Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-01-17
COLORADO
LEGISLATURE
Review Of the Work Accom-
plished up to the Pres
ent Time.
Denver. Colo, Jan. 13.
Especial Correspodence)

| tive session closed with but little ac-
complished, but this is not more than
| was expected. In the first place. it
| took nearly week for the house to
organize. the trouble being the divis-
| ion OF the loaves and fishes. The
McCreery law does not provide sufii-
| cient employees to allow each repro
sentative an appointee, and here is
where the trouble commenced. In
the appointment of committees those
who stood by the speaker. or voted
| for him in caucus, were well looked
| after. Naturally the chairman OF
each committee feels that he should
| select the clerk and this left those
without chairmanships out in the cold.
And even the majority is not salts
| fed with the number granted them
| and there is serious talk of increasing
the number and resolution to this
effect was passed but the senate re-
fused to concur.
Another disturbing factor has been
the senatorship. 1t has figured both
| in and out of season. 1t has been
| next to impossible for members to at
tend to committee work or study bills
| introduced, owing to the button-holing
| process. The caucus tomorrow even
ing will probably settle this question
| At least it is hoped so and that the
election of senator will take place on
the day provided by law.
| Up to adjournment Friday night
there had been introduced in the
house 118 bills and in the senate up
to Saturday night 1856. Many of these
| bills in each branch are virtually du-
plicates and the different committees
will Gull out the best portions of bills
| bearing on the same subject. All
bills must be introduced the first 80
Gays of the session and as almost two
weeks have expired, there vii be
some tali-hustling by members who
| have bills in process or are awaiting
| the disposition of the senatorship
Last year there were over one thou
sand bills introduced, with less than
one hundred acted upon. But many
| feel that they are not earning their
money or serving their constituents
faithfully unless they are the IA
ther" of numerous measures. know
| ing full well that there is not one
chance in hundred OF them wi,-7i-e
| out but 1t makes work and no1e.f 10.
the state printer and the chairmen of
| the house and senate printing com
mittees who are up to snuff know on
which side their bread is buttered.
The senate has been having quite a
wrangle over the adoption of rules
and the fight is likely to last for some
time. if not through the session
So far Senator Copp, of La Plata
county, has introduced two bills, one
| concerning usury and the other ask
ing for an appropriation of $4,000 for
the building of wagon road from
the city of Durango to the New Mex
| leo line-through the late Ute reser-
| vation. The fate of bills asking for
| appropriations for roads. bridges, etc,
is problematical. Already bills
| have been introduced calling for more
| money than will be at the disposal OF
| the internal improvement fund and
there will have to be a great deal of
pruning done in committee or else the
governor will have to lend his veto
The land tax bill introduced by Sen
ohoi puthhb III with llt it-
port of the senatorial tax commits:
sion. 1t will have to come as an
| amendment to the constitution of the
state. AS it is matter of much i'm
portance, the following section will
be of interest to the people;
Sec. &. The general assembly
shall have power by law to exempt
any or all personal property and i'm
all. Taxation. All laws exempting
form taxation the whole or any part
OF the full cash value of any rights.
OF way. franchise in public ways, OF
land, exclusive of the improvements
thereon, shall be void, except rs other
wise provided by this constitution.
Any part or parts of this article of
this constitution conflicting with the
provisions of this section, shall be
and the same hereby are amended so
as to conform hereto and harmonize
herewith.
Sec. 8. Once in three years, but
not oftener, the voters of any county
in the state may. by vote. at any gen
eral election. exempt or refuse to eX-
empt from all taxation for county.
city, town, school, road and other To-
cal purposes, any or all personal prop
erty and improvements on land; but
neither the whole nor any part of the
full cash value of any rights of way
franchises in public ways. or land.
exclusive of the improvements there.
on, shall be so exempted: Provided,
however. that such question be sub
mitted to the voters by virtue of
petition therefor, signed and sworn
to by not less than one hundred vot-
ers of such county, and filed with the
county clerk and recorder, not less
than thirty nor more than ninety days
before the day of election.
Sec. II. The rate of taxation on
property. for state purposes, to
never exceed 4 mills on each dollar
o. valuation but the provisions of
this section shall not apply to rights
of way. franchises in public ways, or
land-the full cash value of which