The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-07
WEEKS REVIEW
Of LEGISLATURE
Prohibition in House and Pub
lie Utilities Bill in Senate
Chief Measures.
GOOD ROADS LEGISLATION
PURE FOOD ACT SUBMITTED IN
UPPER BRANCH.

legislature was the acrimonious debate
Friday Oh the Cannon prohibition bill
The members at times did not minee
words in charging one another with un-
fairness. The chairman of the judi
ciary committee, Mr.. Clegg, came in
for deal of adverse criticism, and he
criticised right back again. The
charge was made that the majority
railroaded the bill through the commit
tee and reported it favorably for pas
sage, and that the protests of some of
the members, Holman and Clegg, IN
particular, We're of no avail. The mi
nority report was signed by Holman
alone, and he went on record as saying
that he was against prohibition, but in
favor of the passage Of any bill proyid-
ing for reasonable regulation. He is
for compromise if it can be brought
about. Clegs made a speech in which
he said he wanted everyone to have a
which they had not yet had, he said.
Finally, the majority report was re-
ferred back to the committee.
= -
The Cullen hotel bill prepared by the
federal bunch, has aroused the ire of
the senators. The senators favor some
of the provisions of this bill. but they
resent the interference of the Sign of
the Four" and especially do they re-
sent the methods employed by these
off1cehOlders to drive them with whip
lash. That there will be a number of
other bills introduced, in both houses,
there seems to be little question The
proposition has been made that a COM
promise bill be drawn and introduced
in the senate, providing, in effect. for
local option, for high license, for the
limitation of the number of saloons,
say, one TOT every thousand of popula-
ton, for non-treating clause, and the
abolishing Of back rooms or wine rooms
and all chairs and tables. In brief, for
a system of strict regulation.
The petition of the business men sent
to the legislature Friday against abso-
lutte prohibition is the first real, genuine
protest that has been made against the
wave, sO-called. The prominence and
character of those who signed il made
the members ''sit up and take notice"
On the other side of the question, both
the house and the senate continued
during the week to be flooded with pc
titions containing thousands of sigma
lures. These came from various parts
of the state 1t is one of the things
suggested by a house member that
these petitions be carefully considered
and the age of every person taken into
account. The charge has been indi-
rectly made that many children have
been permitted to attach their names
to these petitions in order to swell the
roll.
Aside from the prohibition question,
probably the most important matter to
come to the attention of the legislature
was the introduction in the senate of
the bill providing for a commission on
public utilities. This measure is far
reaching in its scope. 1t includes rail-
roads, telegraph, telephone, street car
lines, electric lighting and power plants.
gas plants and matters relating to pub
Tic service and public utilities. The bill
is extremely long, and doubt has been
expressed as to the ACCESSIBILITY of COM
bining all of the subject matters in one
measure, instead of putting the various
questions into separate bills. The rea-
son for this is that if the bill incor-
porates all of the matters referred to.
and il should be unconstitutional on
one point, the whole law would be a
dead letter, whereas, if the questions
were dealt with in separate form the
end sought to be attained would have
less rocky road TO travel whether
the overturning of any section would
have the effect of destroying the COM
mission, If one were created, or wheth-
er it would simply deprive it of the
powers given to it by that section. is a
question not quite clear in the minds
of many of the LEGISLATORS.
The pure food bill introduced in the
senate Friday is designed to create a
commission which shall have super-
vision of foods and food products. The
bureau is to consist of nine members
at the head Of which shall be the gov
ernor. The state chemist is made
member, as are also the secretary of
the state board of health, the state food
and dairy commissioner one practical
FARMER, one manufacturer, one mer-
chant' one livestock man and one non
producer The governor is to appoint
the members not designated in the act
The street corner talk is that the biIl
is viewed with favor.
X
The proposition of building an ar
mory viii soon be submitted in the
form of bill 1t will call for an an
preparation Of $4,000. and the plan is
as Il Is understood now. to erect the
ouilaing on a part Of the capitol site
1 ne state Is now paying rental for
the guards present quarters which an
nually amounts to total that viii
more than pay the interest on the sum
required. This sum is to be borrowed
from the state board of land commits
sioners. Until a new aTmory. or AZ
least new quarters. are secured for the
guard the assertion of a war depart-
ment officer is that Utah's equipment
viii remain practically the same as If
is now. with its old guns and obsolets
apparatus.
\ 4 X
The passage of the Sunday elos;ne
bill in the house during the week. If II
should become a law, will make ma
terial difference in Salt Lake on SIM
days. There Will be no theatres. no
ball games and no dancing or roller
skating Kinks, This bill is practically
the same as that which was introduced
and passed the house two years ago.
Riders put on it in the senate had the
effect of killing the measure. One of
these riders was that resorts should be
included. This. OF course, would shut
up SaltaiT. Lagoon and the resort i'm
T=ss7s rrro ton % NOR.