Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1913-03-11


Representatives Nichols, TuIIy anc
Hilton as a special house committee
to investigate the disappearance Ct
the anti-gamblng bill, the loss OF
weights and measure bill at the last
session and the disappearance Of an
emergency clause from the bill tc
abolish the coal oil inspectors office
This committee will proceed at orce
with the investigation
Has some one swiped' the anti
gambling bill?
This is the question that special
committee in the house will today
seek to determine. 1t was empowered
10 make the investigation when the
house adopted resolution BY MI
Nichols last evening, instructlng the
speaker to name a special committee
of three to determine what had pc
come of Senate Bill No. 115-An act
prohibiting gambling by Mr.. Holt II
had passed the house and reached the
desk of the chief clerk in the mousse
Then it vanished into thin air and was
seen no more
The bill was missed when Mrs. A.
N. Bergere. who is an enthusiastic
prohibition and anti-gambllng worker,
besought members of the house 10 can
the bill up for consideration. Mr.
l.opez consented TO call up the bill and
notified the speaker. 1t was thell
found that the bill was not in the
drawer of the chief clerks desk with
the other senate bills. Frank Staplln,
the chief clerk, at once reported the
fact to Mr. Holt in the senate as dld
Mrs Bergere.
Mr. Holt promptly introduced Sen
ale Bill No. 209, being duplicate OF
the missing bill. The senate imme-
diately passed the measure again ana
it was sent to the house. Last night
the bill passed the house by vote OF
a6 to T. The seven members oppos-
ing the bill asserted that they did SO
because they had not been given
chance to examine its provisions. But
indignation in the house was at a high
pitch because the members generally
believed the other bill had been stolen
hence il the object was to defeat the
lill it had exactly the opposite effect
and members of the house voted Tor
the measure who might otherwise
have opposed It,
The new anti-gambling bill is short
but effective. 1t provides:
Section /. That any person VINO
shall play for money or other thing
of value any game of chance, by what-
soever name known or howsoevef
played, upon conviction thereof shall
be punished by fine of not more
than one hundred dollars, or by I'M
prisonment for not to exceed three
months, or both.
Sec. 9. That any person VINO con-
ducts or operates any such game, or
who knowingly permits any such
game to be played upon premises OF
which he is the owner, lessee or oc-
cupant, upon conviction thereof shall
be punished by fine of not more than
five hundred dollars, or by imprison-
ment for not more than six months. or
both.
Sec. 8. That any officer charged
with the enforcement of this act VINO
shall knowingly and wilfully fail to
prosecute violations hereof, upon con-
viction thereof shall be punished by
fine of not more than one hundred dol
lars, or by imprisonment for not TO
exceed three months, or both.
The passage of the anti-gambling
bill in both senate and house was
marked by expressions of indignation
from members of both houses, over
the disappearance Of the other bill and
a demand was made by all who spoke
for a thorough investigation into the
subject.
When the Nichols resolution was in
troduced, Mr.. Catron amended 1t with
the consent of Mr.. Nichols, to include
an investigation into the missing
weights and measures bill of last ses-
sion and the missing emergency clause
which Mr.. Blanchard spoke about yes
terday. The resolution provides that
D. full report shall be made to the
house prior to adjournment of the leg
islature. 4
II placed the bill in a drawer In my
desk and I thought it was locked in
there until I went to look for It," said
the chief clerk of the house. Il could
not believe that any person had stolen
the measure since I never have had
such a thing occur before and | have
been chief clerk several times. be-
Iieved at first that some member had
gotten the bill to look at Its con-
tents and that the measure would be
returned. When it failed to show up,
however, I realized that it was a SER
ous matter and I reported the fact
% the speaker and to the senate mem.
Der who introduced the bill. do not
Jay the bill was stolen, but 1t GER