Arizona silver belt., 1897-03-04
THE LEGISLATURE.
4 Very Lively Week at tho
 Capital,
The Circuit Court and Prison Re- moval Bills Put to Sleep in the Council The Investigat- ing Committee on Hot Trail

: | tSpccial Of TaE SILVER BgIT) l. PHoENIx, March 1.-Tbe past week has been q busy one in the legislature
 and has witnessed the final action on a a number of important bills. Doubtless
 a majority of your readers are reioiced
 over the defeat of the circuit court bills
 and the bill to remove the prison to Prescott, although the latter would
 have easily carried had not tue question of expense deterred a few of the more
 conservative members of the council
 from voting in tue affirmative. |, Tue circuit court question dwarfed all other subjects of legislation, the
 interest both on the part of the numer-
 ous opponents and of members of the
 bar and other friends of the measure,
 was intense, and the legal fraternity is
 very sore over the defeat of their pet
 measure. It is rumored that the
 governor. also, is greatly disappointed
 because the court bill did not go
 through. His interest in the matter
 was natural, as be Is soon to loose his
 job as executive of the territory, and
 will have tn fall back on the law, doubt
 less, for a lSing.
 The credit for downing the circuit
 court bills is largely due to the unre.
 hitting efforts of the member from
 Gila county, Mir. Hunt, and it was n
 splendid achievement, aud showed him
 to be an able and resourceful parlia-
 meutarian and tireless worker.
 On Saturday Carpenter introduced new circuit court bill, making the judges elective at tie next general election, giving exclusive jurisdiction in criminal matters aud concurrent | jurisdiction in civil, hut it Is regarded | indifferently, as the defeut of the origi- nal court bill settled the question for the session.
 Early in the week, Assemblymap i Preston, of Pima, introduced memo rial addressed to the United States senate protesting against tue Territorial funding bill which has passed the lower house of Congress. the object os which Is to validate bonds declared by the courts to be illegal and vold, even by tue highest tribunal in the land-the U. $, supreme court. On "Wednesday the matter WAS considered so nrgent that bill was introduced by Preston authorizing the governor to telegraph the memorial to the presi dent and vice president of the Ul i ed States. The bill wps rushed through the house and 1t was at once taken tu tue council, passed immediately, was engrossed, sigued, aad delivered to the governor, together with the memorial by noon, and the memorial was telc- graphed the same evening to Wash ington.
 Hunts bill No, 49, on compulsory education, was received in the house Wednesday and referred to the com. mittee on education
 II. B. 57, giving newspapers oppor- tunity to retract statements which have given offense before the agrieyed party can begin all action for libel, passed by a vote of 20 to f.
 The committee appointed to confer with the Utah commissioners, consist. ing of Mulvenou, Ashurst, Skinner, Patterson and Cowan, of the house, and Hunt, Brady and Packard, mem. bvrs of the council, met on Thursday evening aud gave the Utah gentlemen, Messrs. Lund and Wooiley, cour- teous hearing. It was plainly evident that the sentiment of the com mlttee was strongly against cedIug ; any part of our territory, and although the committee adjourned to meet again next Tuesday evening, it is safe to predect that the mission of v Messrs. Lund aud Woolley will be , Irultiess.
 The council aud house bills to abol- Ish the board uf control were disposed , of by the house ou "Wednesday. The l council oil was indefinitely postponed a aud tue house bill No. 5, creating su- perIntendeuts, passed by Q vote oi l6 10 2. {
 Woman's suffrage bobbed mp again, a Ihis time Ill the council, in the form of ( | bi!i to submit the question to vote I ,f the people, but Was lust, the motion t 10 indefinitely postpone carrying by | majority of one. c
 Asplnwall introduced bill to estab- lsh branch insane asylum near Flag stall. 1t Is conceded fact that the Il has no use whatever for re- . orm school, and the scheme now Is to !, urn the reform school building into g \ branch insane asylum. If the S2S,- b DO appropriated by tue last legislature p had been properly applied to the in- 'ane asylum there would be no need s Tor branch of that institution for many yaars to come And if the proper restrictions were enforced as to f 10 tue asylum there would ( 'tili be no need for branch. The q act IS the territory is run on slip n 'hod plan that cannot result otherwise han dsastrously. a