The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-04-16
"SPITE" BANK
BILL IN HOUSE
Il ~ =.
Bill That Has Created Considerable
Interest and Argument Again
Up for Hearing
FOR STATEWIDE CELEBRATION
House Voted $4,000 70 Meet the Ex
pense Of Gathering Members Of
168th' Regiment for Celebration

| DES MOlNES, Aprll l4-lopeCldI u
the Review)-A tentative vote making
Thursday of this week the date of ad
journment may have to be revised. A
number of important bills are yet tt
consider in both houses and with de
lays occasioned by the charges pre-
sented by various investigating com
mittees to be disposed of it is not like
ly that adjournment will be taken un
til week later than previously plan
ned.
The big events of the past week
lwere the action lof the judiciary com
mittee in voting impeachment proceed
! ings against Gov. w. l.. Harding, the
passage of the road bill in the senate
in revised form, and the disposition
of the spite bank" bill in the house
Many other important bills were con
sidered and very creditable record
was made in disposing of urgent legis
lation.
The action Of the judiciary commit
tee came as surprise when it was
announced Friday night that by vote
of II to Ia recommendation for the
impeachment of the governor would be
presented to the house, The vote
stood as follows:
For presenting Impeachment pro
ceedings:
Alderman of Story; Beeman of AL
lamakee; Clark Of Cherokee; Edison
of Buena Vista; Finley of Henry;
Giltner of Monroe; Hook Of Winnie
shiek; King of Hardin; Messer OF
Johnson; Mantz of Audubon; Perkins
of Sac; Springer of Louisa; Scott OF
Marshall; Stone of Sioux; Wichman
OF Hancock: Weaver of Polk; Har
rington of Kossuth. II.
Those voting against impeachment:
Brown Of Mitchell; Davidson OF
Page; Epps of Wapello; Griffin OF
Woodbury.; Moore of Guthrie; Ne
biker of Des Moines; Oertel of Lee;
Powers of Crawford; Rogers of Car
roll; Santee of Black Hawk; Temple
of Clarke; Wander Ploeg OF Marion;
Williams of iPottawattamie; Wormley
lof Plymouth. IA -,.....-
OF this, number Nebiker of Burling
ton; Powers of Denison, and Rogers
of Manning are democrats. f =,
The charges against the governor as
summed up by H. w. Byers, former
lattorneyl general and prosecutor in
the case, follow: q, H.. .r
Granting of the pardon constituted
a gross abuse of power, official miscon.
duct and malfeasance in"office, for the
following reasons: s'..sua4,
Governor Harding, by his own ad.
mission, and other testimony, not only
failed to meet this duty, but made no
effort whatever to perform 1t. By Sec.
tion 1904 of the code this constituted
misdemeanor.
The governor did not bend his eff.
forts to right the wrong done, when
I he found the truth, but continued de.
fiant and attempted to defend him.
self even before the legislature.
While it was his duty to cooperate
with the attorney general, the COVER
nor entered into an ''unseemly and un.
dignified personal. quarrel,'' thus
bringing discredit and disgrace upon
the fair name of the state."~ e.
The consent Of the governor to the
"deal' whereby Rathbun surrendered
This pardon made him a party to the
Iviolation of all statutes prohibiting
compromise Of criminal cases outside
|of court. ....... ""l
The constitutional provisions in
such cases are that the house of rep
must first take action and
in case Impeachment is recommended
lthen the matter goes to the senate be-
fore which the evidence must be sub
mitted and the trial held. If the house
votes to press impeachment proceed
ings the governor becomes suspended