Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1923-01-17

the senate, and laundering defiance
at the forces seeking equal suffrage
Tor women a few years ago, vii; nm.
~ nafd to recognize the thin-faced
yuiet person dropping YEARLY over
the senate desk assigned this sss-
sion to Senator Cady Chase of
Hamilton county.
Cady Chase has been very sick.
The illness has thinned his face.
ana lined it with new wrinkles. His
oody became thin, with the gauntness
or big framed men who are con,
valescing from wasting disease. Only
IN his eye can be seen the old fire
that gained him a reputation as be-
ing the best catch as catch can do
batter and the chief warhorse of the
senate in sessions gone by.
his unexpected presence in the
senate on the first day of this ses-
sion ut was generally believed that he
wouldn't be strong enough to GOMEZ
nroughtNout a warm expression of
ms popularity among men who were
fellow legislators in older DAYS. Fo,
two hours there was a group. two
deep, around the desk at which he
sat, personality almost lost in the
disguise of illness, toying aimlessly
with things on his desk, and speak
/ ing feebly of other times.
Newspaper dispatches sent out just
after the speakership election, char
acterlzed Speaker j. H. Anderson as
mud roads, man. The implica-
ton, in that appelation is unjust to
MIR. Anderson, and does not at all
square with the facts.
Probably more than any other man
who has sat in several legislatures
In which the road problem was i'm.
portant, Mr.. Anderson has played
lone hand" Sometimes he has
agreed with one side, sometimes with
another, and sometimes with only a
few except himself.
His most noted legislative action,
which occurred i'm the 9th general
assembly six years ago was, with the
help of two other house members.
to put the first bomb under the
mud roads" program proposed at
that time.
Anderson had supported Pitt, the
successful candidate for speaker,
whose campaign platform had in
cluded abolition of the highway com,
mission. He was placed on the house
highways committee which, it was
Pitts proud boast didn't have a
friend of the highway commission
on it, The committee was chosen
with the plan in mind Of making
it a vehicle to bring unanimously
before the house highways bill en-
bodying the ideas of the Pitt group.
When the session was few weeks |
old Anderson calmly kicked over the |
traces. He announced that he would |
not support the so-called "admini-
stration road bill" He was joined |
by two other members of the high
ways ommittee-Slosson Of Worth |
(now senator) and Dean of Os-
ceola.
These three were lambasted right |
and left by the Pitt legislators. They |
were called traitors to their chosen |
legislative companions. But they were |
firm and their instruction was i
powerful factor in causing the break
in the anti-highway commission
groups morale, permitting tie vote,
81 TO 81, on all proposed road legis-
lation
In conversation a few days ago |
this bit of history was recalled to
Mr.. Anderson. 'I've never been
sorry l did that" he said. at has
become an indisputable fact, / think
that state supervision. OF primary
road work is wise and necessary"
There is nothing in Anderson's
legislative record to contradict that
assertion. In the session two years
ago he offered two bills, one 20 make
members of the highway commission
elective and another to transfer all
authority over secondary roads to
county supervisors. But he has, new
er proposed nor agreed 10 the one
thing that in most Iowa minds is I
on the mud roads" side of the |
dividing line: To abolish state con-
trol over primary roads.
c. X. STUART.