Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-01-08
OUR LEGISLATORS
MEETS JAN. IS
iowa's Thirty-eigE> S<. 'ueral Assem-
bly, VIII Convene at Date
For Three Months sto,,a
TxzE GOOD ROADS "
QUESTION LIVE ONE
Large Volume Legislation Growing
Out of the War Will Occupy
Attention of SOlons

Iowa's, Thirty-eight general as
sembly will convene at the state
house on Jan. 13 for session which
will certainly extend well into April
and may not end until early in May.
From present indications law
makers will have a busy and impor-
tant winter, and several matters
which will come up for attention are
certain to produce sharp differences
of opinion.
New leaders are likely to develop
both in the house and senate to re-
place members of these bodies who
who will not return, but consider
ably larger proportion of old mem
bers ere coming back this year than
is generally the case.
OF the los members of the house
fifty-one were reelected, and in the
senate the proportion is much great
er. Many of those to retire have been
quite prominent in Iowa legislative
affairs, however, and will be con.
spicuous by their absence.
Speakership Contest.
Arch McFarlance of Black Hawk
county, speaker pro tenn of the lasi
house OF representatives, is consid-
cred the most likely choice for
speaker OF the house. He will be op-
posed, it is understood, by Repre-.
sentatiyes John Wormley of Ply.
mouth county, l.. j Neff OF Pottaw-
attmee county and r. s. Finley oi
Henry county. The speaker is chosen
by caucus of the house republi
cans, prior to the organization oi
the legislature.
tt will be remembered that two
years ago extremely bitter factiona'
fighting marked the session, botf
in the house and in the senate, with
the road question the bitterest source
of contention.
Signs are not lacking that these
struggles will be renewed to some
extent, but there, is far more of {
conciliatory spirit evident and thu
same degree of strife is not likely
to be attained
One of the first measures which
will be taken up by the legislature
is the ratification of the natiOna
prohibitory amendment. The We
element in both house and senate
will be almost negligible, and the
amendment will pass both branche:
by large majorities.
Suffrage Not Likely in Issue.
Suffrage is not likely to be con
sidered unless congress should sub
NIT the national amendment befort
the Iowa session adiournes. low
suffrage leaders are not planning {;
ask for action toward submission O
suffrage to vote in Iowa. and vii
probably make no effort to resuscit
ate the resolution adopted by tht
last legislature, which is believed de
funct through clerical error in tue
Office of the secretary of state.
The good roads question will b'
"a live one, as in the last two legis
latures A very large proportion o
the representatives from the more
rural counties will ask for some
amendments to the present highwa,
commission law. These will probabi.
take the form of bills replacing th'
present highway commission by
highway engineer, and possibly re
moving the headquarters OF the stat
highway department from Ames t
Des Moines. There also will be at
tempts made to restore to the count.
officials, especially the supervisors
some og the authority now vested IL
the highway commission.
Road Legislation.
Road law agitation win also af
feet legislation amending the pres
ent automobile license law whlci
turns over to the road funds OF tn
various counties 81 per cent OF tn
amount collected for automobil
taxes, most of which, under the Law
accepting federal aid for Iowa roai
building, is now set aside fer per
manent highway Improvement.
Disaffection against the admins
tration OF the present automobil
department by the secretary of stat
will result in the introduction Q
several bills, among which will b
measures for an entirely separat
automobile department, and also 10
the return OF the automoDlle icens
ing privilege to the counties, unde
uniform state regulation.
The chiropractors OF Iowa, thr'
their organization, will ask for legis
lation giving their branch Oh thei
healing art a standing similar U
that now enjoyed Of a bill permitting
the erection OF a temple of justice O
a new Office building on the capito
grounds with the cash remaining D.
osteopaths. A similar bill was de
feated in the last legislature, and
is likely to have hard shedding on II
coming appearance.
A large volume of Legislation
growing out OF the war will oceup,
considerable share OF attention
from the solons.
Numerous bills bearing on tn
welfare Or the.retprning soldiers az
already being drafted by yariou
members OF the house and senate
Some of these, at least. viii sagges
fhe extending OF the credit or tn