Mexico Missouri message., 1913-02-27
MANY MEASURES
BEFORE ASSEMBLY
VERY FEW OF 1,5oo BILLS INTRO,
puCED HAVE RECEIVED
FINAL ACTION.
ONLY THREE WEEKS LEFT
Steering Committee to Be Appointed
20 Keep Track of important
Bills in Legislature and Give
Them Precedence.

JefIerson City.--The legislature will
have TO hustle IL 1t expects to pass
many bills during the remainder of
the session. Only % days of the rs
day session remain, and very few bills
of any Importance have been passed.
with the exception of appropriation
measures.
II looks very much like q repetition
of the feat of two years ago, when 1877
bills were passed in one day. will
have to be resorted to at the close of
the session.
Nearly 1900 bills have been intro
,duced, and 1t is conceded that bills
introduced from now on stand little
or no chance of becoming laws unless
they are of such vital Importance as
TO be given precedence over every.
thing else.
The house engrossed the bill Great.
ing state board of pardons and pa
roles, an administration measure. This
proposes a systematic handling of all
paroles to the end that men capable
of reformation may be removed from
their prison environments.
Senators are disturbed by the near
approach of test of strength upon
the county unit bill, the last hearing
on which was he'd by the committee
on criminal Jurisprudence Wednesday
night. Polls of the senate indicate
that the vote will be very close, but
the friends of the measure hope to be
able 10 pass It.
The very drys" are not numerically
strong in the senate. Out of the total
membership of "a only four are
classed as "water-wagon statesmen"
If the Legislature passes the bill, adj
vocates of the license forces say they
will submit the law by referendum
to the people for their ratification
or rejection at the next election. The
submission would suspend the opera
ton Of the law until the vote is taken.
The house refused to reconsider a
measure recommended by the state
superintendent of public schools, Supt.
Blewitt of the st. Louis public schools,
W. F. Houston. chancellor of Wash.
ington university, ana other school
men providing for the creation of a
commission to investigate rural
schools and to suggest means for i'm.
proving them. This bill was strongly
urged by Gov. Major in his inaugural
message to the legislature,
The Joint resolution rntitying the
amendment to the federal constitu
ton providing for the direct election
of United States senators, was report
ed favorably from the senate commit
10 al lie,
ure passed the house with only one
dissenting vote, that being cast by
Representative Cooper. a Republican
The food of bills into the legisla
ture hopper has largely abated, the
members believing that belated meas
lres will have little chance of pass
ing a steering committee probably
will be appointed this week to keeI
track of important bills and give then
precedence in printing and considera
ton over those of minor import.
The house, which is dry by large
majority, killed Wednesday an anti
treating bill. This measure provided
n penalty ranging from S. to $25 fol
each offense. Some effort was made
to amend the bill to apply only to in
toxicants, but this amendment also
was rejected.
Perhaps the two most importan
general subjects with which the leg
islature feels 1t must take action are
education and good roads. These
problems are being wrestled will
night and day, and decisions made
to concentrate on specific plans o
legislation.