of the county of Sac, I issued a commission to that gentleman to hold, as provided by the statute, until the next meeting of the General Assembly. It is now incumbent upon you to elect a Trustee for the remainder of the unexpired term. It is unnecessary for me to remind the General Assembly that the people of the state are expecting the session to be of brief duration, and I doubt not that you are, as their representatives, in full sympathy with that feeling. Permit me to express the hope that your deliberations will eventuate in a Code of Laws that will give satisfaction to the people, while it will anew commend the legislation of this great Commonwealth to approval beyond our borders. F. M. DRAKE VETO MESSAGE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 10, 1896 From the Journal of the House of Representatives, p. 1193 To the House of Representatives: I respectfully return House file No. 290, an act to amend section 1, chapter 1, acts of the Twenty-fourth General Assembly, establishing a board of park commissioners in certain cities of the first class, defining their powers, and describing their duties, for further consideration. It proposes to amend section 1 of chapter 1 of the acts of the Twenty-fourth General Assembly, by making the provisions of that act applicable to all cities which had a population of 25,000 at the state election in 1895. As thus specifically limited in its operation, the bill is, in my judgment, violative of the constitutional provision prohibiting special legislation. But that I might not act hastily, I have sought and obtained the opinion of the Attorney General on the subject, a copy of which opinion I append hereto, and which, it will be seen, is in accord with the views suggested above. I concur in the opinion of the Attorney General that the omission of certain words would obviate all objection to the bill. I also think that thus modified the bill will not only accomplish its immediate object, but remove a doubt which I am advised has been raised as to the validity of the act of 1892, which the pending measure proposes to amend. F. M. DRAKE. STATE OF IOWA, OFFICE OF ATTORNEY-GENERAL, HON. F. M. DRAKE, Governor of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa: DEAR SIR:-Yours of to-day asking my opinion upon the constitutionality of House file No. 290, has received as careful attention as time permits. The bill amends section 1 of chapter 1 of the acts of the Twentyfourth General Assembly, so as to make the act applicable to cities which had 25,000 inhabitants at the time of the state election in 1895. There are, I believe, but six cities in the state to which the act as amended would apply. They are as definitely known as if they had been specially named in the bill. The law as amended cannot apply to any other cities than the six referred to. This being true, under the decision of the supreme court of this state in the case of State ex rel West v. Des Moines, 65 N. W. Rep., 818, the act in question is local legislation and is repugnant to the constitution. If the bill was amended by striking out of the next to the last line the words "at the time of the state election in 1895," this constitutional objection would, in my opinion, be obviated. Yours respectfully, MILTON REMLEY, Attorney-General. SPECIAL MESSAGES TO THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRE SENTATIVES FEBRUARY 25, 1896 From the Journal of the House of Representatives, p. 502 To the Senate and House of Representatives: It is incumbent on me to inform the General Assembly that a vacancy exists in the board of trustees of the Hospital for the Insane at Mount Pleasant, by reason of the death of Samuel Klein, of which mournful event I am offi. cially advised by the Secretary of that board. F. M. DRAKE. Governor. TO THE SENATE MARCH 23, 1897 From MS. Copy of Executive Journal, Vol. IX, p. 290—in the Office of the Governor, Des Moines To the Senate: In accordance with the request of the General Assembly, I herewith return to the Honorable the Senate S. F. No. 36, An Act to Revise, Amend and Codify the Statutes in Relation to the Practice of Dentistry. F. M. DRAKE. TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 10, 1897 From MS. Copy of Executive Journal, Vol. IX, p. 294—in the Office of the Governor, Des Moines To the House of Representatives: I return herewith to the House of Representatives, in compliance with the request of the General Assembly, House File No. 17, An Act to revise, Amend, and Codify the Statutes in Relation to Agricultural and Horticultural Societies, Stock Breeders' Associations and State Dairy Association. F. M. DRAKE. TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY From the Journal of the House of Representatives, p. 883 To the General Assembly: I have received sundry communications from the Department of Agriculture inviting the co-operation of the State of Iowa in efforts which that department contemplates making in this and other states affected for stamping out the swine plague, the malady which has cost the people of this State so many millions of dollars. In answer to a request for further information as to the manner in which the State authorities are expected to co-operate, the Secre tary of Agriculture has kindly furnished me the draft of a bill for the consideration of the General Assembly, which bill is similar, he informs me, to acts which were passed in |