Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-11-29 | Page 14 | Flu Ban may Halt State Legislature

FLU BAN lY lT. . STATEjLEGISLATURE' Session, Although Still 45 Days Away, Causes Some Speculation,. Court Calendar Far Behind Because Juries Are Unable Un-able to Meet. Not a few persons who insist on scrambling over bridges before getting to them are asking what will be done should tlic persistence of the Influenza epidemic provent the raising of the ban upon public gatherings by the time that tho legislature is due to convene. January Janu-ary 3. I Tho constitution says that the leg'." lature shall go into essffion on the sel ond Monday of January. The standing order of th$ state health authorities is that no assemblage of persons may bo allowed. Should the ban on public gatherings gath-erings continue in effect as long as it has already tfeen on, it will be operative when the time -for the legislature to assemble as-semble arrives, say those who, are enjoying en-joying the dilemma in advance. Some argue that the order prohibiting indulgence of the gregarious instlns ott the state's population does not have bearing on assemblage of persons required re-quired by law. The judiciary has held differe ttlv. Tho calendar of tho Third district court is gelling far behind with, tho trial of jury cases because of tho fact that a jury cannot be brought together to-gether without violation of the existing health order. Opinion Divided. Speculators on the contingency which they discern just forty-five days in tho offing ar3 divided among themselves as to whether or not the legislature would be subject to the order of the board of health if it remained unmodified. Soma argue that the legislature is superior In authority to the board of health. Their opponents in argument counter with tho contention that no legislature will exlRt until the members have been sworn. in and the body assembled, that as individuals indi-viduals the legislators would bo prohibited prohibit-ed under the health order from assembling assem-bling and that the legislature could not convene if the health officers were disposed dis-posed to stay it. Herbert Van Dam. Jr., assistant attorney at-torney general, ventured an informal opinion yesterday afternoon when asked about the remote complication. Van Dam Optimistic. "In the first place, I am optimistic." said Mr. Van Dam. "I think that the epidemic, will have subsided and the ban be 'lifted some time before the date the legislature is to convene." The question was put to the state's legal rcpresenta-V live just after he had finished his Thanksgiving dinner. , "In the event of continued necu of suppression .of. public gatherings." continued con-tinued the attorney, "the state authorities, authori-ties, including tho health aut lion ties, would of course come to some understanding under-standing with regard to tho legislature. If need be. It could be adjourned and a special session called when the danger to the public health had passed. ''As to the matter of authority, I should . say that the legislature is supremo Legislators are exempt from arrest dur-- Ing sossion time and if the legislature chose to do so It oould abolish the entire public health organization."