Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1915-01-28
DIRECT PRIMARY
LAW UNDER FIRE
BILL IN SENATE WHICH SEEKS TO
ELIMINATE WHAT is CLAIMED
AS OBJECTIONABLE FEATURE.
Idaho Commissions are Apparently
Doomed, Members Of Both Branches
Of Legislature Being Antagon-
istic to Them.

The direct primary law came under |
hre in the senate at its morning ses- I;
sion on January % through introduce
ton Of bill, the author of which is
Senator A. p. Hutton of Shoshone
county which seeks TO eliminate what
is claimed to be an Objectionable fea-
ture Of the present act in requiring
voters to declare their party affiliation
before receiving a ballot and forcing
them to vote only party ballot in
stead Of leaving it optional with them
which ballot or which set of candidates
/ they care to cast their vote for.
The introduction of three other acts,
one by Senator Fitz, making it manda-
tory for the governor to APPOINT as
members of the state board OF medi-
cal examiners only those physicians or
surgeons from a list submitted by the
Idaho state Medical association, and
two by Senator Whitcomb, by request,
allowing a district court judge TO with
hold judgment in certain criminal
cases and relating to maximum SEN
fences in other cases together with
the passage OF the Whitcomb physi-
clan witness bill, and deferred action
on the Jay A. Czizek appointment, fea-
tured the session.
An antagonistic attitude on the
part Of members OF both branches OF
the legislature developed within the
past week against existing commits
sions commissioners at heads of de
| partments and boards, and there /!
= reason to believe now that every etfor
: will be put forth by them to STRIKE
: from the statute books the acts place.
=, there by previous legislature whicl
- created either the commissions o
, boards.
The public utilities commission ha
apparently been marked for repea
- pending in both houses measures t
- repeal the chapter that gives it exis
=, ence. and a separate bill is pendin
to take from it the power to regulat
-, competition.
- The demand for the repeal of the ia
commission is not so surprising, 10
=. with the existance Of the state boar
- OF equalization, the tax body is shor
:, of its power.
- The anti-alien law, which give
- promise of stirring up serious II m
complicated situation. is now befol
10 the senate. having passed the hous
-, but it is very questionable II 1t W
Nv survive the upper house. Inc stat
~ wide primary amendment, which wou
-" substitute a state convention TO non
- nate federal and state candidates
=, place OF a primary election; the pi
80. posal to place the affairs of the Fl
"a and game department in the hands
~ a commission. thereby reorganizi
sn this department from top TO botto
are two big issues the Legislature h
20 not started to thresh out as yet
CIV, Benewah county, created out of t
,an ritory forming the southern port
r,s of Kootenai county, was signed
80 Governor Alexander on January
and to northern Idaho goes the
.uo tinction OF securing the first new Co
o,s ~ created by the thirteenth legis
!, ture. The birth Of the county is sim
,.as taneous with the attachment Their
're OF the signature of the governor
- the act. The new officers for
~" county must be appointed ten d.
use following signing.