The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-14
Tanner MAY DEFEAT
STATE SALARY BILL
Fate of Measure is in His
Hands.
PASSED BY THE SENATE
HELD UP BY PARLIAMENTAR
COMPLICATIONS.

Senator Tanner holds in his hands the
/ fate of house bill 7, which increases the
salaries of the state officers. The act,
which had already passed the house.
went through the senate yesterday.
/ But Senator Tanner, who voted for the
bill, gave notice of a motion to recon
slider. Judges of parliamentary law
say that the life of Senator Tanners
motion is one day and that he must
make it today, and if he doesn't he
cannot make it at all. But this is the
last day of the session, and, according
to custom. the legislative day Will be
prolonged until the legislature adj
journs. even until Saturday. That is,
the record must show that it is still
Thursday when the time of adjourn
ment arrives. as the session expires by
legal Limitation on Thursday. There
fore it would appear that Senator Tan
ner can hold off his motion to recon
slider until the time of adjournment,
and should he do this the measure
would be defeated, as it is a house bill
and has been amended, and it would
then be impossible to return it to the
house for concurrence in the amend
ments.
There is no way in which Senator
Tanner can be forced TO move a re-
consideration. Should the point be
raised that his time has expired, he
can show that any question of this
kind that finds a place on the record
will jeopardiZe the validity OF any
thing the legislature does after noon
today. Still, the bill cannot be sent
TO the house until Tanners right to re-
consider has lapsed. The senator's at
tention was called to the point, but he
declined to be interviewed on it, stat
ing merely that he hadn't decided what
action he would take. Senator Tanner
is opposed to the bill
A Warm Debate.
The passage of the salary bill was
not accomplished without a lot of de-
bate and cross-fring, which included
the rehaShing of the arguments of
other days. There was a warm tilt on
parliamentary points between Allison
and President Evans and altogether
the fun was worth witnessing.
AS the bill stands now, after passing
both houses, it proposes to give the
governor $4,000; secretary of state,
$4,000; treasurer, 81, 800; auditor, 81, 900;
attorney general $1,000, and state super
intendent of public instruction, $500.
The first action was the voting down
of Alder's motion to give the state
superintendent $1,000. So was Muir
docks amendment making the increase
operative Jan. !, 1905.
Then Senator Murdoch from Wa
satch made a talk Maybe in the
well have some Democrats in the
state offices and when we do we are
liable to raise their salaries high
enough to pay for the time they have
been out. l, for one, don't feel like
rewarding the Republican officeholders
for the very effective work they did
last fall"
Smoot expressed his belief that it
would not be unconstitutional to raise |
the salaries of the present officers but !
inasmuch as he hadn't been able to
get Esome necessary amendments into /
the bill he would vote against it.
Tabled the Bill. (
Barnes moved that the salary of the /
governor be put at $4,000. SmoOt ,
moved that the amendment F
be tabled, and while Lawrence was
vainly seeking recognition President
Evans put the SmOOt motion and de-
clared that it was carried carrying +
the bill to the table with it.
This brought Allison to his feet. THE
president put that question too rapid
"" he rOared. Senator Lawrence
was seeking recognition, and the chair
had no right to rush things the way
he did. That motion was rushed
through quicker than anything at this
session.
IF the junior senator from Weber
versation he wouldn't make that state
ment," retOrted the chairman. Then,
in order to be perfectly fair. he re-
called his declaration that Shoots mo-
ton had carried and ordered new
vote. The senate refused to table the
and the bill.
Allison now insisted on a rolIeall on
Barnes proposition to fix the gov
eTnOr's salary at $4,000. He said he
wanted to see if the amendment was
in f-i+ +,-ia
it, but Allison objected and
the roll was called. The only senators
who voted in the affirmative were
Barnes, Kiesel and Thomas.
Bill Was Passed
The roIlcall on the passage of the bill
followed. Alder explained that he vot
ed for the measure in spite of the fact
that his amendments had all been
voted down Whitmore and Whitney
were the only Democrats who cast. at
firmative ballots. The former said he
didn't think this should be a party
question. He believed in paying Of
fcers what they were worth in public
as well as in private life.
II was member Of the constitution
al convention" said Whitney. Il
helped frame it and helped breathe
life into it, and I know there never was !
any intention to leave the salaries Of /
state officers at their present low. fig 1
ures. The question as to whether the /
increases shall apply to the present Of =
fcers is one that must be decided /
later"
President Evans said he had also /
helped frame the constitution, and Il
was his idea that salaries could not be /
increased or diminished during the /
terms of any incumbentS. He was pro- /
ceeding to make a constitutional argu- /
ment when Allison made the point Of |
order that it was improper to talk for
or against q bill in explaining d vote =
DO you think Senator Whitney was
in order?" asked the president.