Bisbee daily review., 1918-06-12
LegislatiUe Gossip

PHOENIX, Ariz, June 11.-Afser
 three half-days of time had been de
 voted in the house to the anti-loafing
 bill, days openly dedicated by a group
 of administration representatives to
 the task of talking it to death, Lines
 finally felt compelled to bring in d
 new bill, which went into the mill oi
 the committee of the whole yester- : day afternoon. It made the matter
 one of common vagrancy. Able-bod-
 jed males, between the ages of 16 and
 60, must habitually and regularly en-
 gage in some lawful, useful and rec
 Ognized business, profession, occupa- tion or employment, for the support
 of himself and those dependent upo1
 him. Till six months after termina-
 tion of the present war, such persons,
 except students in school term time, must be employed at least 36 hours
 a week or be held a vagrant under the usual penalties, except that they may be compelled to work not more than 60 days on public roads or streets. If there be dependents, the city or municipality shall pay for their sup port a sum equivalent to one-half the fair value of the labor performed. A valid claim in bar shall be evidence | that the defendant asked work of the proper representative of the Council ol | Defense and that no work was furn- ished. It shall be sufficient to provo that the accused habitually loiters m | idleness in streets, depOts, pool rooms, hotels, stores ar other public places or, being able-bodied, is supported, fn whole or in part, by the labor of any woman or child. ,'Any justices or police court may have jurisdiction and may grant stay of judgment con ditiOned upon full compliance with the erms of the act.
 In committee of the whole, there again came the torrent of talk from members who professed to believe that it aimed at the foundation of la bor's interests. Finally after more than an hour of discussion, the follow ing amendment, by Walton, went in;o the bill without division. preceding an adopted motion to fayorably re- port:
 "The provisions of this act shall ap- ply to persons, corporations, co-pari- nerships, joint stock companies and associations, to the end that it is the duty of all property of every kinu and nature to be constantly employed at full capacity in useful production. It shall be unlawful for any person, corporation, co-partnership, joint stocK company pr association owning or hold ing property of any kind, character or nature to fail to use such property at full capacity for useful production. A violation of this act shall consti- ute a misdeameanor, and every per son, director, officer or corporation, shall be deemed. guilty should it be established that such property is not being so used. Each week of such non-user shall constitute separate O1- fense, upon third conviction for the same offense it shall be the duty of the County Attorney and the Attor- ney General to file a suit and have receiver appointed to take charge On and use such property as provided for in this act"
 It should be noted that "The provis- ions of this act shall not apply to persons temporarily unemployed by differences between employers and employees, nor persons on vacations not exceeding 15 days" It may be defense if an employer set forth that labor is not obtainable or the proper ty cannot be used at a profit.
 Possibly as good an exposition as any of the attitude taken by the au- ministration crowded in either house on any bill was contained in the re- marks of senator Winsor anent the Sutter measure. The bill carried nothing except a general prohibition of destruction of property, threats O. violence or advocacy of the sort or direct action so dear to the l. w. W. Being of an especial purpose, nothing was said of mayhem, barratry or ship chandlery. Yet the eloquent senator objected strongly because he found nothing in the bill to cover possible unlawful acts of capital" Nothing had been considered except property and nothing was contained to protect labor" One feature he considered dangerous was that made crime or unlawful methods of terrorism" This was thought far too broad, leaving too much to the discrimination of courts that might not take the same economic view of the social system as that of the honorable member Colter wanted to leave the matter to the federal gov ernment and thought the senate should view carefully the rights of individu- als. under the constitution. Roberts sagely observed that nothing is more sacred than inc rights of DrODeriV unless it is the rights of the indiyid- ual and that if the rights of individH als is fully Iafeguarded under the present laws it would be as. well tU leave property rights in the same con ditiOn. The test of the main proposi- ton gave bare majority for the bill. 9 to s, with Getchell and Hall gone and with Divine voting with the min ority. Then the emergency clause was taken off and the bill was amend |