Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1919-02-17
PAST week N
LEGISLATURE
G. L. Caswell Reviews the
Past Week in the Iowa
State Legis-
lature.
LOTS BOOZE PEDDLERs
Petitions of all Kinds Being
Sent in From Sections
of State.
LOTS BOOZE PEDDLERS
BY G. L. CAswELL.

booze peddler, otherwise known as the
bOotlegger. Regular underground
booze routes are said to exist down
the line from Minnesota through coun.
ties in northwestern Iowa, and in
southwestern Iowa northward, where
the underground passage of liquor IA.
dates from the state line northward
and northeastward. Each corner and
the center OF the state lines reports
something Of the same kind of sur
reptitious transportation of liquor, and
the question with all is how to deal
with the nuisance. 1t was thought
that the last two general assemblies
passed enough bills for acts to cover
every possible contingency, and yet the
illicit traffic is reported as bad as ever.
Now comes a bill by Senator Whit
more, who is the Noah Webster of
liquor legislation, that it is hoped will
get these nocturnal and eternal birds
Of booze. This bill repeals the
old law governing illegal trans
portation of liquor and substi-
tutes therefor law providing for the
detention OF persons and vehicles
found illegally transporting liquors and
making such vehicles nuisance, and
providing for the sale of such vehicles
and for the payment of fines and costs
out of the proceeds Of such sale. Not
only that. but it provides for FORGETTING
this liquor that is seized to be either
destroyed or condemned for other uses
than making men feel like millionaires
for the sum of seven dollars quart.
Not only that, but it provides that
transportation ct liquors in a vehicle
owned by another person or that is
mortgaged is a felony punishable by
Imprisonment. In addition it pro,ides
for the search of vehicles for booze.
1t is assumed that this bill, having
come forward so deliberately, is de-
signed with more architectural skill
than the old lays were, and that booze
routes through Iowa will be effective
~ disarranged thereby.
Many Petitions. 3
Petitions keep on coming in to mem
bers. A casual glance at the journals
showing their character denotes that
now there are petitions favOring bet
ter and permanent. roads as well as
against. The proposed anti-cigarette
law is being already bombarded at
long range by petitions. County super
intendent election laws are shelled Oc-
casiOnally, and somebody doesn't want
the highways numbered instead of
named as at present. County Officers
are getting some petitions in favoring
the four-year term bill, while some
others are against it and against all
proposed raises of salaries of county
or state officers.
Senator Ratcliff of Montgomery
county would do away with county
corOners entirely as separate and
distinct office He has 4 bill making
the county attorney fill the duties of
coroner and if necessary to hold in
quests and. procure and preserve evil
derTe in criminal cases. why not?'
he says. 1.-THE attorney is the officer
who has to do the prosecuting in GRIM
inal cases and usually is~not oyerwOrk-
ed in that capacity"
Money for State Agents.
The first spectacular debate and
fight over any measure of Importance
to come up in the lower house this
session went to finish when House
File No. I'D, providing for an increase
of $4,000 for the use of the attorney
generals Office for hiring and paging
expenses of state agents, o. employ
ing special help for that office, came
up for passage.
Many speeches were made On this
amendment and the debate grew lot
and interesting as amendment after
amendment was proposed and Soted
down. Not change in the original
bill got by, and in the end not even
a reduction of the amount asked by
the attorney general was very "lrmlv
supported. though several members
tried to cut down the allowance fer
this special work from $4,000 to $780,
OOc.
1t is regarded as very probable the
senate will also pass the bill. though
cutting down the appropriation some.
and that the attorney-generals Office
will next year have enough money to
use state agents TO stop all kinds of
crime in any way deemed necessary.
Changed the Primary Law.
The Kimball bill to change the ex-