Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-03-12
SENATE KILLS
Commission BILL
Friends Of Measure Feel That De-
lays Are Dangerous
IT NIGHT HAVE PASSED.

Product of COMMERCIAL Club nocts
With scani Comfort In Upper House
-THsrs wan Be decentralization.
The friends in the senate o. the Salt
Lake water commission bin feel at this
time perhaps more forcibly than they
ever did before that delays are danger
Gus. The bill was voted upon yester-
day and defeated 20 O. Had the
friends Of the measure insisted upon a
vote the day before, they would have
saved it, so that senatorial courtesy
p responsible for the sad rate Of the
Ael child OF the Commercial club The
bght against the bin was led by Senator
Williams az whose request the vote
was postponed until yesterday There
were however many vigorous speeches
inpde against the bill, one OF them by
II s. Larsen, who argued that II was
not me province OF the Legislature 10
make laws merely FOR Salt Lake lie
stid u was likely. if this course were
continued, there would be salt Lake
day ana Ogden day and so on, until
every city ana town OF the state has
been honored with the exclusive at
tention of the Legislature and laws Will
be passed devoted only TO their re-
spectiye interestsF
The vote on the bin was as follows:
Yeas Hamburger Barber Barnes
Lawrence, Lewis, Love. Sherman, Whit
more, Alison--9.
Nays Bennion, Gardner Johnson, G.
Y. Larsen, II, s. Larsen Loose Nc
KAY, Murdoch, Williams-9.
Immediately after the announcement
Of the vote. Senator Murdoch gave no.
tlce that he would move for a recon-
sideration. The friends Of the bill,
However, have little faith IN effectlng
the passage Of the measure now
WHITMoRE ON CONSISTENCY.
Several Of the senator's who voted
against the bill explained that they ala
so from the belief that the measure
was unconstitutional, and In voting for
II they would be acting inconsistent
with their 0aths. Senator WhitmOre
made few pointed remarks anent that
proposition that ran something like
this. "Mr. PNtlent the other day
we voted to cMlemn private water
rights and turn them over to q city.
FOLLOWING that high handed proceeding,
yesterday we voted TO turn all the wa
ter Of the state oyer into the hands Of
one man, and now some senators cry
consistency In voting against this bill,
which places the water Of the city into
the hands Of Ave capable citizens Mr.,
prgsident, that isn't the kind Of con-
shtency ] was brought up on and /
therefore don't understand t. Ivoted
against those other two measures be-
cause l thought they looked to the vio-
lation Of private rights, but ! Will vote
for this bill because ! have confidence
IN the governor, feeling quite sure he
viii appoint five able, patriotic citizens
who viii take good care Of the water
Of this city. .a53
The fight for The bill was led by Sem
ntor Love, who made an extended ar
guluent in 'its favor HelheclareG the
citv touncllmen were practically the
only ones who were opposed TO the
measure, add he claimed smuch right
TO be heard for II, as they had 20 be
heard against II. He said be had In
vestigated the records and discovered
that ten of the cOuucilmen altogether
nay q total of Sl3i 08 taxes; four OF
them pay taxes intheir wife's name, and
two are not on the tax record at all.
II pay as much taxes as tWo-thlrds OF
the council" said he. land yet | am
not a very large property holder, |
sneak with all due respect Of The coun-
cilmen some OF them are my friends,
and some Of them | admire, but they
are not the only ones who are entitled
10 consideration on this matter"
Senator Love read communication
from the law firm Of Dickson Ellis a.
Ellis. IN which those attorneys declared
the bin 20 be not only constitutional
but q desirable bill TO enact into law.
Senator williams argued earnestly
against the measure. declaring II to be
not only an improper bin to enact into
law. but an Insult, q slap al the city
council" He said the council had been
working for years with the water prob
lem and TO take II out OF their hands
would be grossly unjust.
Several other senators leveled q few
shots az the bill. among them being
Benton. Murdoch, c. f. Larsen and
Mckay. The glst OF their. contention
was that the bin was contrary 10 p0pu-
lar government that It's tendency was
10 drift away from the people
There was considerable public Interest
in the biz as manifested by the crowd
That gathered IN the chamber, filing Il
naerly TO capacity,
INCOME TAX BILL DEFEATED.
senator Murdoch swooped down on
the senate yesterday with a lab0red ar
gumcut an written down, IN favor OF
the income tax bill, his own product
Of which he was very proud. II Is nes-
essary 10 speak OF the bill in the past
tense. since the senate voted on IL yes
terday afternoon.
sena tor Murdoch said the bin was
patterned after the Hawaiian income
tax law. which had been pronounced
constitutional He further declared that
several Of the European countries have
such "a law and some OF the states
Including Massachusetts; that the
financial condition OF Utah made such
q law imperative and IL should pass
Senator Bamberger made a vigorous
speech In opposition To the bill He
argued that its passage would invite
capital 20 stay away. and even $50 there
was better way 10 increaseithe rcye-
nues OF the state. which was 10 enforce
the present law and levy n Just tax
uton an property, In which ease. fn,
owners OF millions OF dollars worth U,
property that are now escaping aEa-
tion would be Obliged TO contribute tHllJ
Jus, proportion 20 the revenues of tAt
state,
Senator Barnes spoke IN behalf of tnt
hlli, arguing that II might double Oh,
tax on the rich but would lessen the
burden on the poor.
Senators Love and Lawrence were IN
favor nf such a measure, bui they had
been unable TO frame one tina, would
be constitutional They felt quite auro
the present bill was not.
only three votes We're cast Tor Pho
h1l THE lonely trio were Murd0ck