The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-19
LEGISLATURE ADJOURNED.

islature has adjourned, and an inquiry
is clearly in order rs to whether the
session has done more harm than good
On the whole, VIC think the balance
is inclined to the good, although much
| evil has been done. On the side of
good, we must arrange the provisions
for the construction of the State Cap.
itol, the allowance for the University
Administration building, the help for
tho Agricultural College, and the pas,
sage of the law setting apart fixed
portion Of the States income for the
support Of these educational institu-
| tions.
The appointment Of AN additional
judge each for the Second and Third
districts may be of public service, and
IL is to be hoped that it will be use.
| ful In keeping the court calendars
clear. The appointment Of commits.
sion to investigate and recommend
changes in the system of revenue and
taxation should be distinctly a good
measure, If properly carried out. The
| enactment Of laws prohibiting the en-.
| ployment of children and limiting the
| hours of work for women employees
are beneficial measures The increase
in the salaries of various officials is
of doubtful utility, and will probably
be of no public benefit
The compulsory commission form Of
municipal government forced upon the
cities of the first and second classes
may result we'll and may not The
commission form of government, so far
as Salt Lake county is concerned, has
been Il distinct failure 1t is To he
hoped that the commission form for
the city may be an Improvement over
the commission form for the county
The liquor legislation is distinctly
bad, in its main features. 1t need
lessly compels elections on local OPP.
| tion, where local option was already
! assured under the former laws and
| court rulings. 1t undertakes TO make
the district Judges the administrators
of the saloon business by imposing
upon them the duty of issuing the Ii.
censes, and requiring them to examine
and pass upon the bonds Of those wGo
wish to sell liquor. This is distinct
administrative or executive function,
the exercise of which by the courts
seems to be expressly forbidden by Ar
ticle Y. of the State Constitution. We
look to see this portion OF the law an
nuled by the courts. The prctense that
the purpose of this enactment is 60 take
the saloons out of politics is a shallow
mockery. 1t will, on The contrary, in.
volve them in the elections far more
than ever before; il will obligc the 81
looms TO take a deep and active inter
est in the election of judges, thing
in which hitherto they have felt no
need of special interest or concern.
An outrageous and wholly ndefen-
sible failure in legislation was the re
fusal of the Legislature to pass a prop.
er reapportionment bill. This failure
works q specially griovous hardship
upon Salt Lake City and county, in
depriving the Inhabitants of the rep
rcsentation in the Lcgislaturc-both
houses-to which their numbers clearly
entitle them. This neglect was plain
defiance of mandatory provision OF
the constitution.
y good deal of the legislation passed
was of the routine order, changing mat.
ters little or nothing from existing
law.
vast mass of proposed legislation
had to be swept into the waste bas,
ket at the last by reason of the fac;
that the legislature did practically
nothing for the FIRST fifty days of its
session. 1T was a siXty-ninc day scs
sion in place OF sixtyday session
in duration; in actual work it was
about twenty day session.
A great deal of the legislation was
swept aside in the last days Of the
session by reason of the impossibility
Of considering it. Some other Iegis-
lation Of doubtful quality slipped
through for the same reason, it did
not receive the consideration its i'm
portance deserved.
Above ALL this session has been
unique in It's open and frank recogni
tion that the members were not acting
on their own judgment, but al the die
| tation of the 'Federal bunch. -
And so the session of the Legislature
has gone into history, and history Will
pronounce Judgment upon it's work.
In the meantime the legislation has inn
posed upon us some novel conditions,
which it will require a good deal of
| ingenuity to adjust ourselves to- and
which will be more or less in dispute
| for long time to come.