Arizona republican., 1912-07-31
MINERS LIEN
 |TS HISTORY
Some Legislation Which Is Questioning Considerable Ferment in Democratic Party and Promisin Il g More Acute Disturbance

It is a merry little war the demo- crats are having among themselves
 over the labor lien law. When that l bill was before the legislature it oc- casioned @ good many heartburnings. | largely because the senators from Va Vapai county who had loudly pro- | claimed themselves many times and off | as true, blown in the bottle friends of | the proletariat and who, nevertheless | when it came to the test, fought this bill in face of the fact that it's enact
 ment was demanded by practically all 1 the working people of the state But | the really interesting part of the af- | fair came recently, when Senator H. A. Davis began shooting political grape | and canister at both Mr Cuniff and | H R. Wood the Yavapai senators for | their opposition to the measure There 1 has been some talk also that a refer 1 endum petition will be put out in Ya- 1 apaiv coInty for the purpose of killing
 the measure before it should become | effective
 It is said that Homer Wood is back 1 of this alleged movement, though MT. ! Wood has so far made no statement
 as to his position. But at all eevnts the matter has assumed wide spread in | terest and because of that fact the real 1 history If the measure in the legisla
 ture at this time will not be out of i place.
 1 To get at the gist of the matter. then,
 it may be mentioned that while the 1 present state officers were making | their campaigns in Gila and COchise | county promises were exacted from
 them by the miners that they would
 use ther influence in securing the passage Of a labOrers' lien act.
 When the legislature assembled a
 bill was drawn and introduced in the i house by w. J Graham, of COchise
 county, and passed that branch of the
 legislature with little or no opposition.
 When it reached the senate it was
 referred to the judiciary committee, of 1 which Senator Hechtman, of Gila county, was chairman. At first that 1 committae ae thought the bill could be | improved by amendment. It was said | in the form in which it went from the house it might be unconstitutional and I there was a proposition so to change | the measure as to eliminate that dang 1 CT. However, there were some mem
 bers of the lower house who protested | so vigorously that the committee yield
 ed and made a favorable report on the l bin. recommending it's passage in the precise form in which it was passed 1 through the house. Senators Hecht. man. Wood of MariCOpa, Wood of Va vapai, WOrsley, Pace, Hughes and 1 Hubben. were members of the senate 1 judiciary committee.
 Then the bill was placed on the call l endar of the committee of the whole where it stayed for some time.
 One day, for reasons best known to
 himself. Senator c. B. Wood. conced- | edlv the best democratic parliament | tarian in either house, offered 2 reso- | lution ins structing the committee of the whole to place the labOrers' lien bih | the bills for the recall of federal juig- | es and United States senators. the l Carey irrigation bill, the drainage bill,
 the paving bill. the bill relating to the state auditor, the game bill, and what l was known as the North American | Indian bin on the preferred calendar | It is evident that this was a rather shrewd move There was not mem | Der of the senate but was interested in 1 eope one ar more of these bills and by l this blanket resolution senators were required to vote for the laborers' lien bill or vote against their own pet
 measure It was a most interesting 1 situation.
 This resolution, as shown by the
 record. was apposed by the four sena-
 tors from Yavapai and COchise, H R.. | Wood. M G. Cunniff, c. NJ. Roberts 1 and Dr. Simms. All the other senators
 voted for the passage of the resolution.
 Every enc of these bills received | favorable action and eventually be-
 came laws The laborers' lien bill was first passed through the committee of the whole without opposition and was
 ordered to take it's regular course,
 meaning that it was scheduled for | passage by the senate.
 | But it was not more than fifteen
 minutes after this action had been talk
 en that Senator Cunniff (Senator | Wood of MaricCpa, in the chair) asked | unanimous consent for the reconsider | ation of the lien bill. for the avoWed ! purpose nf making some minor amend | ments. The request was granted, ana after discussion that threatened to | start some fireworks at any moment, | the bill was referred to the committee
 on mining.
 l It should be said here, however, that | while the bill was before the commit | tee of the whole in the senate, Repre- | sentative Lewis. of Gila county, pre-
 ferred request that he be allowed to
 appear before the committee and make
 some remarks in faovr of the bill. The
 request was turned down, however. be-
 cause Senator Cunniff filed an objec-
 tion The bill remained for day or
 two in the hands of the committee on
 mining and was then reported with
 some amendments which the senate
 rejected The bill was then sent back
 to this committee with instructions
 that it he reconsidered and reported again within 24 hours.
 This step was taken because 1t was believed the warning factions could get
 together and harmonize their differ ences However, it was discoVere1
 that harmony was out of the question
 The bill stayed in the committed | lapoar than it's allotted time: and al