Bisbee daily review., 1903-02-12

The vice-president of the associa- tion is Mrs. Nellie Sullivan Mrs. Eugene Brady O'Neil; Mrs Doan, wife, of Justice Fletcher M Doan; Mrs. Tritle, wife of former Governor Tritle; Mrs. Theodore Otis of Pres colt and Mrs. Bird, wife of Allen T. Bird, editor of the Nogales Oasis are prominent and active members. Among the lobbyists is Dr. Francis Wood. of Kansas, who received her training in the mother-state of equal suffrage The lobbists are feeling
 their strength and when the bill is presented in both houses they promise to spring surprises in the development
 of unexpected support.
 | The Cowan bill which will be re-
 ported by the committee which has
 it in charge on Monday has given rise
 to widespread legal discussion. The
 bill is framed for the purpose of pro- viding heavy source of revenue for
 the territory by planting in the treas ! ury the liberal fees derived for the , incorporation of foreign and nOn-resi- ! dent corporations. The Harrison act passed in Congress about twenty I | islatuTe shall not put into operation ] special laws which will create, in ] crease or decrease, the fees of a ter l ritorial office holder during his term ! of office. Secretary Stoddard raises the point that his office does not ex- 1 pire for two years and he threatens ! to carry his protests to the United | States supreme court in case the leg islature attempts to cut of his enor- nous income. He claims to be a | territorial officer by virtue of a con- | gressional act passed subsequently to | the Harrison Act which empowers the legislature to prescribe duties and
 emoluments upon the territorial sec | retary.
 Col. J. F. Wilson strenuously denies ! that he reached any friendly under standing with the secretary in regard | to this matter but declares that if it l is legally possible he should be glad to see these big revenues saved to the territory. As an excuse for a | lengthy written opinion, signed by the i Colonel, which finds substantially that the legislature is planning to run icouuter to the Harrison Act. Col WiI- son says that in response to numerous requests made by democratic friends ! he has prepared. an opinion which simply embodies his conviction It has , been reported by his enemies that 1 Colonel Wilson is seeking in this and i in other ways to repudiate certain blanks of the democratic platform
 which he himself framed.
 ''I want it understood said Mir i Wilson. to a respondent, that I ! have iu no way sought to influence ! legislation. h fact. I have distinct
 ly told my friends that I do not care
 to take part in law making in the ter ritorial legislature, and I am in no
 manner lobbyist nor an adviser" ] Did you rot assist in framing the | dem ocratic platform which declares for discontiauance of the system of incorporating foreign corporations. and for a saving to the territory of the revenues derived from incorpor- ating?"
 "I was consulted, of course, as to the platform but only investigated and took part in framing the most vital blanks. The plank that you have reference to was regarded as a minor measure and did not arouse much discussion. I have since inves- tigated the aw on the subject and I do not see how We can get around the law. Until your paper brought out the point, I was not aware of the fact that the secretary has enjoyed fees which have been created for him by legislature during his term of office. If that be true, it may be borne in miad that the Harrison Act is as strongly opposed to increasing fees, or to creating fees, as it is to de- creasing fees. This would make very pretty question for the courts to rule on and a lawyer would find some interesting points in such legal pro ceeding."
 The Review has already Isointed out that the last legislature passed a law prior to the present secretary's induction into office increasing the emoluments of the secretary and this law did not go into effect until three months after the secretary's term of office began. A reliable investiga- tion by the highest authorities in the territory has revealed the fact that from this legislature alone the secre tary enjoyed emoluments amounting to something more than S29, 900.
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