Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-04-11
eENATE ACCEPTS PROVISION
CALLING FOR SUBMISSION
OF PEOPLE,.
MUST VOTE ON HARD -
suRFAcINo FEATURE
Amendment to Have Little Effect on
Final Accomplishments Except to
Require More Time to Complete De-
tails-Amended Bill Must Now Go
to House For Ratification.
Special to Times-Reputlican

special to Times -Reputlican.
Des Moines, April 1.-THE senate
late Wednesday passed the good roads
bill previously passed by the house
but not until 1t had been amended 50
as to provide that hard surfacing
could not be undertaken by boards Of
supervisors except on "a majority vote
OF the people. This bill will now go
back to the house with this amend
mont and it is thought the house Will
concur.
The battle in the senate from the
time the bill came UP as a special
Uruer at 10 O'Clock Wednesday morn
ing until it vas finally acted on late
Thursday was over the question of
county option or the matter of vot-
ing on hard sIrfacing. The bill as
passed by the house required that the
supervisors must proceed either to
Drain and grade, or TO drain, grade
ana hard surface some portion of the
roads such rs their funds would au-
thorize or to issue bonds on the vote
of the People to hard surface all Of
the primary roads. The bill further
provided thru the Edison amendment
adopted by the house what was called
negative option, that is the super
visors could be estopped from pro-
ceeding to these improvements by a
vote of the people which could be
called thru a petition of twenty per
cent of the property owners.
The supporters of the hard roads bill
in the senate were anxious to have 1t
go.thru as it passed the house. 1t was
fought bitterly, however by Senators
Pitt and Price, generally conceded
part of the j. NJ. Pierce machine out
TO beat the road bill The portion that
the opposition attacked was the au-
thority given supervisors to proceed
without county option except when
bonds were contemplated.
County Option Feature.
The demand for the county option
measure became so formidable that
early in the session Thursday it was
evident that some COUNTY option meas
ure would be necessary if the bill was
TO go thru the senate. Three amend
ments touching on the county option
matter came In and the senate voted to
report back at V o'clock in the after
noon. Lieutenant Governor Moore APP
pointed Senators Arney, Whitmore,
F'raley, Smith, Foskett and Hale as
members of this special committee.
The committee brought in AZ unani-
nous report at o'clock in the after
noon recommending a county option
provision. Several minor amendments
to the committee amendment were
proposed but no vital changes were
made in the committee amendment
which was adopted by vote OF AZ to
l. Senator White of Benton county
being against it. Senator Newberry
was absent.
The vital part of this amendment
follows: 1.-THE board Of supervisors
shall not proceed with hard surfacing
until such work SHAH BE authorized by
a majority vote of the electors of such
county at a general election. or
special election, called for that pur-
pose; and the board of supervisors OF
any county may, on it's own motion.
and shall, if petitioned by the voters
in any county equal to 10 per cent Of
the number voting at the last general
election, to be determined by the num-
Der Of electors voting for governor
;hereat. submit to said voters the ques-
ton whether hard surfacing shall be
done on the primary road system or
any portrop thereof, in said county"
With the adoption Of the amendment
the bill itself was voted on and passed
by a vote of So to IL. Those voting
against the bill were Ball. of jefferson;
Brookhart, of Washington; Buser, OF
Muscatine; Cessna, Of Poweshiek;
Kingland. of Winnebago; LIE Compile,