The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-01-12

OL1 mElR, wash, Jan, ne
18th legislative session of the state
of Washington got under way yester-
day under an atmosphere of liberal
ity and good feeling that would ap-
pear to be full of good promise for
legislation of a much higher order
than that which was characteristic of
the 14th session, following the ad
journment Of which the people were
compelled to invoke the referendum
against seven measures, which at the
election last November were over
whelmingly defeated.
Both the old members of the last
session who were reelected as well
as the new members would appear
largely to have accepted this action
of the people as an expression of
their desires along legislative lines,
and there seems to be quite general
: expression of an intention to enact
some progressive legislation.
Representative Guy E. Kelly of
Pierce county was elected speaker of
the house by unanimous vote. Mr..
Kelly was chairman of the house
committee on privileges and elections
in 1915, and was largely responsible
at that time for the enactment of the
political bills that sought to destroy
the power of the initiative, referen-
dun and recall provisions of the state
constitution in the hands of the peo-
pie. He assumed the gavel with as
surances to all that he would preside
with fairness and impartiality to all.
Some suggestions were made fol-
lowing the recent election in which
the bills enacted by the 1915 session
of the legislature affecting the ini-
tiative, referendum and recall were
defeated that this session would en-
deavor to hamper the right of the
referendum by attaching emergency
clauses, thereby forcing the people
to take court action in each instance
in order to exercise their rights. No
such disposition was shown, however,
yesterday in the enactment of the
first bills passed, which were bills
appropriating the funds necessary to
carry on the business of the legisla-
tive session. These are emergency
bills, necessary for the support of
the state government" and had
passed the senate without having set
forth in proper form the clause which
had rendered them emergency meas
ures under the initiative and refer
endum provisions of the constitution.
This defect the house promptly cor
rected by proper amendment, and the
explanation made by the mover of
the amendment that this was neces-
sary to protect the rights of the peo-
pie under the constitution, as inter-
preted by the supreme court in
- March, 1915, where an act had been
passed by the legislature with an
emergency clause attached, which did
not come within the realm of emer-
gency as defined by the constitution,
and which by reason of the emergen-
cy clause carrying it into immediate
effect would have prevented the peo-
pie from having exercised the refer
endum had they so desired. This
would seem to indicate that the
house members intend to respect the
peoples right to the proper use of
the referendum.
Another indication of liberality
and desire to respect popular rights
was the action of the house in adopt
ing an amendment to the rules to the
effect that by majority vote of the
members bill may be called out of
the rules committee and placed on
the calendar. This ends the day of
autocratic control of legislation by
the heretofore all-powerful rules COM
mittee, which in all past sessions has
had the power to kill any measure
that it saw fit without regard to it's
merits. This is indeed a liberalizing
of the machinery OF Legislation, and
promises well for the present ses-
sion.
At Mondays session a joint mem
orial to the Congress of the United
States, praying for the enactment of
national prohibition law, was pass
ed by both the senate and the house.
In the senate the memorial was
adopted by a unanimous vote. In the
house the vote was 95 for the mem
orial and 2 votes against, Represen-
tatives Grass and Monogue of King
county casting the dissenting votes.
In the organization of the senate
the old-time machine methods re-
ceived a hard blow, and there is
promise that that body too will be