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Show RES EH T Opposition to Utilities Bill Develops in Caucus Cau-cus and Corrupt Practices Prac-tices Act Is Given the Right of Way and Will Probably Be Introduced Intro-duced Today. REPUBLICANS SEE FAMILY QUARREL Workmen's Compensation Compensa-tion Measure May Havo 1 to Undergo Renovation Renova-tion Before It Will Be Ready for Its Debut in Halls of Legislature. That (he dove of peace is in danger of losing a few feathers before the adjournment ad-journment of the twelfth session of the stale legislature became painfully apparent ap-parent yesterday when the proposed public utilities measure failed to make its appearance according to scheduU on the floor of the uppper house. The tentative draft of the proposed bill was completed a week ago, under the direction of tho Democratic steering steer-ing committee, and last Saturday it received re-ceived the indorsement cf that body. The bill was to have been among tho first, introduced and the stage was all 2i' t for its debut yesterday, but rumblings rum-blings in both houses predicted a storm and the pet measure hastened to cover. Au effort to reHtore harmony vf as made following the adjournment of tho upper house, when the members of tho majority caucused for the avowed purpose pur-pose of discussing measures planned to redeem the pledges of the Democratic and Progressive platforms. So much opposition to the public utilities bill in its present form developed at ta caucus that the corrupt practices act-was act-was given the right of way and probably prob-ably will be introduced today. In the meantime an effort will be made to clothe the public utilities bill in finery that will appeal to tho majority of tho upper house. Final Draft Delayed. The workmen's compeneation bill also was slated for an early debut, but it, too, is undergoing the ordeal of being tegged up. The final draft, so the committee reports, has not yet been completed, and the chances are that I the members of the upper house will I be sounded pretty carefully before it , is presented for consideration, i The proposed prohibition commissioner commission-er is slated for a ntrenuoua battle also before he is to bo given a place in the public life of tho .state. iNone of the i legislators has expressed any open opposition op-position to a prohibition bill in the : most drastic form, in so far as prohibi-, prohibi-, tion is concerned, but an element of 1 considerable proportions is averse to . the proposition of a special officer or a special organization to enforce tho act after it becomes effective. Opposition to the prohibition commissioner com-missioner feature appears to be especially espe-cially stroiiL' among the cow county delegates, who are unanimously in fa-1 fa-1 vor of prohibition which will prohibit. ! The prohibition measure has not yet come up for decisive action, as it, like ; all other bills that are taking their regular turn, is iu the hands nf a legislative leg-islative reference committco which still is sans experts. Oppose Steering Body. The dictatorial policy of the steering committee also met with spirited and aggravating opposition in the lower house when the indorsement of ruins providing for a legislative reference commit tee was proposed . Representatives Representa-tives from outside counties were especially espe-cially opposed to such a committee unless un-less ' sh'Tii of some of its power, and hv menus of a filibuster t lie outside iegi si at ors man a ged to tone down I he authority of th reference committee to a certain extc.it. The minority lie publics n members, tho three in the senate constituting all in the legislature, are contenting themselves them-selves with a stray shot now and then at an vt hi n: I!i everything and wait-in:: wait-in:: for the fumH-1' nuarrcl to develop in the ranks of- the fusionists. Other than the rumblings and a few minutes ' Kpiriled debate between ren- (Continued on Page Tv.) ACTION OF STEERING BODY MEETING WITH OPPOSITION (Continued from Page One.) resen t a fives of the majority and the minority over the salary to he paid Joseph Jo-seph 1. Rawlins as expert for the legislative leg-islative reference committee, the senate sen-ate session was as peaceful and orderly as a Sunday school tdenic. Clash Short-lived. The little clash over the renin ncra-tion ncra-tion to be given former Senator Rawlins Raw-lins was short lived, however. Just to give evidence that the minority expected expect-ed to have a say in the proceedings, whether or not the say u mounted to anything in the final count, Senator William Seegmiiler v protested against paying Mr. .Rawlins any more than is received by other members of the legislature. leg-islature. He might as well have saved his breath, or he might as well have gotten rid of all of it, as th"e steam roller would have left him and the other minority members in the same condition in either instance. ' Chairman Evans in announcing: the report re-port of the committee submitted the name of Mr. Rawlins for indorsement as one of the experts to be attached to the legislative leg-islative reference committee and suggested sug-gested that Mr. Rawlins be allowed $.r00 for his services during the session. Mr. Rawlins, Senator Evans declared, had left the question of remuneration entirely entire-ly with the committee and had expressed" himself as satisfied with the honor incident inci-dent to serving his party in any capacity. Senator Seegmiiler declared himself as opposed in every way to the legislative reference committee, saying that he felt that the appointment of such a committee commit-tee reflected that the men whom the people peo-ple had elected to make' the laws of the state were incompetent and unequal to the duties imposed upon them. Seegmiiler Loses Out. He furthermore insisted that such experts ex-perts as the committee might select should be willing to devote their time and energies to the cause of the state for the same remuneration as was received by other members of the legislature. But the recommendation of the committee was indorsed the appointment of Senator Rawlins, salary and all. Senator Rawlins is to begin work this morning in an effort to get some of the measures to moving that are now in the hands of the reference committee. As-cording As-cording to the report submitted by the committee, he is to establish headquarters headquar-ters in connection wit h the senate at once and remain at the capital during the sixty days' session of the legislature. The other expert is yet to be selected. Among those mentioned for the position and who Senator Evans reported had been approached on the suhject are Judge T D. Lewis, Judge L. R. Martineau, Jr., W. H. Proband, Frank L. Holman, Dean W. If. Leary of the law school of the University of Utah, Professor W. G. Roy-lance Roy-lance and Gibson A. Man. The appointment of a messenger for the governor was authorized bv unanimous unani-mous vote on senate concurrent resolution resolu-tion No. 1, introduced bv Senator Olson. The resolution Was referred to the lower house. Bill Reintroduced. Report from the lower house was received re-ceived announcing the passage by that body of senate bill No. 1, appropriating $35,000 to cover the expenses of the legislature. leg-islature. The bill was referred to the committee on engrossing and enrolling. When the time came for the introduction introduc-tion of bills Senator Evans called attention atten-tion to the fact that senate bill No. 5, introduced 'by him Tuesday, had not been given a place in the senate journal for that day and the bill was reintroduced under the same number. Senate bill No. 6. proposing to regulate and limit the liability of hotel and boarding board-ing house keepers, was introduced bv Senator Sen-ator J. H. Wootton. The proposed "measure "meas-ure provides that by keeping on the premises prem-ises a fireproof safe or vault and giving notice to guests by means of printed cards displayed in a conspicuous place in the office ov rooms of the hostelry the keeper of the hotel or boarding house shall not be liable for loss of property or valuables of guests except in so far as his own acts contribute thereto which may be placed in such a safe or vault, nor in any case more than 250 unless the guest has declared the value of the property and holds a written receipt for the properly stating the declared valuation. valua-tion. Bo tli bills were referred to the legislative reference committee. Under the head of miscellaneous business busi-ness abetter was read from the Salt Lake lodge of Loyal Order of Moose in which the members of the senate were invited to make themselves at home at the Moose club rooms during the legislative session. A mesfasR from Governor Simon Bamberger Bam-berger invited the members of the senate to meet in joint session with the members of the lower house at 7:30 o'clock in the chamber of the house of representatives to hear a lecture on "Preparedness" by Henry A. Wise Wood of New York. The invitation was accepted and a committee, commit-tee, composed of Senators J. H. Wootton, Richard Stringliam and James W. Clyde, was delegated to so notify the lower house. Upon adjournment the Democratic and Progressive members of the upper house caucused for the purpose of discussing proposed administration measures, the proposed public utilities measure furnish-ins: furnish-ins: food for the most argument. The, three Republican members twiddled their thumbs and cooled their toes on the outside out-side with tiie members of the press while the momentous questions were under" discussion dis-cussion bv the majority. The rules adopted by the senate provide pro-vide that sessions will be held" daily except ex-cept Sunday at o'clock in" the afternoon. after-noon. For the time being, and until the legislators get down to real business, the rule will be adhered to. Minority Filibusters. Creation of a legislative reference committee, com-mittee, as one of the standing committees commit-tees of ttte house of representatives, was attended bv a spirited contest yesterday in which "a minority faction conducted an energetic filibuster In an effort to defeat de-feat the innovation, but succeeded in placing only a slight restriction upon the scope of its powers. After considerable debate, in which the opposition was led by D. D. McKay of Weber, J. W. McKinney of Salt Lake, Wynn L. Eddy of Boxelder and Arthur Paxman of Washington, the house voted to create the new committee by unanimous unani-mous ballot, but instead of the commit-i commit-i tee being in power to amend the bills t "without unnecessarily changing th in-i in-i tent," the committee is in power only to amend bills when it is deemed neces-j neces-j sarv, "without changing the intent," thus rohbing the committee of tho power to make anv alterations that would in the j slightest "degree make any change in the intent or the meaning of the bill under consideration. With the exception of this one limitation, limita-tion, the legislative reference committee commit-tee is left .lothed with all the powers which the committee on committees originally orig-inally designed it should exercise. A New Committee. This committee, which Is considered probablv the most important of all the house committees, bids fair to play a must important part in the future proceedings pro-ceedings of the lower house of the legislature. legis-lature. As its chairman, the house-named house-named Representative J. L. Boyden of Coalville. Summit county, who has al-icadv al-icadv taken a most prominent part in j tlie proreedimrs of the legislature. The committee of which he is chairman chair-man is snmc thing new for Utah legis-' legis-' la i -j res. The object of this committee j is to examine and pass upon the con-I con-I stitutiotKi lit y, grammatical construction and possible conflict with existing laws of all bills introduced in the house, before i he state is put to the expense of having hav-ing such bill published. The double re-isult re-isult of reducing the printing bill and saving sav-ing time is the task that is delegated to this committee. It is empowered to. employ em-ploy such expert assistance as it may need in performing its duties. Though th1 house was in session only from 2 io -3:o. the session proved a busy and livcU' one. and when the hour of adjournment had arrived the records of the minute clerk showed that consid erable bad been accomplished not In the way of legislation, but in the establishment of a working foundation upon which the legislative legis-lative work of the house may be carried through with dispatch. The house first appointed its committers, commit-ters, then resumed the work of adopting us rules of procedure, which before adjournment ad-journment had been whipped into shape and formally a" -opted. They will be ;irinei and distributed to. lay. At opening nf the afternoon session, Howard P. Johnson of Garfield was appoint ap-point e. minute clerk to succeed La von i 'hs n resigned. i mined iatcly following. Representative R. W. Young of Salt I-Ake moved a I suspension of the rules that tlie house 1 might receive the report of the committee on committees. The motion carried and Mr. Young submitted tlie report. Committees Named. ' j The report provided for the following committees: Agriculture, industrial school, legislative reference, public utilities, balances bal-ances and fees, education and art, public pub-lic buildings, irrigation and reservoirs, resolutions and memorials, enrollment and engrossment, mental hospital, judiciary, rules, revenue and taxation, manufactures and commerce, printing, labor, deaf and blind, insurance, public health, fish and game, banking, appropriations, mining and smelting, counties, highways and bridges, military affairs, corporations, public lands, penitentiary and prison, and committee on committees. When the personnel of the various committees com-mittees had been read, R. E. Currie, a labor representative in the house, found he had been left off the labor committee, and, upon his request, was added to this committee. Dr. Grace Stratton-Airey complafned that she had been put on only one com- mittee, so her name was added to the appropriations committee. Several other members who had sought places on several committees, and failed to get them, followed the unusual precedent prece-dent established by Representatives Currie Cur-rie and Airey, by requesting from the floor of the house that they be added to their pet committees. Their requests were granted. The report was then adopted in full. Wise Is Speaker. At this juncture a (communication was received from the governor, inviting the house to meet with the senate in joint ! session in the house chamber at 7:30 to hear an address by Henry Wise Wood, 1 who lectured before the Bonneville club Tuesday evening. The invitation was unanimously accepted. House joint resolution No. 1, by Representative Repre-sentative Young, providing for a constitutional consti-tutional amendment on state-wide prohibition, prohi-bition, which was introduced Tuesday, was called up and officially referred to the committee on manufactures and commerce, com-merce, of which Representative Wynn L. Kddy of Boxelder is chairman. The same form of reference to this committee was made of house bill No. 1, by Young, known as the "prohibition bill." Thus the prohibition bill, recognized as the leading measure before the Twelfth legislature, passes into the hands of a committee headed by a druggist. Representative Eddy admits that he was anxious to be chairman of the committee com-mittee that would handle the prohibition bill, as he has been an active advocate of stringent prohibition for years, notwithstanding not-withstanding the fact that lie has been in the drug business in Brigham City for twenty years, and there has been a popular popu-lar impression that druggists were not keen for such stringent regulations as are embodied in the bill now before the house. Report Is Attacked. Resuming consideration of the rules of the house, after making reference of the prohibition measure, attention was given to that section of the rules providing for the legislative reference committee. This was the signal for ynuch debate. Representative D D. McKay of Weber precipitated the attack upon the report of the committee, which provided that this committee should receive alt bills introduced.- in the house before they are printed and that it should be the duty of this committee to examine such bills as to their constitutionality, grammatical construction and conflict with existing laws, and where necessary to make such amendments to them as might be needed, without unnecessarily changing the intent in-tent or meaning of the act or any section sec-tion of it. Representative McKay contended that this had the effect of delegating to a committee powers tlfat properly belong to the house itself and that it took from the house and placed in the committee the privileges and purposes for which the members of the house were elected by the people. He moved an amendment to provide that the reference committee should only recommend to the house such amendments, amend-ments, alterations or corrections as it deemed necessary, and that the bouse itself it-self exercise the prerogative of making the changes. Calls It Time-saver. Representative McKinney of Salt Lake argued that the committee should not have power to make any changes or alterations al-terations in the intent or meaning of an act, and moved that the report be amended amend-ed by striking out the word "unnecessary," "unneces-sary," tli us leaving the rule to so. reaa that the committee could make no change in the intent or meaning of an act. Chairman J. L. Boyden of the committee commit-tee under discussion sought to explain that it was not the intent or aim of the committee to in any way take upon itself the authority of changing the substance matter of any bill; that the object of the committee was to correct errors or grammar, gram-mar, punctuation and the like, and. if it found that a bill was unconstitutional or conflicting in its provisions, such fact would be reported to the house for action by that body. He explained further that the main purpose of the committee is to detect defects in bills and get them corrected cor-rected before they are printed, thereby saving the state the expense of publication publica-tion and republication, which he noted had amounted to something like $10,000 at the previous session of the legislature. He further explained that the committee's work would bo a means of saving much time for the house and facilitate the work of that body. Too Much Power, Claim. Representative Eddy of Boxelder thought too much power was being given to a mere committee, while Representative Repre-sentative Arthur Paxman of Washington declared that it was a reproach upon the intelligence of tiie members of the house to seek to delegate powers of the house to a committee. "Tlie people might as well elect a committee com-mittee and be done with it," lie shouted. Speaker Tolton sought to further explain tlie purpose of the committee along the same line as the explanation given by Chairman Boyden of the committee. A vote on the motion of Representative McKinney Mc-Kinney to merely strike out the word "unnecessarily" and leave the committee clother with all its powers except that it fan not make any change or alteration in the Intent or meaning of an act Instead In-stead of being permitted, a.s the rule originally stoodi to amend a Mil without with-out "unnecessarily" changing the meaning mean-ing or intent of the act. In considering that portion of the rule giving the reference committee powr to emplov competent legal assistance, Representative Rep-resentative Orson Cazier of Sanpete suggested sug-gested that the attorney general could be used for this purpose and save the state the expense of employing outside counsel. The speaker explained that the attorney general did not have time to devote to i this work and that outside assistance ! would be necessary. I Representative Thomas Page of Salt I T,ake urged that the rules be changed so that the committee might employ such experts as it might need, instead of being limited to the employment of legal experts. ex-perts. After some debate this change was authorized.. Messenger Named. At this point a communication was received re-ceived from the senate conveying senate concurrent resolution No. 1, by Senator Olson, authorizing the appointment of a governor's messenger and providing for ! the payment for bis services. On motion mo-tion of Representative McKinney of Salt Lake the rules of the house were suspended sus-pended and the house concurred In the resolution by unanimous vote. Continuing consideration of the bouse rules, the members took up that recommendation recom-mendation of the committee providing for elimination of the right to move the previous question as a means of bringing I debate to an end. This precipitated a j rather lengthy debate, in which a large 'number of members of the house participated partici-pated to such an extent that the speaker was constrained to observe that the need for this means of closing debate was apparent ap-parent and suggested that the previous rule, as contained in Roberts's Rules of Order, be embodied in the rules of the house. This rule required a two-thirds vote to force the previous question. A further amendment bv Representative Robert K. Currie of Salt Lake, to the effect that no member might move the previous question who had spoken to the question, was offered and the suggestion of the speaker, with this amendment incorporated, incorporat-ed, was adopted. The remainder of the rules was adopted adopt-ed without debate and the entire report, as amended by the house, was approved. Representative Daisy Allen of Salt Lake moved that the hour of meeting of the house be changed from 2 p. m. to 10 a. m., but when It was explained tha t such a change would conflict with the hours of the senate, she withdrew her i motion. i On motion of Representative McKln- I nev of Salt Lake, the house adjourned 1 until 2 p. m. this afternoon. |
