Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-02-13
PAST WEEK BUSY ONE
FOR LEGISLATORS
At SANTA FE
Vast Amount Of Business Was
Transacted During
the Weeks
Session.
SHOW DISPOSITION
TO CUT EXPENSES
Should Ali the Appropriations
Asked be Granted the Ter
rit0ry Would be
Deeply in

Santa Fe, Feb. 13.-During the
past week, the fourth OF the life of
the thirty-eighth legislative assembly.
more important committee hearings
were conducted and more important
bills passed, reported by committees
for passage or introduced, than DUR
ing any week of the present session.
II is probable that when the legis-
lators resume their work on Mon
day. after a three days respite from
their arduous labors, that they viii
again take hold of things in the same !
hammer-and-tongs fashion. However.
the outlook is that the pace may be |
the past week.
Work has now progressed far
enough to afford some idea as to
eventualities, but the inflow of bills
has not let up 10 any considerable ex-
tent. A good deal of committee work
has been done and large batch of
bills in both houses is expected to ee
reported during the coming week for
final disposition. Chief among these
bills will be House Bill No. 100, an
act to create the Museum of New
Mexico, commonly known as the
Archaeology school bill which meas
ure furnished all the excitement pra-
\ tically of last Thursdays sessions of
both houses and which although IL
has passed both houses, must be re-
turned to the House for that body's
concurrence to the amendments add
/ ed.
That these amendments are going
to meet with opposition is apparent.
As amended by the House certain
restrictions were thrown around the
lbill among which was one making IL
necessary for the museum to be en-
dowed by at least $250,000 within
year, in order for II to receive its sec
ond installment of money from the
territory. When the Council got
through amending the bill it read,
with several minor changes, as orig
inally drawn. that is, all of the House
amendments were stricken out. I'm
less the House members experience
a sudden change of heart, this bill
promises to arouse more lively de-
bates when it comes up for action In
J the lower house on the amendments.
Should Pass the Bill.
Although Governor Curry insisted
in his message to the legislature
: when it convened. that the most rigid
economy should oe exercised at the
present session and all appropria-
tions kept within reasonable bounds.
il would seem from the number Of
, measures introduced the past week
carrying appropriations aggregating
i'm the neighborhood of $4,000 these
l including the armory deficiency bills
and the bin introduced in the Coun-
ell providing for the creation of a
territorial resource commission that
the lawmakers had either forgotten
D or are purposely ignoring the COVER
nor's wishes in the matter of keeping
Y down expenses. Although the Baca
=, bill introduced in the House by the
Santa Fe representative carrying an
appropriation of $33.500 for the com
pletion of the extension to. the capt.
tol and to finish and furnish the
governors mansion. was voted down,
yet it was not because the lawmakers
were opposed to the appropriation but
because they were personally at outs
=, with the bill's foster parent. 1t is un-
derstood that when this appropriation
comes up in the general appropriation
bill at the close of the session. that II
- viii be passed To abandon work on
f these Improvements now well on the
v way to completion, would be worse
: than folly.
n In the House. Representative Wal
:, ters is leading the fight for economy
and on Thursday he placed himself
unequivocally on record as being
o against any useless or exoroitant APP
a propriations. According to the states
q man from san Juan. the bills already
q introduced. with the usual biennial
appropriations for maintenance oi
the territorial government and ia
>, educational penal and charitable in
- stitutions, carry appropriations aggre
eating such an amount that it will bt
necessary for the territory TO eithel
issue certificates of Indebtedness l.
d the amount of some $4,000 or rais'
II the territorial tax levy. OF course thi
n. result is in the event the pending bill
IL asking for money for various things
4, become laws.
Few Laws. Better Laws.
Considering the field up to this tim
it gives promise of fewer laws. Wheth
- er or not they will be better laws re
It mains to be seen 1t has been sug
lie gested that while the present legsla
"a ture may enact fewer laws it may en-
act bluer laws than those enacted b.