Gilpin observer., 1902-02-06

Senate Tuesday, one by Senator Parks
of Arapahoe county, relating to jury
trials. and one by Senator Ammons,
regulating damages railroads shall
pay for cattle killed by trains. Peter
Jennings Of Lake county was elected
and sworn in as sergeant-at-arms,
A number of the Senators Saturday
drew their mileage The voucher OF
Senator Thomas Annear of Silvertou
calls for Is cents per mile for 1000
miles. amounting to $3.50. Senator Geo
Copp comes next with 9OS miles; he
lives in Durango and draws $136.2O
Senator l.. r. West lives in Golden and
draws Is cents ON fourteen miles each
way. In the House w. A. Taylor and
w. S. Bucklin, who live in Telluride,
are entitled to Is cents a mile on 1, ,16S
miles ]. Il. Whitelaw of Silverton
comes third, with 1000 miles. f. Il.
Carringer of Golden draws for only
twenty-eight miles.
Representative ]. d. Adams, who
presented bill to the House
Wednesday for the repeal of
the Bucklin constitutional amend
ment, later conducted a poll of
his colleagues for the purpose of learn
ing how they stood on the proposition.
He announced the following result:
For repeal. %: against. 20; non-com-
initial, IA; absent. 4. Eleven of those
who recorded themselves in opposition
stated that they believed the amend
ments should not be withdrawn from
the people, but that if the House voted
to take them up they woud favor
knocking out the Bucklin measure.
All adverse reports upon the pending
constitutional amendments will go
over until decision is received from
the Supreme Court as to the power of
the Legislature to reconsider these
amendments. Senator Rush introduced
a resolution asking the Supreme Court
to state, if these bills can be reconsid-
cred, what vote would be required 1t
is not customary for the Supreme Court
to give a decision upon n bill until 1t
has passed second reading, and it is
entirely possible that nothing will be
done at all, unless such matters take
the usual course. On the other hand,
there is so much involved that Il strenu-
GUS effort will be made by some per-
sons to get decision.
The lower house of the General AS
sembly is determined to leave the as
sessment of corporate property in the
Monday by the emphatic vote of 80 to
10. 1t adopted a resolution by Mr.. Bal
linger of Park asking the Supreme
Court to render an opinion on the con-
stitutionality of a provision creating a
board of assessors to be composed Of
all the assessors in the state. This is
the section as originally championed
by Speaker Montgomery during the
rpUular SaSSinp and which vraS bo p1a1
against his protest while the bill was
in the Senate. This latter body author
lied the assessors to delegate the pow
er to assess corporate property to a
board of thirteen assessors. Judge
Riner has decided that the board Of
thirteen is unconstitutional The speak
er and his friends insist that the mis-
take was made in curtailing the powers
of the total number of assessors.
The new revenue bill was introduced
in the House Thursday by Speaker
Montgomery. 1t is the old bill without
the change of word. After some
argument he withdrew it from commit
tee and postponed reference until he
could prepare certain amendments
rendered necessary by the decision Of
Judge Riner. These will provide tAat
the assessors shall determine the val
uation of corporate property in their
respective counties and shall later meet
and compare notes. Their findings shall
be subject to review and equalization
by the state board of equalization.
County commissioners and members Of
the board of equalization will be en-
powered to mandamus any assessor
who fails to follow the provisions Of
the bill, and such cases shall have
precedence in the courts. 1t is possible
that the fiat and saloon taxes and other
excise features of the bill may be cut
out and Incorporated in separate
measure. The deputy assessors will be
compelled to return schedules by May
20, instead of June 20, as under the
present law. The assessor will thus
have one month more in which to
equalize. The revenue bill will be made
a caucus measure in the House and the
majority will not tolerate anything
suggestive of filibustering.
Dickerson's resolution, fixing Feb
ruary 18th as the date of final ad-
journment, was called up and indefi-
nitely postponed by vote of 45 to o.
Prior to the vote being taken the fusion
leaders announced that 1t would be i'm
practicable to determine the exact
number of days required to consider
the amended revenue law and the other
measures mentioned In the governors
call. Business would be transacted
with all possible dispatch consistent
with the proper consideration OF the
important legislation under discussion.
Senator Graves of Arapahoe has pre-
sented to tho Senate n constitutional
amendment which will have an i'm
pOrtant bearing upon the revenue laws
of the state. 1t provides that the state
board of equalization shall assess cor
porate property. In arriving Mt the
valuation the board shall be guided by
the market price of the stocks and
bonds of the companies. In the alb
sence of such data, the cost Of dupllca-
ton of the plant and its earning power
shall be considered. In case the board
undertakes to devlate from these direc-
tons, any county assessor is authorized