The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-03-16
LEGISLATIVE news AND GOSSIP

to Denver the schools Of medicine. den
tistry and pharmacy for the last two
years of the course in each school.
The railroad bill passed third read
ing in the House on the llth. The
vote was as follows: Yeas-Adams.
Bick, Blaney. BRYAN. Bunney. Cannon,
Cohen, Collins Dillingham;. Dilts,
Dodge. Dolph. Dray, Dulin. Farr. Fet-
ger, Frank, Garcia. Graden. Grisham,
HARRISON. Healey, Hickman. Hoyt,
Hudgins. Kelly. Laton. Morrell. Pad
dock. Parrish. Redd, Smith, Tannen-
baum. Turner, Valdez. Werner. Vim
cent. Watson. Winters. Wolaver.
Young. Mr.. Speaker-forty-two Nays
-Bowden. Bellestield. Blatchford. Boil
singer, Fall. Hollenbeck, Hurd. kcil.
Kern, Lehrritter, Lines. Mackenzie.
McLochlan. O'Connell, Napier, Rubin,
Schmidt. Walker-nineteen. Absent.
excused ard not voting-Ebbert, Stew
art, Wilder-three.
In the House Monday, Mr.. O'Connell
made a speech in support of his bill,
providing for a constitutional amend
ment to make smelters to be public
utilities. Mr.. O'Connell charged that
the smelters annually took hundreds of
thousands of dollars of the value of
ore and made no report to the pro-
dnCeIS oI IndI ore. ne dlSp dltdthtd
an interview which was credited to
Simon Guggenheim two years ago, in
which the latter gave figures on the
results to the mipers of ore sold to
smelters His argument was that the
smelters should be declared public
utilities, that rates for smelling ores
should be fixed by a public commits
sion. An extended reply was made by
Mr. Dolph. who quoted from the re-
ports of numerous investigators to
show that illadyised legislation
against trusts has resulted in making
the trusts stronger. AT the conclusion
of the debate. which took up all OF the
afternoon, Mr. Dolph moved that the
enacting clause be removed from the
bill Carried.
The Elsner collection of minerals is
to be removed from the charge of the
state unless it is paid for within a
short time The collection is valued at
81. 900, and is believed to be the most
extensive and valuable collection of
Colorad, minerals ever gotten to-
gether. When Harry A. Lee was com
missioner of mines for the state he Sc
cured the collection on an arrangement
made whereby the state was to ac-
auire ownership. He paid Mr.. Elsner
81. 500 on account, but the balance has
never been paid. When Mr. White
took the office of commissioner OF
mines h kept on with the work of try
ing to raise the balance due on that
collection, and also to pay for the
grand display of Mollie Gibson ores
now with the bureau. The latter, like
the Elsner collection. is unique among
displays and can never be duplicated.
bill has been introduced in the pres
,,y 1,,. | iI.l to
propriate $4,000 for the purchase of
the two collections. Mr., White is es-
pecially anxious to have the bill en-
acted, as the specimens named have
won five first premiums at as many
Worlds Fairs for Colorado.
The House has passed on second
reading the Drake bill that passed the
Senate some time back. The only i'm
portant amendment made by the
House was to limit the application to
cities, towns. villages, districts. wards
or precints. whereas the Senate bill
permitted a county as well as these le-
gal divisions and subdivisions to vote
on this question Governor Buchtel
has worked like. a Trojan for such a
measure and he succeeded in bringing
into line with him quite a number of
Republicans who at first were inclined
to be extremely conservative. The bill
that passed the House permits the peo-
pie of any city, town or subdivision to
decide for themselves whether they
want saloons in their neighborhood. 1t
was felt that to permit whole county
to be included. and have a bare ma
jority declare that county wet" or
dry" as the case might be. would
work hardships. A county having big
city would permit that city to rule the
county In certain cases this would APP
pear as tyranny. But great care was
taken in the House to make locality
that votes antisaloon to be dry. a
drug store cannot turn itself into sa-
loon In legislating against this form
of hypocrisy. the House went further
than the Senate
The Drake local option bill. which
passed thu House on the 18th, has
been ans nded in two important par
ticularS since t passed the Senate
especially il eXcmpting the counties
from its provisions. In the original
bill provision was made that the resi-
dents of any county, city. town, ward,
ward division. district or precinct,
might apply for an election to have
the subdivision declared ''anti-Saloon
territory The elimination of the
word county lett ward ana district as
the largest subdivisions that could ap-
ply for the right to prohibit the sale
of liquor within It's borders. Forty per
cent. of the voters of any political sub
division may apply to the county clerk
for an election on the question within
the territory, the petition to be filed at
least thirty days before the general
election. Explicit provisions are given
for making up the petition, filing 1t
with the clerk, and for the conduct of
each of the steps leading to the cleo
tion and declaration of the result
When vote has been had in any sub
division, the vote shall not be subject
to reversed at any time within twenty
three months. The sections referring
to the devices to evade the law con