The Colorado statesman., 1917-02-24
DEATH PENALTY LOSES
HOUSE PASSES HEARTH BILL BY
VOTE OF IS TO 27.
House Also Passes Rogers Utilities
Commission Bill and Measure Fix
ing County superlntendent's
Salaries.
western Newspaper Union News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Denver.--Hanging in Colorado will
be abolished If the Senate concurs in
the action taken by the House which
by vote of 35 to 81, passed the
measure eliminating the death penalty
from the statutes. The bill was intro
duced by Representative Evangeline
Hearth and Minority Floor Leader
Torbit. Under the provisions of the
bill persons convicted of murder in the
first degree will be imprisoned for life
at hard labor. The bill was bitterly
opposed, and passed only after an at
tempt to strike the enacting clause had
failed.
The Rogers and Mishou measure ex-
tending the powers of the State Utili-
ties Commission is one of the most
important passed by the House at this
session. One of the provisions is that
a certificate of convenience and ne
cessity from the commission is re-
quired before a municipality, COM
pany or individual can begin the con-
struction of a competing utility plant
1t passed by a vote of Al for and 81
against The emergency clause did not
receive the required two-thirds vote.
Before a municipality can erect its
own utility plant, under the terms OF
the bill, the physical property of the
utility corporation existing in that
city must first be purchased at a
price to be determined by the COM
mission. In the event municipality
desires to take over a corporation
utility, it can do so at figure to be
determined by the utilities commits
sion.
Salaries of county superintendents
were adjusted in transfer of some Of
the counties from one class to anoth-
er This was done in the passage of
the Best bill No. Il. The changes in
clude the following counties: Otero
from third to second class; Crowley
and Jefferson from fourth to third
class; La Plata from fifth to third
class; Baca, Clear Creek, Grand and
Kiowa from fifth to fourth class. Bent
county, which was omitted two years
ago when the last Legislature made
reapportionment of counties, was in
cluded this time in the fourth class.
The F'risbey bill provides that
teachers who have served for TWEEN
ty-five years in Colorado public
schools shall not be required to take
further examinations as to their
qualifications.
The Mishou bill authorizes the
State Highway Department to enter
into an agreement with the fedora.
| government for the construction OF
rural post roads The government has
agreed to contribute 5000, 900 for post
roads in Colorado provided the state
contributes a similar sum.
Four House bills carrying approprf
ations of $4,000 for the relief of
state institutions, and carrying the
emergency clause, passed the Senate
on third reading and now require
only the signature of Governor Cunt
er before the money can be given out.
The sums provided are: $4,000 for
the Colorado Soldiers and Sailors
Home, $4,000 for the State Home for
Dependent and Neglected Children,
$4,000 for the State Home and Train
ing School for Mental Detectives, and
O.OOO for the State Insane Asylum.
One gallon of whisky month and
twenty-four quarts of beer will be al
lowed each individual under amend
ments to the Horton House prohibi-
ton bill that were made by major
ity of the State Senate's temperance
committee and reported out.