The herald., 1897-02-15
Codlficatl0n of the Territorial
Stock Laws
WHY SUFFRAGE WAS KILLED
The Brother Of a Pennsylvania Senator
for Governor
Passage Of the Bill Which Entities Citizens to
the Franchise After Six Honths'
Residence

ana II is 1alr Tune TO consider the use
fulness of 1t. On the face of things, |
is an ornamental body-the pick of TIL
territory. The intelligence of it's mem
bers will compare favorably with ever
Massachusetts legislature, thougl
there are no college graduates in it ant
only one or two practicing lawyers
There is n marked absence in 1t of wha
in California is known as "the push;
nor is there single member of thi:
body who in any way even remotely re
sembles that part of the San francisco
delegation which misrepresents some
of the south Of -Market-street districts
But even an intelligent and reasonabl,
honest legislature costs the taxpayers
lot of money. Are they getting AZ
equivalent for the expenditure? ! be-
lieve IL it were left to popular vote the
answer would be in the affirmative.
Some would vote, NO" Colin Gamer
on, for instance. I'll tell you why. He
tried to engineer gigantic codification
of all the stock and sanitary regulations
of the territory through the Legislature
on the last day of last weeks session
There were nearly 100 sections in the
bill, yet its promoters boldly asked both
branches of the legislature to enact tine
measure into law in single day.
Weeks had been spent in framing the
bill, but only day was to be given the
legislature to consider it. 1t was agre 4
that great emergency existed in the
matter of quarantine regulations, and
the threat was made that unless the bill
became a law Immediately, New Mexico
and Missouri would issue strict quar-
antine restrictions against Arizona cat
tie. 1t took the house by storm, so TO
speak, and carried tie day there ~,
rather, the morning, for it came il,p
the house at 1880 o'clock and went out Of
the house at noon, with only Messrs.
Reppy, Skinner, Woolf and another or
two voting against it. Late in the even
ing. however-thc first evening session
OF this leglslature--the huge bill struck
Snag in the upper htGse or council, as
1t is called. The sheep men hearing it
now read fer the second time. began 20
: e the point of things, and Mr.. Hult
began to flibuster against it. Mr.. Hunt
represents ella county, and he hangs
on as tenaciously as does the monster
that gave his county it's name. Sol
Barth, who represents the sheep herders
OF Apache county, was good second TO
Hunt, and after deal of talk, the coun-
Gil adjourned over till this week with the
stock bill still in the air. Wednesday,
after the bill had been carefully dissect-
ed by the stock commttee-the council
again wrestled with it for some hours
1t was patched all over with amend
ments, and finally passed in such a shape
that its own parents in the house will
scarcely recognize it.
1t may transpire, also, that the bar
association of Arizona will feel like vot-
Ing no on the question of the legislatures
usefulness The bar has it's own axes
to grind, but the grinding is not going
ON as smoothly as was anticipated The
proposition is to abolish the existing low
grade probate courts and institute four
circuit courts in their stead This is ad-
mittedly bar association bill and some
OF the most learned members of the Ari-
iona bar-including Judge William Her.
ring and Judge William H. Barnes
nave appeared on the floor of the house
and made admirable addresses in Ats
favor. Doubtless the measure would
pe good thing for litlgants as well as
ior the lawyers, but a good, strong mi
hority In the house-where the bill orig
lnated-is hghting 1t on the ground Of
economy, and 1t Is, of course entirely
possible not only that the taxpayers can
struggle along couple of years more
without increasing the number of courts
ana Judges but that they may have to
sAASoS CSOlOlHlCdl SOlOUS are
hard fighters. The proposed circuit
courts would be analogous to Califor-
mas superior courts
almost forgot to tell you about the
woman suffrage question. The bin
lacked only two votes of passing the
mousse l have heard it said that these
TWO votes, and more, would not have
been withheld had not the equal suffrage
movement come into the house in some
what the light of a Protestant church
measure. Not that it would have stood
even as good show had the Catholic
church been behind it, but that 1t ought
TO nave stood on its own legs as a mat
Ter OF simple justice and civic equality.
But no, the promoters of this equal s,,f
frage bill were dogmatfc sectarians and
many an unorthodox soul had reason
to believe that a vote for woman suf-
1rage might also mean a vote for SIM
day blue laws and other regulations
dear to the orthodox sectarian heart. In
1act, there was much more involved in
.ne question-as 1t came before this
legislature-than the mere right of wo-
men to vote, and so the measure died
apornlng. A similar BILL introduced into
the council several weeks ago. was re-
1erred to the committee on mines and
mlnlng-S circumstance which elo-
quently bespeaks the attitude of the IN
per mouse 'on the question. Arizona
"S-A " AAA Aoe Nolc IOr at least two
years yet-and so it may be that these
would vote no as to the legislat1re,s
usefulness.
One of the most important bills tbo+
passed the house this week was the
Mohave representatives bill which
grants the right Of voting to all citizans
OF the United States who have rasida5
but six months in the territory. r. ;s
almost certain that this measure viii
be concurred in by the council ana hu
the executive, and there is a general he,
lief that the bill is a good one. Tho
house bill which sought to place m
educational qualification upon eIectors
was killed In committee of the whole
and Tor the reason, not that Arizona's
voters are illiterate, but that under a
law requiring the elector to be able to
read in English section of the constitu.
tion, many well-educated and other
wise we'll qualified Spanish speaking
residents and land owners who acquired
rull citizenship under the federal treaties
would be disfranchisement
Just by way of illustrating how far
the economical strain has touched some |
OF the legislators these two circum-
stances are pointed out: ~ That bin |
has been introduced in the house tn |
abolish the system of registration of |
electors and trusting only to Challenges
at the polls as the safeguard against III |
legal voting. (2) That q bill has been |
introduced In the council to disband
the state militia and abolish the s'citisen
soldtery altogether Both measures /
are taken quite seriouslv foo n, orrtaf 4,