The Elk Mountain pilot., 1910-09-01
COLORADO
LEGISLATIVE
. q I N G 3
Direct Primary Bin In the House.

. Q N g 3
Direct Primary Bill In the House.
The direct primary bill without tho
convention feature was taken up Tues
day. 1t 10 now being considered by the
committee of the whole, which has
considered about half OF the fifty-three
sections. One who took his seat in the
gallery. not knowing Colorado politics.
would think the house was of one
mind.
The famous section four" in which
the Senate inserted the convention
feature" was passed over without ma
terial amendment, and the word "con-
vention" was not used on the floor of
the house.
Reading OF the direct primary bill
was taken up In the morning session
and was finished in the afternoon.
Representative Hicks said that the
amendments offered by the election
committee were not Objectionable to
him. with the exception that he would
ike some Of them explained. He ex-
planned that the secret ballot provision
contained by the bill had raised in his
mind q question OF constitutionality
until he read a recent decision of the
Wisconsin Supreme Court on that Sec
ton. In which the secret ballot was
upheld. Tho provision for 1t in the
Hicks bill Ia Identical with the Wis
consin section.
The amendments were then offered
and adopted. The most important ones
rh-s g. -HS
must have q separate petition: that
members Of the General Assembly are
exempted from the provision requiring
national. state or district officers Of
districts larger than counties to have
petitions ranging from 800 to 500
words (they come under the clause re-
Quiring petitions ranging from SO to
$50 names).
Working on the Railroad 0iil.
A soon As the house bill had been
reported to the Senate and referred to
the committee on constitutional
amendments Tuesday. the Democrats
secured an adjournment and the sub
committee OF the caucus mot to frame
q railroad bill. The railroad bill seeks
and to fix the salaries Of the commits
sioners who will succeed the present
commissioners at $4,000. A provision
requires the railroads to move live
stock and perishable goods ., the rate
OF At least ten miles an hour from
point Of original point Of destination.
The commission will not give any
power to fix rates. but will have the
right to adjust discriminatory rates.
subject to review BY the courts. At
torney General Barnett was called into
the meeting and asked his opinion ~
to the constitutionality Of the provis-
ion. and the attorney general finally
declared that the provision must BE-
changed to stand the test. He ruled
that too many judicial powers had
been given to the commission. The
measure. besides placing . ban on re-
bates and all determinations In the In
terest Of favored shippers. forbids the
railway to discriminate between local.
tiles.
Referendum Bill Passes the House.
With only two Democrats voting
against 1t the initiative and referen-
dunn. like the Oregon law. was passed
ON third reading Tuesday and went to
the Senate Wednesday with An smey.
gency clause.
The vote on third reading Of the ini-
tiative and referendum WAS 81 ayes
and eleven noes. The emergency
clause brought the noes" two votes.
but they were changed before the vote
was counted. making the vote upon
this the same ~ that on the bill.
Those who voted against the bill
we're Republicans with the exception
Of Speaker Lubers and Representative
Hits of Denver. The Republicans vot-
ing mo" we're: Amador. Baldwin.
Boyle. Gardner. Hayden. Packard. Par
rish. Teller and Trindle. Those absent
and not voting were Garcia and
Wilder.
The resolution introduced by Repre-
sentative Greenman indorsing the in
come tax plank Of the late Democratic
platform was adopted.
The resolution introduced by Repre-
sentative Hicks. memoriaIizing the ma
tional Congress upon the Colorado sol-
diers of the Civil war, was passed.
Representative Greenman's resolution
indorsing the income tax plank Of the
national Democratic platform also was
adopted.
The Senate adopted Tuesday two
reaOlutiOns introduced by Senator Ba-