The weekly Arizona miner., 1881-01-28
t|sVenth Legislative Assembly,
(Co.tf1ie3 To-MOrTeu.j i

directed to divide their respective Terr1to- riss into as many Council and Representa- tive Districts as they desire; which Dis tricts shall be as nearly equal as practicable taking into consideration the population, except Indians not taIed;" provided, the number of Council Districts shall not eI- ceed twenty-four in any one of said Terri tories; and all parts of section. 1s47, 1S49, 1858 and 1922 of the Revised Statutes of the United States in conflict with the pro- visions herein are repealed; that the subor- dinate officers of such branch of said Ter ritorial Legislatures shall consist of one Chief Clerk, who shall receive compensa- ton Of SIX dollars per day; one Enrolling day; Sargeant-at-Arln and Door Keeper, at five dollars par day; one Messenger and Watchman, at four dollars per day each and enc Chaplain. at one dollar and fifty cents per day: Said sums shall be paid only during the sessions of said Legislatures, and no greater number or officers or charges per diem shall be paid or allowed by the United States to any Territory; and section 1861 of the Revised Statutes Is hereby re- pesled and this substituted in lieu thereof, and in no case shall the expenditure for Public Printing in any l of the Territories exceed the sum of two thousand dollars for any one year"
 Perhaps the more natural interpretation of this language, separated from the context, would be in respect to the compensation of members of the Legislature, that the reduc ton should not take place until after the sd iournment of the next session succeeding the passage of the Act But this is not . necessry interpretation. The words ''the members of each branch of the said several Legislatures" in the second clause, may, without doing violence to the language con- tained in either clause, be held to apply to l members of all the Territorial Legislatures which shall sit after the passage of the Act.
 A careful reading of the whole provision relating to Government in the Territories" shows that this Is the correct interpretation. It shows that every clause was made to have immediate effect so far as might be practic- able. Thus the clause relating to sub- ordinate officers ofthe Legislatures prescribss the number and the compensation of such officers, and repesls the sections of the Re vised Statutes relating to that subject. It must, of course, apply to subordinate officers at next session following this act; otherwise there would be no provision regulating the number or compensation of such officers.
 The amounts of the appropriations for legislative expenses sf the Territories, esti- mating the compensation of members oi the Council and House ct four dollar c day for each member, sppfo1insts n0rfy to the amounts required fer tAoss ps-posee Esti- mated ~ six dollars day for ssch member these appropriations vsuld fall mech short l of the amount reqairsd The provision for a reduction of the number of members of the several Legislatures would have had i'm l mediate application bat for the necessity of first establishing districts from which these officers could bs chosen. The limits of these l Districts could not be intellizently fixed by Congress, and hence the establishment of them was assigned to the next Legislatures, l which should convene after the passage of l the act. It does not seem reasonable that | Congress meant immediately to reduce the | the compensation of the subordinate officers | of the Legislatures, and to reduce the com | pensation of members who should represent l the new districts to be established, and | did not mean te apply the reduction to mem- | bers at the sessions of the Legislature next | following the passage of said act. 4 careful | reading of the debates in Congress and the l changes made in the bill as respects Govern | ment Tn the Territories during its progress, confirms the correctness of the construction ! of the clause quoted in the introductory part | of this letter, that the per diem of the mem | bers of the Council and House of Repre- sentatives of the several Legislatures should | hereafter be four dollars. The construction | placed by me, upon the second clause of the | act quoted in this letter is, that the Enrolling and Engrossing Clerk should be the same | person, and that the Sargeat-at-Arns and Doorleeper shall be one and the same per | son, and that the office of Messenger shall | be separte from that of Watchman.
 In e1pending the appropriation for Legis lative expenses of Arizona Territory, you will conform to the construction given to l said clauses as above
 Respectfully,
 A. c. PORTER, Comptroller.
 On motion of Mir. Meade. the communi- l cation was referred to special committee, | to be appointed by the chair.
 The Chair adpointed Messrs Meade, | Mssterson and Anderson, as such committee. |
 MT. Thomas offered the following amend 1 ment to c B No s:
 This Bill shall take effect and be in force | on and after the lst day of April 1881.
 No decision thereon.
 Mir Rollins offered the following Reso- | luton, which was adopted:
 hoSOtVco, iAdt tHS oeCTSSdIk Dl tue Ter ! ritory be requested to inform the Council, l officially, of the legal duration, giving the number of days of the present session of the Arizona Legislature
 On motion of Nr. Baker, the Council re- solved itself in Committee of the Whole, for the purpose sf considering B No b.
 At 12:40 N the committee rose.
 President Masterson in the Chair.
 Hr. Fickas, chairman of the committee of the whole, made the following report:
 Mir. President-Your committee of the whole, to whom WAS referred C B No b, an Act to provide for the payment and collec- ton of taxes, respectfully report that they have had the same under consideration, and herewith return the same with the amend ment z, per orders thereto attached, and recommend that it pass as amended.
 On motion the report was adopted.
 Baker moved that C. B. No. l6 be prop erly engrossed and made the special order fer January 2sth at 11:S0 A m.