La Junta tribune., 1899-02-25
WHAT THE COLORADO
LEGISLATURE is DOING.

contractor on the work showed that II
might be done for a reasonable appro-
priation. In opposition to the claim
that all the water OF the Arkansas was
appropriated IL was shown that ] 500
cubic feet had been appropriated after
that OF the canal and none Of these lat
er users had complained Of not getting
their water; also, that system Of res
ervoirs WAS contemplated for the canal
supply. making II certain.
The finance committees OF the two
branches held joint meeting Tuesday
| night. The appropriations committee
OF the House presented report show
Ing how much the members expected
for roads. bridges. reservoir sites and
other similar Improvements. A slmi-
lar report was submitted by the finance
| committee OF the Senate. Both were
considered together. and with an eye
only to the conservation OF the imam
cial resources of the state and the max
imum benefit TO the different counties
| interested. To appense n demand OF
over SI.7Oo.OOO there Is about sO0.Or1
available In the Internal improvement
| fund At this time the exact sum In
the fund is siG3.57G.5I. With the nat.
ural increaS. this will probably be in
creased by $4,000. The Senate report
OF the finance committee showed that
bills have been introduced asking ap-
proprinrions for Internal improvements
to the amount OF si.l32,0o0. In add
| iion to this sum the members OF the
| House demand xJis. 200 worth Of I'm
provements This has no connection
with a demand for Soio.96l.55 by the
| Houss. from the general fund. The
| prevalent sentiment In the committee
was that several OF the larger appro-
| priatlons asked for should not be con
sidercd. such ms that for state canal
| No. !. for the Paris Exposition and for
extensive road projects, such as Senn-
| tor Taylor's for n state boulevard from
Denver to Grand Junction. II was nj
| so emphasized that none OF the internal
| Improvement fund shall be spent for
| improvements or additions Of any Of
the state institutions. The committee
went on record NJ rigidly adhering 10
the principle tnat the internal improve
ment fund shall be reserved exclusively
| for the purposes for which II was ere
ated.
| The Senate chamber Thursday might
| was the arena In which the gladiator
who represented the various medical
schools engaged In sharp and acrim-
onious conflict The judiciary commit
tee of the Senate threw the doors wide
| open for n full and free discussion OF
| tue HtW Sflits Nv. Sptr
known as the medical pracice bill
| The gallery of the chamber. as well as
the body OF the room, was filled with
many regular men and women. bu,
there was host Of hypnotists. Christian
scientists, osteopaths. gnet he0lers.
Christian healers. psychic healers and
representatives OF psychical and meta
physical therapeutics. The discussion
was opened by DIR. Eskridge. who
spoke In favor Of the measure, explain
ing its provisions and the scope OF Its
influence. He did not believe that ii
would in any way interfere with the
man or woman who was really quail
| fed to practice healing. but would SIM
ply tend to generally elevate the pro-
fession and practice Of medicine. Mr..
Shed sounded the keynate of the oppo-
sition to the bill. He did not want to
abuse the doctors, he said, but he want
ed them to let him alone in the prac-
| tice OF his method Of healing. He de
nled that there was an intention on the
part Of the authors Of the measure to
act honestly. The bill gave the medi-
cal hoard the power to say what regu-
lar college Of medicine was. what med
icine was. and to play on these words
all they desired. 1t would be giving
medical prescription, said he. to advise
man TO take breath Of fresh air or
bath or n morning cocktail He read
| copiously from work on medicine in
the seventeenth and eighteenth GEN.
turtles, when boiled grub worms, hog
lice. ashes OF sparrow feathers. pow
der of viper flesh, etc. were healing
agents. Medical science was. he said.
| founded on conjecture and improved
by murder, and he described the aver
age doctor coming into the sick room
like condensed death"
| The majority report Of the commit
tee that Investigated the insane asy-
lum has been adopted by the Senate.
| This report exonerates DIR. Thombs.
| The following was the vote on the
adoption of the report:
Yeas-Adams, Annear. Barela, Buck
ley, Evans. FELTON,. Fisher, Gaymon.
Harris, Hill. Maxwell. McCreery.
Parks. Porterfield. Stewart. Swink-16.
| Nays--Ammons. Bucklin, Ehrhart,
Philip. Roe. Whitford-6.
| In referring to the above action
Judge Dixon, the attorney OF DIR.
| Thombs, says: The vote of the Sen
ate this afternoon Is equal to an ac-
| QuIttal. The vote announces the sense
OF the Senate on the charges preferred
and the charges fell TO the ground"
Judge Nixon said that owing to the
| fact that Thombs tenure of office is
fixed by law and he is bonded officer
OF the state. the governor of the state
has no authority TO remove him. The
Senate, which would be the impeacli-
ing body, had exonerated Thombs, and
Thombs stood absolutely acquitted,
the procedure of the House being en-
tirely uncalled for and wholly without
precedent in the history OF the coun-
try. The speedy action Of the House,
in the opinion OF Judge Nixon. indi-
Gated that the body was subservient to
the desires of some people who are
anxious to effect change in the office
of superintendent Of the asylum. In
speaking Of the future OF the case the
judge said: Governor Thomas is one
Of the ablest lawyers of the state, and
is recognized by those who know him