Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-02-24

santa Fe, feD. Z0,--ASSeIlibilllB ILLS
afternoon for the first business session
of the week. and with only thirteen
working days left before the session
will expire by limitation of law, the
house and senate accomplished more
in the way of actual legislation IN
three hours than either has done in any
one day since the session began early
last January.
The passage by the house of the
bill to create a new county out of por-
tions of Chaves and Eddy counties and
the passage by the senate of the bill
fixing the date of the prohibition cleo
ton and the bill regulating the hold
ing of all elections in future for the
adoption or rejection of constitution
al amendments, were the more i'm
portant disposition of measures. In ad-
dition a considerable volume of rou-
tine business was transacted.
The Lea County Bill.
The name of the proposed new
county in southeast New Mexico was
changed by the committee on coun-
ties and county lines from Llano to
Lea, in honor of the late Capt. Joseph
C, Lea, the first mayor of Roswell, the
father Of the New Mexico Military In
stitute and a distinguished pioneer of
southeastern New Mexico. A stubborn
fight against the bill was waged, and
delegations from both Eddy and
Chaves counties travelled to Santa Fe
to enter vigorous protest against its
passage. The overwhelming vote in
it's favor, 81 to Z, came as a distinct
surprise, not to say a shock, to those
who had hoped that the new county
proposition might be turned down in
the house.
The bill came from the committee
on counties and county lines with a
favorable report this afternoon, but
as soon as this report was received it
became apparent that the friends of
the new county were well organized
and had with them all the controlling
element of the majority party in the
house. 1t was Mr.. Barnes, republican
floor leader who moved the suspen-
sion of the rules in order to take the
bill up and have it read the third time
preparatory to its passage. An at
tempt to adjourn the house so as to
defeat the consideration of the bill
at the afternoon session was defeated
by vote of Is ayes and % noes. At
ter that, steam roller methods that
gave little opportunity to the op-
ponents of the bill to get in any of
their work made it apparent that the
new county proposition was due to go
through and that nothing could stop it.
Referendum Denied.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Liv-
ingston of Eddy proposing to leave
the creation of the new county to
referendum vote of the electors of the
two old counties effected, was laid on
the table before a roll call vote could
be demanded. Mr.. Barnes declared
that an election on the subject would
entail too much expense and incon-
venience to the people of Chaves
and Eddy counties. He resented the
suggestion that the legislature was not
capable of deciding what was best for
that section.
Mr.. Lewis of Chaves moved to
amend by leaving the selection of the
permanent county seat to vote of
the people of the new county instead
of fixing 1t definitely at Lovington, as
is done on the bill, but this amend
ment was also laid on the table. An
amendment by Mr.. Mehlhop to name
the new county Eaves, after the au-
thor Of the bill to create it, instead of
Lea, caused Speaker Llewellyn to re-
member that the previous question
had been called and roll call on the
passage of the bill was ordered.
Only one republican, Mr.. Winston
of Sierra, voted against the bill. The
other adverse votes were cast by
Messrs. Dills. Livingston, Lucero,
Mehlhop, Stroud and Wesley.
The result of the roll call so pleas
ed Mr.. Eaves that as soon as it was
over he sent out for a big box of car
nations and had flower placed on
the desk of each member of the house.
Party Division In Senate.
The senate bill providing regula-