Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-03-15
PRESENT ASSEMBLY WILL GO
DOWN IN HISTORY AS GREAT
INVESTIGATOR.
NOT YET THRU WITH
IT'S WORK OF PROBING
Governor, Attorney General and Sec
rotary Of State Under Fire and More
lnauiries-Rathbun Grand Jury Ev-
denee, May Be Barred.
Special 10 Times Repu0ilcon.


Des MoInes, March l5-The Thirty
eighth general ASSEMBLY win without
doubt be remembered for many years
10 come DeCau e OF its Investigations.
The Rathbm pardon lro6e, and in
connection herewith the governor and
attorney general and Ia automobile
department ANA the Office of the sec
rotary Of stare, OF Wnicn 1t has been
q part, are b@ag gone INTO thoroagh-
~
The result ct the legislatures IN
designations tbs far has been the re-
moNal of the automobile department
from the office Of the secretary of state
10 the trcasuSgrs Office, and further
developments are looked for.
With the signing by the governor
yesterday Of nc bill 10 transfer the
automobile department to the treas
urer Of states office it viii become a
law on publication and t is thought
that 10y" Monday OF next week the
state treasurer wil be directing the
work Of the auto department. One Of
The first reforms to be instituted by
Treasurer Hoy Will beIhe prompt de-
pbSlL u t4lF -NAlhY ~ Ni'- "SNO S>lS'A
ment and the collection of per cent
interest as authorized py law on these
deposits. The carelessness of Secre-
tary of State w. 5. Allen in the mat
ter of these deposits Was one of the
charges pressed the hardest by the
senate departmental affairs committee
in urging prompt passage OF the Dill
to transfer the department.
Early in the session the senate set
a precedent TO- cleanups in the Offices
of the state house by refusing 10 con-
firm the rea prominent by Governor
Harding OF j.. i, TdaAe as. state. In
suranCe commissioner. A. I. Savage
OF the state sreasurers office, former
member of the Iowa senate, was then
named commissioner ami confirmed.
After the report by Governor Hard
ing on pardons, which included the
pardon OF Ernest Rathoun, the house
judiciary committee began its probing
Of the granting of the pardon, OF the
governors connection herewith and o.
the attorney generals SIDE of 1t. TINS
probe VIII be taken UP by Special In
yestigator II. ". Byers Monday.
The committee on departmental az
fairs is not vet thru with its inNest-
cations of the office Of secretary OF
state. Senator Eoldoegelr chairman Oh
the committee, states, however, tnaI
no misrepresentation Of funds is charged
and 90 far as impeachment proceedings
are concerned tie talk is outside oil
the committee. ar
More Reforms. a., -"
! Abili introduced in the senate Fri
day by Senator Evans. of Bremen
county, which in all probability VIII
pass, provides for the. transferring OF
the publishing and the editing OF the
Red Book from the office Of the sec
rotary of state to that the state docu-
ment editor Senator Evans says that
the office OF he document editor is the
logical place for the publishing of this
book and further il viii take away all
opportunity for an incumbent in the
office Of the secretary IF state sending
out this book and marking it" with
compliments If the secretary OF state,
The Conmitte on departmental af-
fairs came forward with another bill
along the line of reform. This bill viii
prevent any state official taking ad-
Nantagc of the present laws granting
mileage and expenses and which makes
possible Claims from state officials
for their expenses who spend most Of
their time in Des MOines but whose
legal residence is elsewhere. The bill
as it is worded defines that the legal
residence of an official be determined
as the place whore he spends most of
his time in the prosecution Of his
, work.
May Bare Grand Jury Evidence.
Chairman T. P. Harrington, Kossuth
county, chairman of the house commit
tee on judiciary affairs, may urge the
repeal Of the present laws regarding
the testimony before grand juries in
order that the committee investigating
the pardon probe may have adVan-
tage of what vas brought out before
the Ida county grand jury.
The refusal Of Judge j. l.. Kennedy,
Of Sioux City, 20 act as assistant coun-
sci in the probe has suggested these
changes to Chairman harrington
If Kennedy feels his lips are sealed
it Is well 10 remember that the legis-
lature is still in session" said Chair
man Harringt N in discussing the pro-
posed change.
The Law with reference to. grand
larry evidence is. merely statutory and
can easily be repealed al this session.
The committee is going TO get that eVi-
dence whether Kennedy co-operates
with it or not ,.. ,.s .t
The committee has not decided as
vet as to whether or not it will en-
H., co,.nsel 10 take Kennedys place.