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Show 7 Legislators and the Log-Rotters I INASMUCH as the writer was at one time a legislator, himself, and at another time a log-roller, ho feels perfectly free to link these two terms together In the title of his comment on the legislature. And why Bhould anyone take offense? Certainly there is very little distinction between these two classes of law-makers when one looks beneath the surface. In the actual business of a legislative session they supplement each other and, aside from the official distinction and "perquisites" which the legislator alone enjoys, en-joys, their lalbors are velry much in common with each other. It would be a difficult task, indeed, to draw a line of demarcation -between the activities of these two estahlished schools of law-makers, or to even attempt to define either one in terms of itself alone. The legislator, of course, is the chosen "representative" of the people, as his commission in the form of a certificate of elec-t'on elec-t'on will show; and he is supposed to functionate function-ate in a purely official capacity. He acquires the right to prefix the term: "Honorable" to his name, thereby glorifying the family tree. Moreover, More-over, he draws the munificent stipend of $4 per dfem for s'xty days (no allowance made for overtime), over-time), and mileage. While the legislature is in session he walks among the mighty and every- . body kowtows to him; but when the session adjourns ad-journs he is speedily forgotten. About all he has to show for his labors is a disappointed ambition, am-bition, a few law books, some railroad transportation transpor-tation (but we understand that this is henceforth to be prohibited), and the impression if he is inclined to be honest with himself that the job is too big to master in sixty days and that legislators, legis-lators, as a rule, are "small potatoes with few in a hill, and the rows wide apart." So much for the "legislator," the lawmaker of the people. But what about the other type of lawmaker the "log-roller?" He is ordinarily known as a "lobhyist" but of late this term has come into disrepute, and besides the Democratic steering committee insist that they are not lobbyists; lob-byists; that they are "exercising a more legitimate legiti-mate function," and so we were obliged to look for a term that would cover in a sense everyone belonging to this particular school for lawmakers. And 'because of this very condition, the term "log-roller" defies adequate definition. There are good log-rollers, and bad. Dan Spencer is a log-roller; and so is Startup, and ? Grant, and Lula Shepard, and Parley P. Christen- ' sen, and so on world without end. But who would have the audacity to undertake to catalog all these under one head? To do so would be to do a great injustice. Some of them represent legitimate interests that deserve the consideration considera-tion of the legislature; others don't. But it is for others to pass upon the merits of their respective re-spective claims. We s'mply content ourselves . v ' with the thought that the log-rollers have worthy purposes in many instances; that so long as the right to free speech and one's day in court is ; guaranteed, they must he considered as a legitimate legiti-mate adjunct to the legislature; and that without with-out them a session of legislators, proper, would be ahout as interesting as a graveyard. A REVIEW of the work of the legislature to t date shows that the much-heralded "unanim ity of action" has struck a snag or two already, and that things are not as harmonious as they might be on Capitol Hill. The legislators have , indulged in a considerable amount of "big talk, ' and have threatened to institute some startling innovations by the introduction of several dras tic measures, 'but so far the only real work accomplished ac-complished has been to perfect an organization and to enact the customary legislative contingency bill appropriating $35,000 for the current expenses of the legislature. It is to be noted that no attempt at-tempt was made to effect any of the promised "economies" in this respect. Moreover, the "payroll "pay-roll of the present legislature 'bids fair to exceed ex-ceed that of any of its predecessors. ""PHE appointment of the two "legislative ex-- perts," Hon. Joseph L. Rawlings and Prof. W. G. Roylance, to act in conjunction with the legislative reference committees in the censorship censor-ship of all measures introduced in either house, constitutes a radical departure from the long-established long-established procedure in the handling of proposed pro-posed legislation. The only real merit the writer can see in this arrangement is the admitted ability, abil-ity, integrity and high honor of the two gentlemen gentle-men named. But even so, a dangerous precedent has been established and a wide departure made from genuine free government, such as is controlled con-trolled absolutely by the people themselves and not by self-constituted dictators. It involves a delegation of powers that is not in line with the popular idea of representative government in the American states, and ought not to 'be tolerated for a minute. THE most startling development of the session to date was the introduction of a resolution empowering the governor to seize the railroads and assume control of the coal traffic, and authorizing author-izing him to "call to his aid the whole military and police power of the state." No wonder everybody every-body has been shivering since Monday. The temperature tem-perature has been extremely low, of course, but this wasn't the only reason. The drastic proposal contained in the resolution, notwithstanding the fact that its sole object was to provide extreme means for furnishing the inhabitants with the fuel necessary to their warmth and comfort, had the opposite effect. It was so far-reaching in its ramifications that it would have caused cold chills to run up the back of the average citizen, even on a sultry summer's day. We all agree that' something should be done to relieve the coal famine and to guard against its recurrence in the future, but just what to do is a problem that is concerning some mighty big brains these days. In the suggested use of the soldiery, the author of the resolution failed to specify any particular duties, and so we venture ven-ture to suggest a practical line of action ourselves. our-selves. Suppose the commander-in-chief should order out the militia and detail some of the soldiers sol-diers to punch up the shippers of other classes of freight so as to avoid all possible delays in loading and unloading cars, and thereby materially material-ly relieve the car shortage; then suppose he should detail others to solicit orders for coal amongst the many absent-minded citizens who can well afford to have their bins filled in the summertime, thereby enabling the railroads to haul considerable of the supply in the open season sea-son and, by so doing, avoid the Inevitable congestion conges-tion which comes in the winter months; and then suppose he should detail the balance of the militia mili-tia to stand guard at the legislature and prevent the passage of drastic legislation such as would tend to discourage the extension of transportation service within the state and to further cripple the service we already have; suppose the governor gover-nor should use the guard in such capacity then would we heartily favor the resolution introduced by Representative Hecker, for the very good rea son that wo 'believe it would satisfactorily solve 'H the situation. M M DUT the governor is evidently not in sympathy H - with the .proposition, insofar as calling out the H militia is concerned, for just two days after the H Introduction of the resolution he addressed a spec- ial message to the legislature urging that a joint H committee on military affairs be immediately ere- ated to consider the advisability of abolishing the national guard. It is a well known fact that the H executive is a firm convert to the policy of pre- paredness and that It is his strong desire that H Utah shall act in harmony with the federal gov- ernment to this end. And so, it may bo that the M special message was not in the least prompted H by the resolutibn. It is hard 'to tell, for it de- pends upon the angle from which one chooses M to view the situation. The governor, of course, deserves credit for all good intentions, but then M we can't help bearing in mind that he is a very M shrewd individual, and that the mere thought of M having to order out the miltia has given many a M governor the nightmare. M 1 IT is beginning to look as though the crew in H charge of the good ship "Prohibition" had en- M countered some rough weather, for they are way M behind the schedule. That the precious old bark M is late in making port is probably due to the fact M that dissention has arisen amongst those on M board, and that too many hands are grasping for M the wheel. At the outset, the plan was to have M just one pilot but, because of their peculiar make- M up, the professional prohibitionists are unable to M subject themselves to the discipline necessary to M organized effort, hence the disagreement. M Excepting, their failure to pass their pet meas- M ure in schedule time, the prohibitionists are in M all other respects running true to form. They M are just as intolerant as ever if there is any fl difference, they are more so. Chairman Eddy M of the committee that has the bill in charge, has H gone on record as saying that "the object of pro- M hibition is to put tho brewers out of business," JR and in support of the committee's star chamber Ml sessions, Representative Young (according to the M Deseret News) announced that "any member of M the Betterment League can come in, but the news- M paper men can't." That was a fine state of af- M fairs, and would probably have wound up in a pop- M ular wave of indignation, had not the committee H changed its tactics and adopted the open session. fl M WITH the edict staring us in the face, we have H been able to reconcile ourselves to, the in- M evitable in all but one particular. Somenow a H other, we have been extremely fearful over the H prospects of having a special commissioner to en- H force the prohibition act. This for the reason, H perhaps, that it was intimated from a fairly au- H thoritatlve source that tho real reason for creat- H ing this office was to furnish a Job for B. F. H Grant. But it has developed that the business H of promoting, a certain mining property is too H flourishing to justify tho ex-chief of police in ac- cepting the position, and this, together with the H assurance that George Startup is also too occu- pied with his business affairs to consider the H proposition, has gone a long way to allay our apprehensions. H Regardless of the merits or demerits of the K prohibition measure, it is a most pleasing as- El suranco to know that both of these gentlemen are so busy with their own affairs at last that lH they are perfectly willing to let other people's H business alone for time. In this one respect, at least, the public is bound to reap untold benefit. H |