Arizona republican., 1917-01-18
TO CURB POWERS OF 4. C. C. IS PURPOSE OF
 L. .1s.yss,7 ,'.n n,'.nBERTS' BILL

The most important action in the legis
 islature in it's session of hardly an hour
 yesterday morning was the introduce
 tion in the senate by Mir Roberts of Cochise of proposed constitutionalist
 amendment having for its object the placing of the corporation commission under the authority of the people as
 represented by themselves in initiated legislation or in the legislature. The powers of the commission are all de-
 rived from the constitution and they are exceedingly broad No successful at tempt has ever been made to interfere with it. The legislature has tried to do so several times in the matter of rate , making and regulation of public utili- ties and corporations. The three cent fare law, for instance, was declared in valid on the ground that the legislature had encroached upon the functions of the commission. That law might have been invalid for other reasons but that seemed to be enough.
 Another matter of unusual interest was a memorial brought into the house ! by Mir Walton of Maricopa, urging con- , The most important action in the leg iSlation. It was introduced as a house memorial but after some discussion it was referred to the committee on mem- orials and petitions with instructions to change the form of it to a joint mem Orial
 A memorial was brought into the sen ate by MT. Winsor of Yuma, directed to the president and the secretary of the interior urging that some disposition be made of the Parker Indian reservation This reservation contains 150,O00 acres most of it very fertile land. The memor- ial urges that provision be made of this tract for the needs of the Indians and that the rest be thrown open to entry A story of the session would not be complete without an account of the very remarkable prayer of Rev. MT Crutchfield of the house. h the course of his devotion he sought to efface from the mind of the Lord an erroneous i'm pression that might have, been formed from the reading of certain irresponsi
 ble papers to the effect that there was great dissatisfaction in the legislature over the delay of payday. These re- ports had been set abroad, MT. Crutch- field informed the throne of grace, by godlesS newspaper correspondents with the purpose of creating dissension and inharmonJ He was pleased to inform the Almighty that there was nothing of it; that the members and attaches were working for the public good and would work as hard and uncomplainingly II they didn't get a cent for it.
 The newspaper boys have the great est respect and good will for Mir. Crutchfield, but they felt that in this instance he had not treated them fair ly. It was true that they had given rise to such reports as the prayer was designed to correct. but they do not think that it was ethical on the part of the chaplain to herald their conduct t. ha
 world Some of them went so far as to say that he was "tattle tale A half dozen of the attaches said af- ter the adjournment of the session that they had not been properly rep resented in the prayer; that while they 1 had a proper regard for the public
 service they would not te engaged in it very long if they knew that they were not going to get a cent for it. The House
 The committee on patronage suD- mitted a report recommending John J. | Sweeney of Yavanai county for legal adviser of the house The report was adonted MT. Sweeney was a member of the house from Yavapai in the last | legislature.
 1 The report of the committee on pub lie institutions precipitated the first 1 difference of opinion that had mani fested itself openly since the begin ming of the session. The report rec ommended that the committee, con
 ssting of seven members be author 1 ized to visit all the state institutions l and ascertain at first hand their var | inus needs. The report also included the attendance of stenographer
 | The report was followed by variety | If suggestions all in some opposition | 10 the report It was shown hv Mir ! Goodwin of Maricopa that the duty the (Continued on Page Six)