The Delta independent., 1919-03-21
RockwELL's LETTER
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ture should have long since adjourned
and returned home.
AS a member of the steering commit
tee of the house. / have been in
position to know fairly we'll what has
been accomplished in the two branch
es of the legislature and what is hop
ed to be accomplished, and wish to
give three reasons why / think it
would be mistake to adjourn at this
time
In the first place compared to the
amount of money that the legislature
appropriates each biennium, the cost
of the session excluding the salaries
of Legislators which is a statutory pro-
vision and goes out whether the ses-
sion lasts ten days of ten months.
amounts to very little. In the second
place. Colorado is one of the most
difficult states to legislate for that we
have in the Union. Laws that are
needed and practical in eastern Colo
rado, are many times vicious and de-
cidedly harmful for western Colorado
The farmers needs are quite different
for the level irrigated country of east
ern Colorado than they are in the fer
tile valleys of the mountain districts
of western Colorado. Practically all
laws, therefore. which we pass, espec-
tally the stock laws, must be compro-
misses between the interests of eastern
and western Colorado
In the third place, Of the important
administration bills for the 22nd Cen
eral Assembly which our body is ex-
pected to act upon. only one has been
passed. This was the Fire Insurance
law which ! discussed couple of
weeks ago.
Among the administration bills of
which ! speak, might mention the
Blue Sky law which has passed the
senate by small majority and with
such amendments that they are quite
unsatisfactory to the house; the Bud
get bill which is hoped to be the be-
ginning of putting our legislative ex-
penditures on an efficient and business
basis: good roads legislation which
will probably take the form of three
revenue measures. First tax on gas
oline: second, one-half mill levy. and
third, an increase on the motor We
hicle tax
might digress here a moment to
say that in order to meet the national
appropriation on n dollar for dollar
basis and still have money with which
to carry on road works in our counties
as has been done in the past. consid-
erable revenue must be raised as sug-
gested in these three bills.
Then there is the soldiers settle
ment bill If Colorado gets her share
of this fund to be spent for soldiers
settlement. we must make some appro-
priation to take care of it We are in
formed that for every dollar that Colo
rado puts in to soldiers settlement
work. the government will put four
with 1t.
We are now working on bill to
appropriate suitable sum Of money
under the direction of the governor,
to be used in a practical way If con-
gress passes the soldier settlement
bill as is expected and unless this is
done. the money will revert back 10
the treasury department Of the state.
might add here that we are en-
deavoring with q good chance of sue
cesss. towards having the state take
lover the Indian school at Grand June.
ton to be operated by the Board of
Control of the state Home for Mental
Detectives. Something like 500, 100000
will be spent on draining and refitting
the buildings for occupancy and 1t is
expected that three to five hundred
who are now unable to be taken care
of Mt the Ridge or Pueblo institution
will he sent to this school under the
care and direction of the state.
As a special member of the appro-
lpriation committee to investigate these
bills. two of the members of the
Board of Control appeared before the
subcommittee of the house and sen
ate. who argued that Grand Junction
is too far from the center of the pop.
ulation for the good of this work. |
informed them that as resident
of the Western Slope. we cons'd !
cred that there was altogether too
much effort to locate all Of our In |
stitutions In and around Denver and |
the cities OF eastern Colorado: that
the only state institution on the west.
ern- slope that know OF. was the small
Gunnison Normal at Gunnlson. and It
was our feeling that We had b,en ne.
elected on the matter Of state iusti.
trt'onE.
Then there Ia the workmen's com.
insurancc bill. on which TO
a. AZ - I