The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-23

should be operative in cities OF more
than 1900 inhabitants only when the
legal voters of such cities shall have
voted IN favor of prohibition" The tOk-
er in the amendment was that It did not
say "a majority OF the voters Of such
cities" Under a strict construction. the
vote for prohibition must be unanimous.
Then, TOO. it said the provisions of tits
act" SO that the regulation measures
as applied to cities of more than 1900
inhabitants were not operative unless
the voters should declare unanimously
in favor OF prohibition, and then, OF
course, there would be no need of reg
uiatiOn features.
Another feature of the bill which
doubtless viii be used to explain the
governors action I'm vetoing the meas
ure was the fact that no appropriation
was made for carrying out the prOvi-
sions Of the act. The bill provided for
state inspectors of the liquor traffic to
travel through the state, as a sort Of
state secret service. No appropriation
was made for the salaries of these in
spectors, nor for their travelling ex-
penses.
History of Badger Bill,
The Badger bill was a sort Of HIegit-
innate successor TO the Cannon bill for
statewide prohibition. When the COM
AllALAtt Ni1 Ltldllul anu IDAl4tllElLta
of which Senator kUChier was chair
man, submitted to the senate an adverse
report killing prohibition, a majority Of
the committee, Chairman KuChleT dis
senting, reported favorably on senate
bill 14S.
This bill as originally introduced pro-
vided for county local option and strict
regulation. The report introducing this
bill was signed by Senators Badger,
III
ator Badger, however, was conceded to
be the author of the measure, which
was an adoption of laws of almost
every local option and regulation state
in the union In his dissenting report,
Senator KuchIer said that in many fea-
lures the bill was meritOriOus, but that
he would insist on an amendment max
ing Salt Lake and Ogden units in local
option elections. He was opposed To
Weber and Salt Lake counties voting
as units in such elections.
After a little discussion the Badger
bill was referred back to the committee
on manufactures and commerce. In two
weeks it was reported out with a new
provision for state optiOn-the state 20
vote as unit on the prohibition ques-
ton in July. 1910 From the report Of
the committee Senator KuChleT again
dissented.
Quartet BUTTS senate.
Then began an active fight on the DILL
as it stood. Practically only four sen
ators. President Gardner, and Senators
Hulsniski, Kuchler and Benner \.
Smith, ruled the senate, and by collOs-
sal bluffs forced the majority to accept
their amendments. Senator Badger led
the opposition, but was outgeneraled
and outwitted by the quartet Oppos-
h 4 0v1pT1dr7rnmf the
four in the minority had introduced had
been voted down. the majority weak
ened and accepted the amendments, in
Guiding the Kuchler jokers which made
the bill imperative. The bill then passed
the senate unanimously, every one Of
the eighteen senators voting for it.
The same day that the bill passed the
senate the governor sent to each branch
of the legislature communication ad-
vising the passage of some measure
providing for local option and strict
regulation. After the bill passed the
senate the governor requested the ap-
pointment of a conference committee
from each house to consider the meas
ure The members Of the conference
committees were those who had taken
no active part in the discussion of tenn
perance legislation, but who for the
most part were men controlled abso-
lutely by the leaders Of the Repubii-
can party.
The Conference Measure.
The bill drawn By the joint conference
committee was a measure placing the
liquor traffic Of the state under the alb
sOiute control of the state board of ex-
aminers. consisting of the governor, the
secretary Of state and the attorney gen
eral. with absolute power to issue or
revoke licenses at will There was also
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