The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-02-02
STATE LEGISLATURES
WORK AS REVIEWED
With One Third of Session
Gone, Only Five Bills Have
Passed Both Houses.


to 6usiness-Proceedlnss Becoming
Llvely-New Prohibition Bill APP
pears-Pension fer Teachers Pro-
posed-Doetors cIash-WouId Pre-.
vent Mixed Marriages-change In
Registrations Proposed in Senate.
Olympia.-When the legislature as
sembled for business Monday one-third
of the sixty-day limitation placed by
the constitution had passed into
history with a record of but five bills
sent over to Governor Lister for at
tention in addition to a joint resolu'
ton to permit the voters at the next
election to determine whether or not
a constitutional convention is desired.
However, this is a better record than
was made during the same period by
the 1915 or 1918 sessions.
The bills passed include two cover.
ing legislative expenses, two Pierce
county bills and a bin changing the
name of the city of North Yakima to
Yakima
While the number of measures
which have received final action is
small, the members have not been idle
for much has been accomplished in
the various committees in whipping
proposed legislation into shape. When
adjournment was taken last week but
109 bills had been introduced in the
senate, compared to 14S two years ago
and 255 four years ago and the house
had received los bills, compared with
So in 1915 and 302 in 1913.
Sectional Fights Are On.
This week both houses may be ex.
pected to get down to business, as
bills which have received committee
consideration will appear for action
and the close of the week will no
doubt show a large amount of work
accomplished The work of the week
started with several lively fights In
through the entire session
With sectional fights over the split
ting of the $1,000000 or more to be
raised for state highways reaching an
acrimonious stage, the higher educa-
tional fight getting to the point where
friends of the state college and uni
versity are saying nasty things about
the methods of the other, and a ma
tional guard fight scheduled to be
spectacularly set off this week, legis-
lative proceedings are assuming some
semblanee of a state legislative meet
ing as gagged by former sessions.
Old Scrap of Factions.
With the insurgent and organiza'
ton factions in the senate within one
or two votes of equal strength and
both spelling for fight two measures
were agreed upon as chance for
test of strength, and pitched battles
were scheduled.
The first difference between the fac
tions came when the rules committee
reported an amendment to the senate
rules. The present method OF consid'
ering bills in the senate is to have
the first and second readings by title
on the day the bill is introduced, to
send the bill to its proper committee,
and then to the rules committee.
out for third reading it is read in full,
amended and passed
The house rules, on the other hand
provide that the bill must receive
three readings on three different days
going to the rules committee in each
interval. This procedure gives the
rules committee two chances to hold
up the bill and delay passage, instead
of one.
The proposed amendment to the sen
ate rules in effect adopts the house
rules for three separate readings, con
seuuently extending the power of the
rules committee.
New Dry Bill in Senate.
With the introduction in the legisla
ture of a new prohibition bill, fathered
by Senator johnson, of Spokane, the
snag the bone dry" proposal appears
to have struck, received a fresh EN-
phasis.
The bill is a compromise measure
between the bone dry" advocates
and those opposed to new prohibition
legislation. Whether or not the Hal
sey bone dry" proposal can carry, is
regarded as doubtful in many guar
tiers.
The Johnson bill retains the permit
privileges of the present dry law but
under greater restrictions. 1t pro
hibits prescriptions by physicians and
druggists can handle alcohol for
manufacturing purposes only. The
same quantities of liquors as now can
be obtained every 80 days instead OF
20. as at present. The county auditor
may hold up permits pending investi'
CATION of the good moral character OF
the applicant. Permits can be issued