The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-23
BRIEF WORD IN SUMMARY

/ together with an auditor, a municipal
/ governing body far and away superior
/ IN every respect TO the present system
/ Of mayor and council whose chief aim
( n the past has appeared to be to keep
the city's affairs in a state Of turmoil.
I 1t Is easy to realize that a commission
/ composed of experienced men of bust
! ness would bring TO bear upon the con-
duct of the citv's business the same
keen, intelligent. energetic methods
! which have made their own enter
! orises successful. Furthermore, it is
/ EASY 10 realize that the temptation and
. opportunity for graft would be entirely
removed and that contracts would be
made with q view to the city'S welfare
and not for the benefit Of the contract
. IFS and those interested in getting
I them through the council. The person
I nel of governing bodies has everything
/ and all 60 do with the degree of
! honesty with which the municipality
/ shall DO run
/ The history of the Galveston bills in
! he house is a black page. Originating
| in the senate. these measures passed
| the upper branch without apparent op-
| position. The house committee, espe-
cialy appointed to consider them.
! brought i'm a favora BILE report \ mi
/ 1ority report signed by one member
/ was also submitted. if was favorable.
. say" i'm that il recommended d COM
/ mission of five instead Of three. WheE
! the matter came up i'm the house a mo-
/ ton to table was carried. the speaker
! making his announcement To that eff
| ect. although many. very many, were
Of the opinion that the motion had
! 5een lost. There was no opportunity
J accorded any member to record his
| vote. II was case of snap judgment
Of the most fragrant kind. The first at
! empt to lift the bills was defeated be
cause most of the members did not un-
/ derstand the question upon which they
| were voting. After that vote q num-
Der of those vino voted in opposition
J ,isnifieC Willingness TO support Il mo-
/ zion TO place the bills before the house
! or consideration. So, on Wednesday.
/ Mr.. CTitcliOW. The chairman of the
I Ommittee. moved the reopeninG of the
/ matter. That the motion carried there
is little doubt i'm the minds Of those
| VINO were present, except in the minds
If those who did not wish so TO be-
! icvc. Speaker joseph announced the
! failure Of the motion before the words
We're out of the mouths of the MEM
berS. He 1bsOlutelv refused roll call.
pcTemptuTiIy ordered the sergeant-at-
! urs to seat Mr.. CritcEloW and in
other ways muzzled ali members.
All Of this was done in the face of
! 7h4TgCs made on the floor of the house
BY Mr.. C~iichiow that MIR. Joseph had
been guilty OF holding out Inducements
To members 10 cast their votes against
thc Galveston bills. Mr.. Jensen is one
IF those to whom Joseph is alleged to
have made Offers. The speaker is
quoted by Mr.. Jensen as having sug-
gested To him hat he. the speaker.
would have some faVorS after this
thing is over" and that the hint was
broad that Mr. Jensen ought to vote
III opposition.
TO this day the charges made by Mr.
CTitchlow have not been answered by
Nj, joseph.
Much has been said and written dur
ing the session Of the legislature con-
corning the notorious practices of cer-
tain justice courts
"Anti-Luke" Bills in connection with
L. e. suits for debt insti-
tuted by collection
agencies and press
ed TO judgment in the most irregu-
lar manner. The measures intended
10 correct the existing evils were de-
signated ''anti-Luke" bills, and their
progress in the assembly has been
watched with keen popular interest.
Friends OF the acts believe that the
laws enacted will go a long way toward
clipping the wings of the offenders. A
brief summary of the more important
''anti-Luke" bills is herewith given:
House bill No. 43 is an amendment TO
the present law. The amendment pro-
vides that it shall be misdemeanor
for justice of the peace not to trans
fer actions in his court when proper af-
hdavit has been filed for change of
venue.
House bill No. POP is a new law, the
purpose of which is to prevent the
bringing of actions in courts that have
no jurisdiction, and to prevent IRE
sponsible parties from becoming liable
upon an obligation for the purpose of
comforting jurisdiction. 1t provides that
it shall be a misdemeanOr for person
knowingly to commence an action in
the wrong court, and further provides
that a person who voluntarily becomes
liable for the obligation of another for
the purpose of comforting jurisdiction,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
House bill No. 293 gives the appellant
court the right to pass upon the suf-
ficiency of a bond of appeal. The pur-
pose of the measure is to prevent the
harassing of the defendant by a JUS
tees court continually refusing, with
out cause, to accept bond as being suf-
ficient.
House bill No. 294 provides that where
a third party becomes liable for the
obligation of another for the purpose
of comforting jurisdiction, that the
judgment shall be void and the facts
may be proved in the district court on
a writ OF probation or certiOrari. The
purpose of this measure is to prohibit
and inquire into Irregularities in the
Justices court.
House bill No. 296 provides that it
shall be misdemes nor for justices of
the peace TO issue a writ of attachment
before the filing of an affidavit, or
where the affidavit does not conform
substantially with the requirements of
the law. 1t has been the practice OF
certain justices in this state to issue
writs of attachment without any all
davit, or upon affidavits which do not
comply with the statutes. This meas