Show i ij ajl a 1 it editors editor note starting in m this issue the vernal express in ca operation wath the utah state press assa brings to its readers a full interesting account of pro ce edings of the utah state legis lature which opened its 1949 nan sessions monday at the stat state e cap itol weekly accounts will be given give n until business of the law makers s is completed for the year utah lawmaking law making went back into the bands of the democrats with ii 1 the me l opening a of r 0 the o c kou lou utah legislature monday but republican publican Rc power was still ap parent in r ah the senate with 11 seats in the upper house in GOP hands the 12 democrats undoubtedly kept this in mind when choosing sen alonzo F hopkin woodruff dwoodruff D to continue as president of the body the veteran was chosen on the first ballot of a party caucus preceding the legislature Ind icat ing he Is still the most acceptable to the various factions in the democratic side of the house and to the republicans r as weil well in the house the situation was somewhat different and it took the 41 democrats who hold a clear majority ov erthe 19 nine ballots ballot to select beleck rep rap ed J T D park city as the B speaker to 10 succeed succeed F Renden continued rH rm on naffe page 8 I 1 inder wi the 1 ire zin itol liol capitol Sin i 19 awk dome Contin continued lied tied front from anif 1 D N mabey who led tile the republican house in 1947 with patronage in their hands the democrats also renamed james A Alc mcmurrin Murrin former democratic senator from cache county as secretary of the senate and chose david R salt lake city democratic can didace for governor last fall and former chairman I 1 of the state public welfare commission as chief clerk of the house other principal employed emp loyes in the two houses include senate s D huffaker salt lake city reference attorney C clarence I 1 nelsen neisen salt lake city chaplain robert R fitts south salt lake i sergeant at arms and hendrik romeyn salt lake city docket clerk house abe greenwood y utah county chaplain lucy redd redo salt lake city and former ly of san juan county reference attorney wallace jenkinson magna former member of the house sergeant at arms anns and ed na durham utah county docket clerk with the two hous houses es bu busy sy pr i marily with mechanics of getting underway early interest in the session was centered on the mes sage of gov J bracken lee the first republican chief executive t to 0 greet a utah legislature since 1923 twelve e le legislatures g i s 1 a t ures h have ave come and gone under democratic administrations since the late ex gov george H dern addressed 1925 session after defeating the republican incumbent char les R mabey gov lee incidentally faces the reverse situation that c 0 n fronted gov dem dern at that time when dern took over he found a republican legislature and re public ans in all other state elec tive live officers governor lee now faces a democratic legislature and democrats in the elective of cices with such a situation as this it Is unlikely gov lee can effect such sweeping changes as did his predecessor former gov herbert B maw whose reorganization program was the feature of the 1941 and 1943 sessions but from the upheaval he effected in the liquor commission during the first week of his administration and the tone of his message to the legislature it appears likely considerable time will be spent by the law makers on gov lees ltd iSS proposals his mands demands for reorganize uon tion of certain state departments particularly the state road com I 1 mission where h he e as asks k s f for or an un paid wd advisory board and an en gi director are said to have some democratic support has also asked for replace ment of several three man com missions with one man director ships a request which edly will be the subject of consid crabie crable debate during the session the governors message very much in line with the poll cles cies he adva in his cam an fn laign a ign and those appearing in his inaugural address it followed his announced aim to put state government on a sound business bas badts s he reiterated his request that the legislature prevent ex tax demands upon indus try which will tend to destroy it undoubtedly some of the legis issues will grow ou out t of the governors opening actions fea tea turing replacement of the state liquor control commission with a i two man inan board consisting daroy of roy hoy W simmons layton republican an and d J W pace delta democrat ile he also closed liquor stores ana ond agencies for three lays days to take lake inventory and to adult the de apartment part p ment dismissed 20 members f he tile liquor commissions en division demanded and received c resignation 1 I of E B alarcon tia xia who w ho was named n a md to the stat state road commission by gov herter herder herbert B maw mw to replace ray rny H leavitt avni nv ni and anci inci designated n J j fred p ameree amerce pingree republican to dice dlce pice place jerrold jerd P sess dess beesley chairman crat a as chairman of the state ivancs emmison miSon finance cm commission with an ord er to make an inventory of nil all state property and indi andi survey survey nil all a state c departments for the he pur our pose of abolishing all ail non assenti al state J ibs jobs lbs some of the other issues likely to be advanced for legislative consideration grow out of con trover sial siai legislation from the past the welfare lien law placed by a republican house and sympathetic democratic sen ate in the regular session of 1947 and special session of 1948 is certain to get another going over especially if the utah sup reme court hands down a ruling soon in a case which tests con of the law also certain to be brought up by labor is the clegg vest labor law which makes labor sible for certain unfair labor practices education too may ask for re vision of the classroom unit minimum to raise more funds for school and to increase the state participation in the state teacher retirement fund alsoto also aiso to be ask ed by this department will be support for a school build ing program which may bring up school and real estate support for a severance tax on utah sources strong support also looms from the utah retail grocers and others for repeal of the tax of 10 cents per pound on yellow margarine and five cents per pound on white margarine the growers association also plans to submit a A statewide state wide sunday closing law which will meet constitutional requirements for merly such measures have been declared invalid by the courts |