The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-01-21
OF WORK Of
STATE LEGISLATURE
Review Of DOings of Oregon's
Legislators During The
Past Week.

Amount Of First Weeks Work Small
as Usual lncipient Mutiny IN
House-Two Prchibition Bills In
troduced-May Regulate Commits
sion Houses-State Horticultural
Commissioner Proposed-Tax Meas
urss Numerous.
Salem.-Just as in previous SEES
sions, the first week of the twenty
eighth session passed with very little
accomplished aside from organization,
When organization was completed,
instead of getting promptly down to
work considerable time vas wasted in
oratory over the number OF clerks and
stenographers to be employed. Some
| of the lawmakers, in view of the econ
omy talk which prevailed, thought it
would be a good idea to begin with
cutting down the running expenses OF
the session by getting along with few
er clerks, but after the flow OF talk
ceased both houses concluded the us
/ ual number of clerks would be neces-
sary.
In the senate, with Senator w. Lair
Thompson, of Lake county, as presid-
ing officer, the legislative wheels ap-
pear to be running smoothly, but in
the house, as a result of dissatlsfac-
lion over Speaker Ben Settings com
mittee appointments and an antagon-
istic spirit which arose against the
| Multnomah county delegation, a well
! defined mutiny against the house or
ganization developed. A few hotheads
even talked of deposing the speaker,
| multiplying his committee appointments
and substituting others nominated
from the floor of the house.
Number of important Bills introduced
While much of the first week Of the
session was taken up with organlZa-
ton, inauguration of the Governor and
useless oratory over clerkships, when
the legislature did get down to law
| making a number of the important
| questions to come before the session
appeared in the shape OF bills. These
included measures to amend the tax
laws, consolidate departments OF the
state government for economy, to
make effective the prohibition amend
ment and revision of the game laws.
The economy spirit manifested it,
self in the senate when that body
! voted to eliminate appropriations for
the state %accountancy board and the
state immigration commission and by
authorizing the suspension of the de-
cennial census, effecting an approx
mate saving of $4,000.
At the close of the first week the
house had 102 bills before it and the
senate 40. All passed second reading.
Dry Measures Pending in House.
While there is no universal agree
ment on the prohibition question, it is
certain that a measure will be passed
strictly in accordance with the pro-
visions, of the constitutional amend
ment adopted by the people at the No
yember election. Two prohibition
bills now are pending in the house.
The Committee of One Hundreds bill
was the first measure introduced in
that body. 1t has been referred to the
committee on alcoholic liquor. D. G..
Lewis, of st. Johns, is the author of
another measure now in the hands of
the same committee. Yet another
measure may be introduced this week.
Ora R. Porter, representative from
Douglas county, is the author.
Representative Lewis declared that
he introduced a bill on the subject be-
cause he was dissatisfied with the
committees bill. His measure is rad
ical in the extreme.
The legislators are determined to
enact an effective prohibition law. If
the Committee of One Hundreds bill
is amended it will be to make it more
drastic.
Estimates for institutions May Stand
That the estimates made by the
state board of control for appropria-
tions for the various state institutions
for 1915 and 1916 will not be material
ly changed, If changed at all, Is the
belief after the first weeks session of
the legislature, Estimates we're made
first by the superintendent and con
siderable reductions made by the
board in several instances.
The committee on ways and means
of the senate is probing thoroughly
the management of the institutions
and has visited the blind school, the
mute school and the state insane asy-
lum. After spending a day at the lat
ter institution and the cottage farm,
an adjunct, committee members an
nounced that they were well pleased
with the management of all institu-
tions visited and were especially well
pleased with the management Of the