The Elk Mountain pilot., 1902-02-11

cnaplaln OF the House
The Senate Wednesday expressed
its opposition to the State Board of AS
SCISSORS feature of the revenue bill by
a vote of 23 to 5.
The effort to investigate MIR. Ham
mond's connection with the Gunnison
Tunnel Commission has been indet-
nitely postponed.
Senator Whitford has introduced an
amendment upholding the students OF
the School of Mines in their controyer-
sy with the faculty.
A resolution has been introduced in
the Senate to investigate the manner in
which the last Senate journal was com
piled. 1t is said to be full of blunders
The State Supreme Court has been
asked TO pass upon the right of the
Legislature to repeal any or all of the
constitutional amendments which VIII
be voted upon by the people this fall.
The matter was presented to the court
Friday by Senator Taylor.
A petition was presented from Gree
ley, asking that the mineral lands be-
longinging to the land grant companies
be AXed. These corporations dispose
of fHrge areas, but reserve the right to
work valuable lodes thereon which
may later be discovered. These reser-
vations constitute an important asset.
and it is probable that the revenue bill
will be so amended as to place them IN
the assessors schedules.
Mondays debate was the liveliest so
far heard in the House. Speaker Mont
gomery denounced Judge Riner and his
decision in the revenue case ana de-
clared that the Wyoming jurist was
mot actuated by an honest desire to
determine the law. but by wish to
please the corporations" He made
lengthy defense of the law and de-
clared that he would sooner consent TO
recognize the state board of equaliza-
tion as an assessing body.
Senator Bucklin has received word
that his report on the Australian tax
system had been Incorporated in the
Congressional Record and would be
franked to all parts of the country.
Senator Ben Tillman of South Carolina
has manifested much interest in the
results of Senator Buckln's visit to the
antipodes, and is responsible for put
ting 1t in the record. Within the next
month or two it is expected that 1t
will be sent to every voter in Colorado.
Two important memorials to Con
gress were presented in the House
Thursday and will be passed as soon
as the rules will permit one was by
Madden Of Weld asking Congress not
to reduce the tariff on sugar, and repre-
senting that such action would cripple
the sugar beet industry of this state.
The other was by Harris of Morgan,
and urged Congress to make appropfla-
tions for the construction of storage
reservoirs for the irrigation OF the ara
region.
le main feature of the Senate pro-
ceedings Tuesday were the hearing of
the Supreme Court decision and the
debate on the State Board of Assessors
feature of the revenue proposition.
This arose out of an amendment to
the Whitford- Graves bill for "A consti-
tutional amendment proposing 10 sub
stitute such n board for the State
Board of Equalization. The feeling in
the Senate is very strong against the
board of fifty-seven assessors. The in
tangible property assessment feature
was also discussed for time.
There is said to be a kind of tacit
agreement that the Senate will oppose
the reconsideration of any Of the pend
ing constitutional amendments. holding
that the fact that they have been
printed in the session laws is a part
of the printing which precedes their
submission to the people. The oppon-
ents of the measure-some of them. Mt
least. in both branches-are willing to
withdraw any fight at this time, on
the understanding that the bill is not
made n party measure, and that the
platform of the state convention next
fall shall not be in any way hampered
thereby.
A number of the Senators Saturday
drew their mileage. The voucher of
Senator Thomas Annear of Silverton
calls for 10 cents per mile for 1000
miles, amounting to $50. Senator Geo.
Copp comes next with 90S miles; he
lives In Durango and draws S136.20.
Senator l.. X. West lives in Golden and
draws 10 cents on fourteen miles each
way. In the House w. A. Taylor and
{ Is. Bucklin. who live in Telluride,
are entitled to 10 cents mile on /. 16S
mi J. T. Whitelaw of Silverton
comes third, with 1000 miles. F. e.
Carringer of Golden draws for only
twenty-eight miles.
The lower house of the General AS
sembly is determined to leave the as
sessment of corporate property in the
hands of the assessors of the state. On
Monday by the emphatic vote of 30 to
10, it adopted resolution by Mr. Bal
linger of Park asking the Supreme
Court to render an opinion on the con-
stitutionality of provision creating n
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
regular session and which was changed
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