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Show SOME PLAIN TALK IN THE LEGISLATURE Opponents of Prohibition Measure Make Game Fight in the House, But Are Beaten. The house on Monday, February 15, "refused ,to reconsider the vote by which the Cannon prohibition bill was passed, and the measure now goes to the senate. With it will go the petitions peti-tions which the house committee on judiciary have had, which petitions carry thousands of signatures. Three hours of oralory preceded the decision to refuse to reconsider the vote in favor of prohibition in the state of Utah. Representatives Hol-man Hol-man and McMillan spoke in favor of a reconsideration, they charging that the Cannon measure had been railroaded rail-roaded through the judiciary committee. commit-tee. Holman's speech was the sensation sensa-tion of the session, being an ably prepared pre-pared address, delivered in a forceful force-ful manner. Holma.n charged that "They house, as a body, has neither considered the Wisdom nor the feasibility of enacting any legislation of this sort. The house has accepted public clamor and 'countless petitions as self-evidence of the necessity of such legislation, and has acted accordingly without investigating investi-gating into the merits of the case. By some sub rosa p'rocess, beyond my powers of comprehension, the Cannon bill was passively accepted as the original or-iginal and only panacea for the alleged al-leged evils of the liquor traffic. The Cannon bill neither represents the intelligence in-telligence nor reflects the honest sentiment sen-timent of the membership of this house. Other measures, similar in substance and intended to correct the same evils, were willfully disregarded disregard-ed and did not receive the consideration considera-tion to which they were entitled. All efforts, on the part of certain members, mem-bers, to effect a compromise measure, were ruthlessly cast aside. The majority ma-jority refused to concede a single point either in committee discussion or in floor debate, thus forcing these members to appear as unalterably opposed op-posed to any legislation whatever. The bill was railroaded through the committee and the house, and Yhe manner of its final passage would have been a disgrace to any legislative legisla-tive body. The measure is a makeshift make-shift and deserves to be reconsidered." The reply of Mr. Cannon, the author "of the bill, was also very earnest. He disclaimed that there was any church influence which had been made to push the bill through the house. He and other speakers resented the charge made by Mr. Holman that the bill had been railroaded through the judiciary committee. Four new bills were introduced in the house, and three met their death in the committee, none of which are of grave importance. Little of importance was accom- I as well as a joint memorial memor-I memor-I alizing congress to grant to the state of Utah for the benefit of Indian war veterans of Utah, 1,000,000 acres of J land. Fifteen house bills and one memorial memo-rial were presented at the session of the house of representatives on Wed-J Wed-J nesday, February 10, and one bill was' j withdrawn. One of the new measures refers to the manner of holding primary pri-mary elections. The bill was presented present-ed by Representative Elias Conway Ashton. and proposes to do away with the old manner of holding primary pri-mary elections and to establish di-' rect primaries. Candidates will be named on petitions, according to the bill, and there will be no such thing as party conventions. The measure approved was H. B. 75, by Hodges, relating to the investment invest-ment of funds derived from the sale of public lands. By vote the members of the house agreed to extend the time allowed ror the presentalion of bills from 30 ta 40 days with the consent of two-thirds two-thirds of the members of the house. As the result of an hour's deliberation delibera-tion of the senate, two bills wera passed and seven new measures introduced. in-troduced. One of the bills approved increases the salary of the supreme court stenographer from $1,200 to $1,800 a year; the other relates to privileged communications at trials. A measure was introduced which, if It is approved, will enable Sail Lake City to try the Des Moines plan of city government. Senator Seeley is after the experimental stations, and has introduced a bill to abolish every experimental station in the state. Three bills were aproved by the house on Tuesday, February 9, while six measures of minor importance were introduced. This was the last day that new bills may be introduced without consent. The new measures passed were: H. E 57, defining powers of county commissioners com-missioners as to roads; appointing county road commissioners and providing pro-viding for an annual road poll tax; by J. N. Henrie, by request; H. B. 58, an act defining the powers of road commissioners relative to special road district tax; by J. N. Henrie, by request; H. B. 59, providing for an annual vehicle tax and the manner ol levying, collecting and disposing of same; by J. N. Henrie, by request. In the senate eleven bills were introduced in-troduced and two approved, the measure meas-ure creating a state library gymnasj ium commission and providing $3,000 for its maintenance for two years, and a bill relating to apropriations for school funds and providing for county superintendents' work. Bounty laws are materially altered in a new .measure offered by Brinker-hoff, Brinker-hoff, and the erection of a new half a million dollar high school building in Salt Lake City and the erection of other school buildings in the city is provided for in a bill presented by Williams. There was no session of the senate sen-ate or house on Friday, February 12, a recess being taken in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. A number of the members of the ' legislature, however, took advantage of the offer of the officers of the Oregon Short Line and Southern Pacific railroads and made a visit to the celebrated Lucin cut-off. plished by the senate. Six bills of minor importance were introduced, while the committee reports were con fined largely to routine matters. Senator Sen-ator Miller introduced a bill levying a state tax for high school purposes. Under the sections of a bill introduced intro-duced by Senator Badger, persons other than those authorized by law, as surety companies, who shall he-come he-come bondsmen, or sureties in any case, must file with the proper county coun-ty officer, a duplicate copy of the bon.l, or other instrument, in the county in which the property behind ,the surety Is situated, whereupon the bond, or other undertaking, becomes a lien upon the obligee. The Cannon bill, which provides for state-wide prohibition, passed the house Thursday afternoon, by a vote of 39 to 4, with two of the members absent. Those voting against the bill were Russell, McMillen, McRae and Holman of Salt Lake County. Holman Hol-man and 'McMillin changed their votes from the negative in order to move a reconsideration of the vote by which the bill was passed and they 'gave notice that they would do this The Cannon bill is a drastic measure, meas-ure, and if passed by the senate and approved by the governor, will mean absolute prohibition throughout the state. The new law would prohibit the manufacture, sale, barter, giving 'away or otherwise furnishing of alcoholic alco-holic liquors within the state. The term alcoholic liquor, as used in this act, shall be construed to mean all spirituous, vinous, fermented or malt liquors or any imitation thereof or substitute therefor or compound of any kind or description whatsoever, whether medicated or not, which contains con-tains any alcohol and which is capable capa-ble of being used as a beverage. An unsuccesful effort was made by Mr. Cannon, author of the measure, to have a county dispensary, where liquor might be dispensed upon the order of physicians. Bills were passed by the senate relating re-lating to regulating and licensing employment em-ployment bureaus and agencies. Appropriating $8,000 for the use of certain school districts, ,and for the increase in pay of teachers therein. Five new bills were introduced in the senate and seven in the house. |
