The Colorado statesman., 1923-03-31
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STATE CAPITOL
NEWS LETTER
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The Colorado and La Plata river
pacts were on the calendar for action,
but the House adjourned when Chief
Justice Allen Of the Supreme Court
announced that Senator Samuel ID.
Nicholson was not expected to live
through the day.
There is yet probability that the
Republicans will change their minds
and pass the Lambert bill. Members
of the special committee appointed to
redraft the bill have not been able
to agree, and 1t is the opinion of
several of the leaders in the Legisla.
ture that the measure will never be
brought to u vote.
The lie was passed numerous times
In the discussion over the report of
the mines committee on the bill pro-
Viding mental examination for coal
miners. The measure provides that all
coHl miners employed in Colorado must
be men of at least one years expert
ence and be able to pass an examina-
uon by board Of examiners.
The fight on house bill 400, by Rep
resentative L. w. Jewett of Aspen was
utoNllDtu do GllItp anu NdlNlC val DS
several members of the House. The
bill, which was defeated, provided that
any person who grazed or herded
sheep on any range occupied by cattle
or usually occupied by cattle grower,
either as spring, summer or winter
range, was guilty of misdemeanor.
The penalty is II maximum fine Of
$1,000 and Imprisonment for six
months.
One measure granted women all the
rights, privileges and lmmunities now
enjoyed by men. The fight on the bill
was led by Representative A. B.
Manning of Denver. He declared the
bill was the work of the "sO-called
women with brains" who have nothing
to do between sessions of the Legis-
lature but draw up bills He said the
class of women behind the bill were
responsible for nine-tenths of the
trouble in the world. The enacting
clause was stricken by vote of 10 to
81. The other bill that was killed
was child labor measure. 1t was
duplicate of measure killed by the
Senate several weeks ago.
hhplHtl SQhdll Sll u1h Nilt
when the mines and mining commit
tee demanded II public retraction and
apology from Representative A. 2.
Johnson of Denver for stating that the
committee was unduly influenced by
the coal corporations in their adverse
report on the bill requiring coal min
ers to take mental examination.
Representative Johnson refused to
apologize in the morning. Following
the noon recess, however, he read
statement from the mining committee
stating that Secretary Tomblin of the
Metal Mining Fund, had acted as
stenographer in drawing the adverse
report. Evidently there has been
misunderstanding in the matter" he
explained.
The Colorado river and the La Plata
river compacts passed on second read
ing in the Senate. The passage of the
Colorado river compact designated as
S. B. 410, by Senators John J. Tobin,
Democrat, Montrose Richard C. Callen,
Republican, Rifle; Fred S. Follett, Re
publican, Steamboat Springs; Ollie E.
Bannister, Democrat, Grand Junction,
and Harry G.. Saunders, Republican,
Denver, was so sudden as to surprise
those who We're expecting a battle.
The La Plata river compact merely
held by Colorado and New Mexico and
concerns only these two states. 1t
provides for Colorado to maintain
two stream gaugng stations, one at
Hesperus, Colo, and the other with
in Il mile of the ColOrado-MeXico line
and in either state.
II. b. 80, by Representative Cowan,
changing the name of the State Nor
NAL School mt Gunnison to the West
ern State College. Senator L. A. Puff
fer, Republican, Colorado Springs, OBJ
jected 10 the bill on the grounds that
making 1t college would call in stu
dents from other states, and he be-
lieved that Colorado should attend TO
educating It's own students. The bill
was passed by an aye and nay vote,
but so narrow, apparently, as to indi-
cate that it, too may have hard time
of II in final passage.
Railroads that desire to abandon
service must wait one year before
junking the road and then must deed
their right of way to the state, under
the provisions of IL. B. $50, by Repre-
sentatives Louis j, Carter of Central
City and w, a, Spooner of Park
county, The bill was approved by the
house on second reading, Represen-
tative Carter said the bill was intend
ed to protect the mining interests of
the state, 1t does not change the
present law requiring railroads to OBJ
tain the permission of the public utili-
ties commits sSion before they abandon