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Show FICTIONS UNITE TO J PASS SHIELDS BILL :i Republicans and Fusionists Reach Agreement on In- itiative and Referendum. I :l AMENDMENT DECIDED i proponents of Law Accept Proposal of Twelve Per I Cent Clause. 1 Harmony between the Republicans and tbe fusionists on the Shields initia-- initia-- Jive and referendum bill Tvas indicated vtterday during tho discussion of this measure, which came before tho house s a special order of business late yes-! yes-! top.iay afternoon. Kt-iTosentative Pan B. Shields and Koprcsentative Parley P. Christ ensen. two of the principal supporters of the Shields bill, indicated in their talks on the pubject yesterday that an agree-t agree-t 1 meat had been reached between those in charge of the bill and a number on the Republican sido of the house, whereby with certain amendments the bill would be passed by the house. ; The amendments said to have been . agreed upon were made on the floor of the house and debate on the bill began yesterday. A vote on the measure was "not reached yesterday, but it was agreed that the bill should remain the ( unfinished bu&iuess of the house until . a tical vote on the measure was reached. Committee Is Divided. The bill came before the house on the ; consideration of opposing reports of the committee on elections." The majority report of the committee favored the passage of tho bill and the minority opposed op-posed it. The committee was divided exactly on party lines, the four fusionists fusion-ists of the committee favored it and the three Republicans opposed it. A 1 motion had been previously made by Representative 0. F. McStiane. Republican, Repub-lican, of Beaver, that the minority report re-port bo adopted. In order that the bill rmsrht come before the house for amend-Dient, amend-Dient, Mr. Methane yesterday withdrew with-drew his motion for the adoption of the minority report of the committee and consented to the adoption of the majority ma-jority report, which brought the bill a step closer to a vote on final passage. Mr. Shields. Pemocrat, of Salt Lake, author of the bill, opened the debate on ; rhe measure. Ho traced the historv of the initiative and referendum plan from j its origin in Switzerland to its adoption by a score of states in the United 1 States. He declared that the people had a right to initiate laws they de-i de-i sired enacted, and to review the work of the state legislature. Then he pointed point-ed out the leadinsr features of the bill ; under consideration. ; As originally drawn. the Shields : initiative and referendum bill pro-, pro-, rided that 8 per cent of the voters ! of the state might initiate or refer any ; measure. Mr. Shields said in consid- eration for the views of some of those on the Republican side of the house he i would move an amendment providing :' that it should require S per cent of the j voters of each county to initiate or . ' refer legislation. ; Agreement Made. George C. Brinkerhoff, Pemocrat. of 1 Wayne, moved to increase the percentage percent-age from S to 10. Parley P. Christeu-seo. Christeu-seo. Progressive, of Salt Lake, then revealed the fact that there had been an agreement between the affiliated parties par-ties on one eide and certain .Republicans .Republic-ans on the other whereby this percent-' percent-' age should be 12 instead of S. Ira H. Browning. Democrat, of Emery, moved that the bill be so amended as to provide pro-vide that the petitioners must come from a majority of the counties, not all of them. Finally a substitute amendment proposed by J. Tom Fitch. Progressive, of Carbon, wherebv the pe-; pe-; tit ion to initiate or refer should require re-quire the signatures of 12 per cent of the voters in each of a majority of the counties of the. 6tate, was almost ' unanimously adopted by the house. Those in charge of the bill then con- rented that further consideration of the bill be deferred until today, when it is expected that the measure will reach a vote. Those in charge of the bill in the house professed to be confident last night 1bat the bill would receiv-p the votes of every one of the allies and i also of at least half a dozen Rcpub-i Rcpub-i licans. I |