Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-05-22
Sharp Fight Results, However,
Before Bill Appropriating
a Considerable Sum Goes
Through.
Representative CATRON
TAKES Mr.. BURG TO TASK
When Chairman of Committee
of Thirty Presents Amend
ment to Measure He is Called
on to Explain.

| Especial Dispatch to the Morning J0nrnal. /,
Santa Fe, n. M, May 21.-A sharp
fight took place in the house this aft
ernoon over the bill appropriating
money for the payment of the expenses
of the committee appointed early in
the session to investigate the charges
of bribery preferred against Repre-
! sentatives Cordova, Lucero, Montoya
and Trujillo and in the course OF the
debate it developed that John Baron
Burg, representative from Bernalillo
county, had had inserted in the record
of the proceedings of the committee,
at the expense of the state, copy OF
his speech, delivered on the floor of
the house after the committees report
had been submitted to the house, in
support of the four men.
The bill under consideration was a
substitute submitted, by the committee
on ways and means, for the bill in
troduced some time ago by Mr..
Toombs, of Union county, providing
for the payment Of the expenses Of
the investigation committee. The ex-
penses were itemizd as follows: Ca
sario Pedragon, interpreter, $40; Lot
ta Hanna, stenographer, $172.SS;
Claude Hutto, stenographer. S112.54;
Casmiro Lucero, sergeant-at-arms,
s1S7 E. r.. Wright, attorney for the
committee, $500; q. w. Prichard and
b. M. Read. attorneys for the ac-
clsed mes $500 each, making total
Of $2,042.32.
AS soon as the clerk had finished
reading the bill, Mr.. Blanchard, of
Lincoln county, moved to amend by
striking out the amounts of $112.54
for Claude I-utto, stenographer, and
$1S7 for Casimiro Lucero, sergeant-at-
arms of the committee, his contention
being that inasmuch as these men
were employees of the house, they were
not entitled to charge any extra com
for their services.
A not debate was Immediately pre-
cipitated. Mr.. Burg declared the two
items objected to were entirely legiti-
mate, that Attorney General Clancy
had given an opinion to the effect that
Messrs. Hutto and Lucero were en-
titled to draw the extra compensation
allowed them and that good faith de-
that the bill should be paid.
lhtroIS. licWcnyH, gas Sdl1PDCi,
Nichols and Mullens, also opposed the
while Messrs. Smith, Cat
ron and Sanchez favored it. Mr.. San
chez declared that with eight stenog-
raphers employed by the house at a
salary of $6 day he could see no
necessity of employing extra stenog-
raphers to perform the services incl |
dent to the work of the investigating |
Mr.. Skidmore asked why 1t was |
. necessary to pay the sergeant-at-arms |
IF the committee so large an amount
IS S1S7 for his services and Mr. Burg |
explained that 1t had been agreed that !
he sergeant-at-arms should be al
owed the same fees for serving sub
)oenas, making arrests and keeping /
he accused men i'm custody as are al
ow ed officers of the law for similar
services and that the fees had |
amounted to the sum named in the
)ill. After considerable discussion
llong this line a motion by Mr.. Camp
Dell to table the Blanchard amend
nent was carried by a viva voce vote.
Before the bill was put upon its pas
age Mr.. Burg offered an amendment
!
ion of 1886 for the payment of the
'ost of printing the evidence intro
luced before the committee. in Eng
ish and in Spanish, bringing the total
mCunt of the appropriation carried
" the bill up to s2,32s.32. Mr.. Burg
explained that this item of the ex
'ense mad been inadvertently omitted
rom the bill. 1t was at this point
hat the fun began
will the gentleman from Berna-
no." asked Mr.. Catron. interrupting
ir. Burg, kindly explain to the
ouse what the last twenty pages OF
he record as printed consists off"
Mr.. Burg hesitated for a moment
nd replied: 1T consists of the ma
ority and minority reports of the in
committee. and my speech
D support of the majority report. de-
vared by me ON the floor of the
ouse."
What authority" asked Mr.. Cat
On. did you have to have a speech
by you on the floor OF the
ouse printed in the record of the In
committee at the expense
;ne state2"
In reply answered Mr.. Burg. Il
I'll ray that I savet mo state at 'cast
5" BY reading proaS on the report as
came from the printer"
--Oid you have a contract with the
ate 10 perform this service?" ASKED
In. Cstr0n.
a. this point. Speaker Baca saved !
he situation by DE- airing thas both 1
rnflemen were out Of order and di-
citing that the howe proceed vita !
e regular order OF business. Ia