Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-01-19
LEGISLATURE IS
WELL STARTED
Gov. Kendall Inaugurated Tho lay
and Everything is Set for AZ.
Grind Till Well Into March e
AUTO MONEY LAW
HAS BEEN CHANGED
Reports of Governors Quarrel Ex-
aggerated, But the Politicians
are Alert and Suspicious.
Des Moines, January II, 1921.

Des Moines, January II, 1921.
Three emergency measures were
started right off in the 39th Genera
Assembly which convened last Mon.
day. Speed bids fair to be the watch.
word in the Legislation at this ses,
sion all the way through.
The first emergency measure that
went through was to take care of the
matter of printing the state reports
and legislative bills and journals nee.
essary to carry on the work of the
session. Resulting from the agitat.
ion against the state printers in the
past years, the contract system fol
doing this state work has been a
failure. Letting the state printing
contracts two years ago, and fixing
the maximum amounts that could be
charged for the same on prices fixed
by the legislature six years ago
made it impossible last year to get
bids on a large part of the work nee
essary. State Document Editor Ora
Williams states that there is $780,
900 of state printing of all kinds
that has not been done for last year
because nobody would bid on the
work under the prices fixed by law.
This emergency measure offered in
the Senate on Monday amends the
former law and removes the maxi
mum limit at the discretion of the
state printing board. The board inn
mediately authorized the printing ne
cessary to be done at prices that
now prevail, and the work is being
delivered so that the session may
not be delayed.
The second hurry-up measure of
fered was to pave the way for Code
revision. Senator Whitmore offered
and explained the resolution which
sets a date, February 18th, as the
last on which general Legislative
bills may be offered at this session
numbering all such bills up to 27O
and all Code revision bills Offered
above that number. The House
changed the resolutionsto make Feb
ruary 22d the last date for offering
general bills, and the measure wa.
disposed of that way. 1t is said thai
the leaders of this General Assembly
plan to end the regular session early
in March and then adjourn to allow
the Code Commission to go over the
work and compile it in form to pre-
sent at a special session a few week.
later
Counties Retain Auto Licenses.
Without opposition both Senate ant
House passed the resolution extend
ing the time at which county treas
urers shall remit the automobil,
license and penalties collected b!
them to the state treasurer. Unde
the old law treasurers would havt
to send in the hundreds of thousands
of dollars thus collected to the Stat,
Treasurer on January 18th. Agita
ton before and during the campaign
last fall caused sentiment favor
ing the retention of all this money
in the counties where collected. Al
emergency resolution presented il
the Senate by Senator Holdoegel o,
Calhoun county Monday was giver
to special committee that day ant
the next day was reported out ant
passed, authorizing county treasurer
to hold the auto license fees unit
April 10th. 1t is the purpose of th'
members to later pass permanent
legislation dealing with this matte,
and amending the automobile law
. in other ways, so that hereafter th'
county banks will have the use O.
such automobile funds as are no
spent on road work. The Hous,
promptly passed the resolution.
Some Lack of 'Pep" Soon.
1t has been remarked that there
seems to be lack of pep and en-
thusiasm among the members of thi
General Assembly. Some of the old
timers wonder why. There is a splen
did and fine lot of new Senators thi
session, and the House has a reall!
good-Iooking membership. But al
seem to have hazy view of tire
nedous work ahead and see littl'
pleasure in trying to crowd it thru
Possibly this is the reason for tn
(Continued on last page.)