Show legislative SESSION CLOSED LAST many mally good bills and perhaps 4 some dad bad ones 1 limited into lam LA the twelfth session of the utah state legislature completed its labors last sunday morning maming in the same sober and sedate manner it had bad carried out tile the legislative work from the first it Is said that this legislature while perhaps radical was at least sober clean and independent it has attacked some of the most difficult problems that elvei confronted a state whether they have wisely in every instance or not to is a question mistakes they may have made but these can be corrected later certain it is i that the session has carried out the biggest program of constructive legislation that has ever been attempted in utah except in the eaily days of statehood when every thing had to be done to give the state a code of laws the record of accomplishment is unequaled by b that of any previous legislature since the dawn dan of statehood for the first time in the history of the commonwealth an earnest effort was made to keep platform pledges the achievement may not have met the fondest hopes of the most exacting but in spirit at least the prom toes of the last campaign were adhered to and more constructive laws written into the statutes than had been thought possible by those who had grown skeptic following are some of the more important measures passed statewide state wide prohibition mil bill effective august 1 1917 public utilities commission bill workmen a compensation bill corrupt practices act limits campaign expenditures initiative and referendum law bond issue of 2 f for or building of good roads in outlying g counties irrigation district bill to get federal aid in the development of arid lands clayton antitrust anti trust law and bills affecting labor appropriations bill carrying 3 91 appropriation of for ogden of den exposition in 1919 creation of a budget system for the state starting in 1919 occupation tax on mines collecting 1 for every employee excepting laborers and imposing a net production tax at three times the net proceeds of mines for 1917 and thrice tile the net proceeds thereafter increasing the state levies to the constitutional limit of 5 mills increasing the justices of the supreme court from three to five giving po powers ers to corrections board to oust state prison warden without cause in addition to the foregoing the lawmakers submitted constitutional amendments one for statewide prohibition hibi tion and the other taxing taking mines on their net proceeds the supreme court was increased from three to five members which may be classed as a party measure inspired by political adan advantage tage power was given the corrections broad to oust the state prison warden without cause that too was a partisan action said to have been brought a bout by the warden agreeing to resign and then at the last moment with aith the legislature about to adjourn defying the governor those two acts can be classed as a play at politics and excused partly on the ground of necessity A republican contemporary davs dut but the foibles of the legislature were few constantly harrasser harr barr assed by lobbies laboring to thwart progressive legislation the members of tho the lawmaking body did surprisingly well in the early stages of legislative work there wore discouraging signs and somo some felt as aa though tho the fulton would be frittered fritt ered away with n hing worth while brought about but a review of the proceedings prove the scions to have been worthy of greater confidence it Is really refreshing to ile be able to truthfully commend a legislative body so few are entitled to anything but censure of course this does doea not mean the legislators have pleased everybody as there are reaction ary minded men in utah as well as in the nation who are opposed to till all which stand between avarice and the common people |