The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-01-26
sNO-SMOKING'
BILL REMAINS
ON STATUTES
(Continued from pace onel

CONTINUED, from page ono)
ing rooms but that It was wrong to
attempt to "legislate manners into
people,
}. NJ. Thompson, Burleigh county,
admitted that there shouldn't be a
need for the '"no-smoking" law but
that with it smokers could be stop
ped from becoming too offensive. He
doesn't like smoke with his meals
and objects to having ii blown in his
face, he said.
Rabe, sponsor of the minority re-
port, said North Dakota is the only
state with such law and that people
ir other states believe North Dako-
tans are not quite civilized because
they seem to feel the necessity Of
having one.
Cox Wants Law Repealed
Returning to the fray after the
recess to listen to the capital punish
ment debate in the senate. Gordon
Cox, Burleigh county, admitted that
he smokes in public and that the
present law is an attempt to legis-
late manners. He has a strong aver
sion to garlic. he said, but doesn't
expect law barring it from dining
rooms. Other people, he said, have
dislikes for onions and lrdcfisk but
are not seeking laws on the sub
ject.
1t makes him i'll, he said, to see a
man with white whiskers eat soft
boiled eggs and adorn his. .vhiskers
Inf -. Al
morning, but that he couldn't expect
Il law on the subject.
The practice Of women smoking in
public is spreading westward, he said,
and warned the members not to kid
themselves that the women of their
families wouldn't do it,
The trouble with the whole matter,
he averrcd, is that the legislators
were taking the thing too seriously
and that the present law doesn't make
much difference and wont until an
effort is made to enforce it. In that
event, he said, the petitions which
would come pouring into the legisla-
ture would compare with petitions
against the repeal, filed by the w. C.
| I. u, like the compiled lawbooks of
the state would compare with small
printed bill.
William Watt, Cass county, con.
tended that those who smoke in pub
lie dining rooms infringe on the
rights of the public at large.
Calls it Fool Law
Having let his cigar 20 out during
the discussion, Twichell said he al
ways favors the majority and that
when the minority objects 1t is on
the wrong basis. The majority Of per-
sons, he said, want to smoke when
they feel like it. He objected to
having such "foOl law" on the stat.
ute books.
John Halcrow, Pcmbina county,
author of the "no-smoking" law, de-
tended the bill, saying it really was
legislation for pure air; that it is a
"chivalrous matter" and not an at
tempt to legislate goodness. 1t was
a necessity when it was passed, he
said, and still is.
A previous tilt had occurred in the
house, however, when the audit re-
port of the guaranty fund commission
ed that the report be printed in full
in the journal. Others objected that
it was unnecessary and waste of
money.
J. II. Burkhart, Ward county, mi
nority leader, contended that the
guaranty fund is of more interest to
the people than any other one thing
and that they are entitled to full in
formation. A motion by H. F. SWEET,
kidder county, that the entire report
be printed was lost, a. to CT, and it
finally was decided to refer the re-
port to special committee which
is examining audit reports Of other
state departments with view to
printing those parts which it regards
as important.
Mrs. Minnie d. Craig, Benson coun-
ty, explained the procedure adopted
by the committee for sitting out the
material it conceives to be Of in
terest.
Trubshaw Gives Minority Report
A brief argument ensued when
Trubshaw presented a minority re-
port on his bill to increase the penal
ty for driving an auhmobile while
Intoxicated. People are Running wild
and endangering sober motorists and
he wants to make the present law
more drastic, he said. The present
law provides fine of from $50 to
500, 80 day Jail sentence and sus-
pension from driving up to one year.
Trubshaw sought to increase the
maximum fine to 800, the Jail penal
ty to one year and the suspension
from driving to not less than one
year or more than two.
s. W. Thompson, Rahsey county,
opposed the bin on the ground that
If the penalty were too severe and
judges were given no discretion iuries
would be reluctant to convict. Since
there arc various degrees Of law vio-
laticn judges should be given some
discretion in fixing penalties. he con-
tended.
| Twichcil agreed with this state
ncnt, pointing out that judges now
have the power to suspend motorists
from driving and r. f. Swendseid.
Mountrail county, warned against be-
coming hysterical in trying to make
laws to fit every occasion.
The law amending the state news.
paper code to allow cities to elect
their own official papers was re-
turned by the public printing COM
mittee without recommendation and
will be threshed out in the committee
of the whole today.
/