Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1929-02-07
REFORM BALLOT
BEFORE SOLONS
Australian Ballot Substitute Gets
Favorable Report; Highway Bill
Given to House With Prospects
Good for its Passage.

nllnlstratlon's most important bills
today were showed out of committee
chambers with favorable reports at
tached. Now they are ready for
consideration on legislative floors.
The senate gets first call at one
of them, the Australian ballot legis-
lation. The substitute bill was re-
ported back favorably today and
by special order the senate will be.
gin considering it Friday morning.
The other, the governors road bill,
goes to the house. The committees
favorable report will be handed in
tomorrow and the bill will be placed
on the public calendar. Action is
sure to be seen on this before the
week is out.
Of the two the roads bill will have
the easiest sailing. The committee
obviously is in greatest accord.
The situation is decidedly different
as to the secret ballot bill. Through
the subcommittee drafted and agreed
on a substitute bill and the commit
tee voted it favorably, differences
continue to exist. Even the vote to
report it favorably was not unani-
nous.
The substitute secret ballot is
measure of concessions by both the
pros and ants. That was the only
way they were able to unstrap it
from committee boards. The new
bill, verbally, would scarcely be rec
ognized as the original Broughton
johnson bill. The language in almost
every section has been changed.
Nevertheless, the changes in all save
one particular, are rather inconse-
quential. The chief concessions, ap-
parently, were made by the antis to
the adamant pros. But they did not
concede on one point and they con-
slider this point their saving grace.
The section provides that the Sc
cret ballot be optional in the dis
cretion of the county boards of cleo
tion as regards to election of county
officers. The committee also chang
ed the provision i'm the original bill
that the markers appointed by the
county boards Of election shall be
appointed in equal numbers from
each political party to read that
each party shall have representa-
tives as markers without regard to
proportion. 1t also decided that
wife might accompany her husband
into the booth to fix their tickets.
1t is expected that many amend
ments and changes will be made on
the bill before it becomes law, if it
ever does.
Up until Tuesday night 3S4 house
and 25S senate bills had been
placed in the legislative hopper. Fol
lowing is a list of the more import
ant measures of statewide interest
New Bills
HOUSE
BY Morgan of Perquimans: To
provide for reduction of taxes and
county road maintenance.
By Smith of Wake: To amend
so that solicitorial dis
tricts may be set up.
By Boyd of Haywood: Amend
the law by requiring sheriffs to file
report of effort to levy on personal
property for taxes.
Hargett of Onslow, Wells of Pen
der, and Boren of Guilford: Fixing
maximum compensation of state Of
ficials at $4,000.
Amend the 1921 act relating TO
divorces and reducing the voluntary
from five to two years.
Winston of Bertie: Limit private
in North Carolina.
Hines of Sampson Make provision
for the state superintendent of pub
lie instruction to be the state pur
chasing agent.
Young and Leavitt of Buncombe:
Amend the 1927 act relating to
of automobiles by non
residents.
Blair of Guilford. Amend election
laws.
SENATE
Alderman of Vance, Gregory and
Broughton of Wake: To enable the
state to participate in the preserva
ton of valuable historical records by
of $1,000 to the Col
onial Danes for the preservation of
the Joel Lane house in Raleigh,
where the first North Carolina legis-
lature held its sessions.
Williams of Yadkin: Australian
ballot act.
nv Burnett of Swain: To reduce
tn homestead exemption to $500.
By Lawrence of Hertford: To
amend state game law so as to
change the season to run from No
vember 20 to February Is.
By Scott of Alamance: To amend
the constitution so as to authorize
special methods of taxing forest
lands, farm woodlands and wild or
waste lands.
By Person of Franklin: To relieve
the defaulting taxpayers of North