The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-03-19
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THE FIFTH LEGISLATURE
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Oklahoma CITY,

Oklahoma City
Turning a deaf era to eloquent pleas
If the opponents of socalled "legalized
killing" the Oklahoma house Of repre-
sentatiYes killed the Dickerson-Abney
bill proposing abolition of capital pun
lshment In Oklahoma.
The measure was not Killed on a
iirect vote, but through the adoption
Of substitute bill, offered by Repre-
sentative w. T. Powell Of Comanche
and Cotton counties, which provides
TWO ways of infiicting the death PEN
Atty instead of one. BY the terms Of
the substitute the governor or the trial
Judge may direct whether condemned
person may be put to death by hanging
Or electrocution.
The bill creating a supreme court
commission of nine members and CIV
ing the governor authority to call In
nine district judges to serve for per-
Tod OF not fewer than four months with
the power of commissioners was signed
! by Gov. r. l.. Williams. The measure
carried the emergency clause and be-
came effective Immediately.
Under the terms of this bill the SUI
preme court commission can consist
of eighteen members at all times, II
the governor chooses to keep nine dis
trict judges working continuously. A
commission this size would be three
times as large as the former one, COM
posed of six.
The bill fixes the salary of commits.
sioners at $4,000 year and provides
that the commission shall exist for
two years. istrict judges serving on
call of the governor will receive no ex-
ira compensation.
By q vote of 90 to IS the Sunday clos
ing law relating to picture shows,
theaters, etc. was killed on a-motion
to advance 1t to engrossment and third
reading in the senate.
The Mortgage Tax Law
The merits, dement's, virtues and
vices of the real estate mortgage tax
law were aired in numerous speeches
in the senate. House Bill No. 7, by
McCollister of the house, and Cordell
of the senate, one of the oldest pieces
of legislation on the senate calendar
was the particular bill under discus
sion.
AS the bill came from the house II
! provided for the unconditional repeal
of the real estate mortgage tax law
/ The senate committee on revenue and
taxation held that action of this char
acter would make real estate mort
cages subject to an ad valorem tax and
thereby increase instead of decreasing
the burdens of the borrower, and to
avoid this difficulty amended the bill
reducing the tax to a minimum figure,
but leaving the real estate mortgage
free of ad valorem taxation.
House Passes Capitol Bill.
Final passage of the administration
capitol building bill by the house OF
! representatives was virtually assured
when the measure was adopted by
decisive votes in committee Of the
whole, following more than an hour
of heated debate during which certain
important features OF the bill were
vigorously attacked.
1t was a decisive victory for the
house administration forces led by
Speaker A. McCrory and other leaders
and practically removed all doubt as
to whether the measure would be en-
acted in its present form, carrying as
1t does the recommendations of Cover
nor R. L. Williams.
The house adopted the resolution
giving the capitol commission the
authority Of purchasing additional
land at he capitol site, and for SELL
ing all machinery and tools used in
the construction of the building at
such time when the tools and machin-
cry are no longer needed. The resolu-
ton authorizing the commissioners to
provide for the construction Of piers
on which the proposed dome of the
building will be placed also was passed
| finally
The Good Roads Bill.
0klahoma's first good roads law has