission. The other
is the temperance issue as embodied
in the bone dry bills of Senator Whit
more. -.r
The long looked for Johnston road
bill to do away with the state high
way commission is due in the house
some time today, according to the
present schedule. It will be referred
to the committee on highways and
will without doubt reported out for
passage In due time. It will provide
for state highway engineer with ad-
visory powers only and will leave to
the boards of supervisors all authority
as to road matters.
When this bill is reported out the
friends Of the highway commission will
introduce an amendment which will
kill the highway engineer feature and
provide for the retention of the present
highway commission with authorita-
tive powers as it now has. This will
of course precipitate the biggest fight
Of the session as has been predicted
before.
Booze and Drug Stores.
One very serious objection is being
proffered to Senator Whitmore's bone
dry bills, which have been made spe-
cial order of business for Tuesday.
This is that they give to permit drug
stores the sole right to handle liquors.
It Is being claimed by many friends
Of temperance: that this is giving ar
inviting opportunity to INSCRIPTIONS
men TO open drug stores or take out
permits in order OF sell liquor indis-
criminately; that it will be hard
matter to enforce other laws against
them for the illegal sale of liquor.
Senator Foster, OF Guthrie county,
an ardent temperance advocate, says
that at the present time not druggist
in his district has liquor permit but
with law which makes only drug
gist eligible to secure liquor because
Of his permit, it will be great temp
tation for the opening Of stores for the
especial purpose of selling booze and
that they will be hard to control.
Fight Gains Momentum.
The fight oyer the fire insurance rat
ing law is gathering momentum 1t is
apparent that there is considerable
feeling over this law and that there
are many legislators bent on it's re-
peal. Senator Newberry. of Clayton
county, introduced a resolution Satur-
day In the senate asking the insur-
Iance department for information as sto'
the amount of business being done by
companies operating in Iowa. their
rates, dividends and similar facts. This
was amended by Senator Eversmeyer.
of Muscatine county, to include infor-
nation as to rates for the past two
years. A further amendment was sug-
gested by Senator Lytle to secure the
names Of the directors and officers of
the companies operating in this state
but this amendment was not consid-
cred. The bill as amended by Sena-
tor Eversmeyer passed.
Il Senator Lytle claims that there arc
many Of the present members of the
Legislature who are directors or stocl-
holders in insurance companies He
declares further that the insurance
companies are working every avenue
they know of to secure the retention
of this law.
The house committee appointed
Saturday to draw up resolutions sup
porting President Wilson in his atti-
tude toward Germany and in breaking
of all diplomatic relations with that
country probably will introduce them
today.
Standing by the President.
The resolution introduced in the sem
ate Saturday by Senator Byington
probably will come up today on the
senate side. Senator Byington and
number Of other senators wanted to
consider this Saturday 1t was post
poned by majority vote, however.
Senator Taylor, Of Buchanan, who
spoke against its consideration Satur.
day, urged that the senators did not
have any specific information as re-
CARDS this matter and that there was
no necessity for hurried action.
The resolution introduced by Sena-
tor Byington follows:
BE il resolved by the general as
sembly Of the state of Iowa; whereas
despite every effort on the part of our
government and nation to preserve
neutrality in the present deplorable
conflict raging in Europe, and despite
the sincere desire of the people Of our
nation to remain at, peace with the
world and to furthef every effort to
bring to a. close the present worlds
war, 1t appears thatso relations with
the belligerent nations have become
extremely delicate and that decisive
action has been taken by the president
Of the United States for the assertion
and protection of our national rights
and our national honor.
Now, therefore, be it resolved that
the general assembly Of Iowa hereby
expresses the hope that war may be
averted if possible but that the state Of
Iowa will sustain the president Of the
United States and congress in standing
firmly and determinedly in protecting
the citizens Of this neutral nation and
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