The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-19
LEGISLATION AND LEGISLATORS
DAVIS OUTLINES
STAND ON BILLS
Uintah County Representative
Tells About Some of Things
He Aims to Do.

john \. Davis Of Uintah county has
weli-defined notions as to what ne is
coming to the legislature for. Repre-
sentative Davis has fixed ideas about
prohibition and local option. The bishop
believes that local option ought to be the
rule. rather than statewide prohibition,
because he is in favor Of each county
running its own affairs. He is for
bridge across the Green river, and strong
~ for an experiment station in his sec
ton. The Nernsl Express quotes Mr.. Da-
Wis this wise.
John y. Davis. representative in the
legislature from Jintah county. viii in
troduce bill this winter asking for an
appropriation Of not less than $4,000 for
the construction of a bridge over the
Green river at Alhandra. Inc state taS
made but small appropriations for Jim
tan county and the people believe II IS
about time for recognition. Last year an
appropriation Of s16.0J0 was made for
bridges across streams in Jiutah and
Wasatch counties. on the reservation
More than that we have received but lit
tie from the state. The county is rapidly
growing. and the taxes are increasing al
the while Bishop Davis had a conference
recently with Captain Cooley of the Tin
tan Railway company, asking that they
cooperate in the proposition, and Cap
tain Cooley promised to take the matter
up with the St Louis officials. At pres
ent the road is a toll road, and the state
would not be likely to make an appropri-
alton for a bridge under such conditions
1t is useless to 90 into details regarding
the great need of a bridge across the
Green river, OF TO call attention to the
vast amount of travel and the delay in
transporting freight across during the
bad weather, for it is all too well known
For Green River Bridge.
Aside from introducing the bill for an
appropriation of money 70 rthe construc-
ton of a bridge across Green river, ne
said, I shall introduce other bills and
advocate the passage of bills which VIII
be of benefit, not only to the county, but
to the whole state We want an expert
ment station somey Ssre in the basin. l
shall ask for the cooperation of the Of
ficials of the Agricultural college, and
especially of Professors Hogansen and
Caine. who were here recently and who
were greatly impressed with this section
of the state. I shall ask them all TO go
before the proper committee and boost for
such a station. II the station is estab-
lished, it is the opinion of many with
whom I have talked that it should be
located somewhere near the line of Vim
tab and Wasatch counties. Some nave
suggested that Roosevelt would be a good
place. while others think it should be
located here in the valley, perhaps in the
neighborhood of the Upper canal. where
tests of dry farming and irrigated farm
ing both could be made.
Poll ak IN Cash.
&c. I shall also introduce bill providing
for the placing of the payment of poll
taxes on cash basis. | favor d Teduc-
liar bill two years ago, and it passed both
houses. but was vetoed by the governor
on mere tschnicaiity. The bill as
passed exempted no property holder.
There should be a change in the state
utes in fact there should be many changes
and they no doubt will come in time. But
there should be one change at least dur
ing this present session and that should
be in the provision for the juvenile court.
The present law only provides for one
Juvenile judge in each judicial district.
The law should be changed so as to give
one judge in each county Judge Noon IS
the juvenile judge for this district and
he has never visited this county during
his term of office. Some of the juvenile
cases here are so serious that we are
compelled to turn them over to the district
court. To be sure other members of the
legislature will have their ideas 1t has
been suggested that the legislature will
be asked to arrange for at least one de
tentiOn home in each Of the seven judicial
districts with juvenile court officers IN
all of the large towns and cities. The age
limit will likely remain the same as at
present. is years. Some are asking that
tine age limit be reduced from Is to is
years. while people in Salt Lake and Og-
den think it should be increased to 20
years.
Local Option Preferable.
Z" I was elected in a platform with a local
option plank. but I would have been in
favor Of local option law anyhow and I
shall do ali can to secure the enactment
of such a law. I believe 7 would favor
local option rather than prohibition.
think each county should be allowed TO
look after its own affairs in that regard.
The opponents OF prohibition OF local OPP
ton say that it does not prohibit Even
if it does not. it helps. The closing of
saloons will certainly do away with the
/ lOafing place and it will greatly lessen the
disturbing Of the peace It will shut up
the door Of temptation TO many men who
cannot resit It when they know the liquor
| is in easy reach. I know Of many men
who would never drink IL they were forced
TO hunt for IL. Prohibition may not stOp
the sale of liquor altogether but Il GER
tainly diminishes It,
/" The south is more than one-half dry
today and the sentiment in favor Of abol-
isling the saloon is spreading from one
end of that country to the other.
" In those districts in the south where
prohibition or local option prevails crime
has greatly diminished. fewer arrests for
drunkenness have been made, there has
been an increase in bank deposits by Ia
boTers and there are fewer cases Of wife
abandonment. Thousands of homes have
been made happier. There are more pic