Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-08-06
RAIL FARE M|XUP
UP TO LEGISLATURE
ROADS CERTAIN TO HAVE
STRONG LOBBY AT SESSION
NEXT WINTER.
STATE COMMISSION
PASSES THE BUCK
Viii Neither Adopt Interstate Pas
senoer Rates Nor Restors 2.cent
Law Unless Ordered by Courts
Legislature to Be Asked 10 Enact
New Legislation on Subject.
pecial to Times-Republican.


ceiore the Iowa railroad commission
mere Yesterday at which carriers op.
Grating In Iowa sought to secure In
terstate application of the rates both
freight and passenger, recently
granted by the interstate commerce
commission, revealed a probable large
issue before the Iowa general as
sembiy next winter.
In the matter Of passenger rat..
the commission evidenced a clear
dispoAtion completely to pass the
buck" to the legislature, on the
ground that since It had assumed 10
control passenger tariffs by enactine
the Iowa 2-ceht fare law, only the
legislature has power to revise them.
It seems likely unless the railroads
can secure authority, either from
courts by legal mandate or from the
interstate commerce commission, to
increase Iowa passenger fares 20 per
cent above their present level Of 8
cents mile, that passenger rates ap-
piying between interior Iowa points
Will not be increased on Sept. !. nor
at any subsequent time until the
general assembly has enacted new
legislation on the subject.
Situation Complicated.
The railroad commissions position
Is that there is no active authority
IN the state now competent to deal
with passenger rates. Iowa,s 3-cent
fare law Is still on the books. a fed
efal emergency measure, during the
war. arbitrarily put into effect 4
blanket Increase OF cent per mile
over the Iowa rate. The Iowa law Is
thus abrogated. but nothing in the
way Of state enactment has been set
up IN It's place. In the meantime war
regulations have been done away
with. and there remains only such
scant authority In the matter as Is
covered by the transportation act.
Thus situation looms which fore
casts a regular old fashioned rail-
road lobby In Des Moines next Yin-
ter. There is every reason to believe.
with the present outlook, that for an
indefinite time isto the future. a
ticket to Council Bluffs viii cost 20
per cent less than q ticket 60 OmanA.
|aTticket to Rock Island 20 per cent
more than a ticket to Davenport.
Other Important Work..
The railroad passenger fare prob
lem Is added to long list Of impor-
Etapt considerations likely to demand
The next assembly's attention. There
is. Of course, code revision. with .ts
multifarious difficulties. There II
very likely to be q conference Of
legislative nominees here during the
state fair. to discuss informally what
should be done about this. Sentiment
As growing. as the difficulties become
more clear in legislative minds, IN
favor Of putting the whole question
Of code revision over until special
session to DO called about Jan. ],
1922.
Then there will be the matter Of
revision OF states government Both
the republican and democratic nomi-
nses Tor governor have declared In
favor Of revision along the lines OF
the Illinois civil administrative code.
a governor, Of course, is powsTless to
do anything Of this kind. Il can be
done only By legislative action. And
two previous general assemblies have
entirely ignored programs suggested
by Governor Harding considerably
less drastic than the present candi-
dates propose. HowAyer, the matssr.
never has bean a principal campaign
issue hafore. and It IL s3fe to predict
that government revision win rsosive
more serious consideration at the
hands Of the legislature this wdnter
than It ever has received befor4S no
matts1 whom is elected governor.
There arc certain to % many de-
mands for legislation calculated to
benefit asriculture following the