Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1915-01-15
Emergency Relief Com
mittee" Named in Senate
to Devise Means of Pre-
venting Acute Suffering
Among the Poor
PROHIBITION LAW
WILL BE UPHELD
Legislative Enactment to
Give Force to Amend
ment introduced in the
House and Senate-Jones
Gets a New Job

Two principal matters were precip
itated in the legislature yesterday.
one expected and the other suddenly.
The legislature found itself confront
ed with a condition presented by the
mothers and old age pension law
which more than ever brought to
mind the Grass thoughtlessness and
disregard of consequences with which
it was prepared.
In the afternoon a telegram was
received by President Sims of the
senate from Chairman Sparks. of the
board of supervisors of Cochise coun
ty. stating that the county poor
farm had supplies for only three days
more and no more could be bought
in view of the law requiring the
abandonment and sale of the pro-
perty. There were, he said, sixty
inmates, twenty of them bedridden.
Only twelve of them were eligible to
relief under the old age pension and
mothers pension law.
Senator Bacon of Gila said that
the telegram described a condition
that existed in his county and proba-
bly, in every other county in the
state. Various methods of meeting
the condition were suggested and
finally on the motion of Senator
Karns of Santa Cruz, a committee
was appointed to call upon the gov
ernor. the attorney general and the
members of the board of control. to
ascertain what emergency relief might
be afforded pending a determination
of the validity Of the law which had
caused all this embarrassment and
threatened all this suffering.
Originally the resolution provided
for the appointment of a joint COM
mittee of the house and senate but
inasmuch as the house had adjourned
for the day. and the need was ur-
gent Senator Drachman offered an
amendment providing for the imme-
diate appointment of committee
from the senate. This committee.
known as the emergency relief COM
mittee" consists of Senators Karns,
Bacon and Webb
In the course of the discussion
Senator Claridge. said that as much
as he desired to avoid the expense
of a special election. if no other
means Of setting aside this pension
law were discovered it would be the
duty of the legislature to submit to
the people a law providing for its
repeal.
Prohibition.
Acting upon a so called mandate
Of the prohibition amendment there
were simultaneously introduced into
the house and the senate, by Repre-
sentative Powers and Senator Drach-
man. respectively. identical bills to
provide for the carrying into effect
Of the amendment. While the amend
ment itself is already operative there
are certain details OF legislation re-
quired to make it fully so.
The first section of the bill de-
fines alchoholic liquors more fully
than the amendment and includes all
patented medicines that may produce
intoxication and settles the "two per
cent controversy by prohibiting any
liquor as a beverage that contains as
much as one and a half per cent
alcohol. The prohibition goes against
the Introduction, transportation, man
ufacture and sale or the giving or
bartering. exchanging or otherwise
disposing of any of the prohibited
liquors.
The penalties for the violation of
the law the first time are the same
as those prescribed in the amend :
ment. But those violating the sec
ond time are deemed to be guilty
of felony the punishment for which
is term in the penitentiary Of from
one to five years.
The provisions of the bill are un-
derstOod not to prevent the sale
manufacture, importation or trans
portation of grain alcohol for the use
of druggists, for educational or