Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1919-03-31
House Judiciary Committee
Will Probably Censure
Both Harding and
Havner.
ROAD BILL UP NEXT
Investigation of Secretary
OF State to be Finished
This Week.
(By The Associated Press

| Des MOines. Iowa, March 31.-This
week will see the end of the Rathbun
pardon case investigation by the judi
ciary committee of the Iowa house of
representatives, according to present
plans. The house may receive Il com
mittee report OH the matter Friday or
Saturday.
When the committee resumes it's III
vestigation tomorrow afternoon, furth-
er witnesses will be examined with re-
gard to the methods employed by H.
NJ. Havner, attorney general, and other
state counsel in setting aside the par
don and sending Ernest Rathbun to
AnamOsa refOrmatOry.
Most of the inquiry so far has dealt
with Governor w. L. Harding's action
in pardoning the youth before he had
served day Of his life sentence for
criminal assault, but the final sessions
last week switched to new phase
the part Havner played in the matter.
The resolution adopted by the house
ordering the investigation called for
the fullest inquiry not only into the
governors reasons for freeing the
young man, but also into the methods
employed by Havner in gaining revo-
cation OF the pardon through an
agreement" with young Rathbun.
To Censure Both?
Close observers of the investigation
are predicting freely the probable
course the committees recommends
tons to the house will take. and
among the four Des Moines papers
there is absolute unanimity of profess
ed belief that Impeachment proceedings
will not be mentioned, but, they pre-
dict, the committee undoubtedly will
recommend censure of both Governor
Harding and Attorney General Hay-
ner. the former for acting hastily in
granting the pardon without fullest
investigation, and the latter for enter
ing into an alleged bargain" that sent
Rathbun to the reformatory and caus-
ed the quashing Of indictments voted
by the Ida county grand jury against
his brother and father and his attorr
ney, George Clark.
Governor Harding has admitted III
testifying before the committee that
he did not investigate the case on ms
own initiative, but relied on informa-
ton furnished by Clark. together with
the records of the trial. He admitted
further that had he investigated for
himself. he would have concluded
Rathbun was guilty as charged, and
would. have refused a pardon.
Just what knowledge, if any, the
governor had of the alleged bargain
setting aside tile pardon has not been
brought /. out. and possibly may come
up before the investigation is com
pleted. H. w. Byers, special commit
tee counsel. severely arraigned Attor-
ney General Havner, Clark and others
who were parties to the alleged bar
gain and which, Byers said, sent
.sRathbun to the penitentiary to, save.
Clark"
While the attention of the public
has been centercd in the investigation,
both branches of the legislature-the
house and senate-have continued
grinding out measures, hoping to COM
plete their task in time for adjourn
ment some time after the middle OF the
mpntb. There still is no indication
that adjournment sine die can Ike taken
before the 10Th. and the session may
extend beyond that.
To Act on Road Bill.
The highly important good roads
bill made its appearance In both houses
last week. and is assured of almost
immediate consideration. The house
made it special order for tomorrow
morning ut 10 o'clock, and the senate
is expected to consider it later tins
week. probably not until final action
in the lower chamber, however.
Passage. Of the housing measure
was completed, the elimination OF two
wears work by good housing commits
sion appointed by Governor Harding
and with the signature of the governor
affixed, important changes in construc-
ton in the state are necessary. Inc
law fixes minimum height for rooms
in all houses. and requires certain
number of square feet floor space
windows are required in all living and
bed rooms.
The Sunday "blue law" placed Ill
the Iowa statutes many years ago, sur
yiyed another attempt to repeal them.
through the rejection by the house, q
TO "a. Of the repeal measure passed by
the senate in February, 33 to 10.
House action two years also caused de-
feat of similar measure.
Abolish Parol Board?
A proposal to abolish the state board