American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-03-18
WORK OF IDAHO LEGISLATURE
Game Of the Measures Adopted a,
Eleventh Session and a Few Of
the Many That Met Defeat.

nFnCeEnS "a bSh0
.nv for the submission OF many o
situtional amendments, the Eleventh
,.g;slature enacted many measures OF
Ito, interest to the people OF the
wbole state, and killed other measures
demanded by numbers Of voters.
.Judged purely from a material
standpoint it is doubtful If any other
octs of the Eleventh session are OF
such farreaching Importance to ali
the people of the state as the series
,of acts relating to the public lands OF
tho state, says the Boise Statesman
These include a law legalizing al
nasr acts of the state board of land
commissioners and clearly defining
the powers and duties OF that board
the ratification of the statutes Of the
limited States bearing upon the Idaho
oublic lands, and the sending to Wash
ington of a committee to adjust mat
tiers between the state and the nation
as to state lands included in forest
reserves.
Next in importance in the minds OF
many is the legislation on the liquor
issues. This includes three important
measures. One of these, known as
the search and seizure" law, is in
tended to make effective the local op
ton law enacted by the Tenth SEES
sion. Should this stand the test OF
the courts it will, it is claimed, elm.
mate bootlegging and work a great re-
form in many parts of the state. An.
other bill that became a law places
all the territory, outside of incorpor-
ated cities and towns, under the ban.
ner of prohibition. Still another bill
makes it impossible to buy liquor in
a drug store for any purpose without
first subscribing to an oath before ar
official.
Great things are promised from the
operations of the Shawhan antitrust
law. This is sweeping in its provi
sions. 1t incorporates many of the
best features of the best laws on the
statute books of other states. The
idea of personal guilt" is emphasized
in this law and it is expected to cure
many of the trust and combination
evils that now beset the state. Its
friends assert that it will do much tc
reduce the cost of living and bring
many lines of business back to
legitimate basis.
For the first time since statehood
the road laws of the state are sys-
tematized. Provisions are made fol
the creation of road districts and the
construction of permanent roads by
n-.z;,1 %4-~, n,,% ~ A1@,An v0a6 k=Ilc
Introduced at the instance of the coed
roads association of the state. nine
became laws and the two bills de-
feated were unimportant.
While the primary bill as originally
introduced did not become a law ow.
ing to the opposition of Governor
Hawley to the party affliation" pro
vision, an amended bill became a law.
correcting some of the worst evils OF
the present law, such as the manda'
tory second choice and the miserable
method of adopting a party platform
A series of bills prepared under the
direction of the state board of health
to prevent the sale of impure food
and drugs, to provide for sanitary
conditions in all places where food
products are prepared or supplied &c
the public and to car for the public
health in many other particulars, oc
cupied much of the time of the law
makers.
Great benefits are anticipated from
the codification of the school laws OF
the state, the placing OF the state
schools on a mill tax basis and the
provision for a state board of educa
lion to be composed of expert educa
tors.
A banking law wide in its scope, q
general insurance law and a law gov.
ernlng the operations of benevolent
associations are the results of much
hard work on the part of men spe
elally interested in those lines OF
work.
Farmers will be especially well
pleased with a comprehensive pure
seed law. a noxious weed law. a grain
commission law and a number OF laws
intended to improve conditions in the
~'Frlsation districts of the state.
10 many the law to permit the run.
ming OF certain kinds of amusement
on Sunday when petitioned for by a
majority of the voters of a commu-
nity will appeal. The provision for
.ne commission form of government
III all cities of size. and the law tc
provide for the fixing of telephone
gas light and power rates Will be
popular. and many think will lead to
improvements.
Labor organizations worked hard
LOT the eight-hour law, the initiative
referendum and recall; and they seer
III lalr way TO get them all.
among the measures defeated in
winch the widest interest was taken
nohe, perhaps, was more to the front
lnan that providing for a railway
soinmlssion. The hardest fight OF tbs
enure session was made over this
opposition. Not only the bill to pro
vac Tor the commission. but the prop
osl'lon Tor a constitutional amend.
inent was killed. AS a subs itute. pro
'iSlon was made for submitting the
question TO a direct vote of the peo
llt AT the nnxr uAnAro1 a1anf,Nn