The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-02-11
So|ons Half
Way Through
Session
Many Bills Are Thrown
Into Hopper In Time
To Beat Deadline.
MUCH LIVELY DEBATE
ON SEVERAL MEASURES
By David LOehWing

UHlteu TIeSS oldII Correspondent
HELENA--U.p-The 28th Mon
tana legislative assembly passed the
halfway point in its deliberations
this week we'll caught up on its
business.
With all proposed bills in ahead
of schedule, both houses settled
down to the business of debate and
voting The house deadline for in
Productions passed Sunday-al-
though there was no meeting-and
the senate deadline was Wednesday.
Among the most controversial
measures awaiting action were bills
to suspend the state income tax
law, or at least cut the tax in half,
legaize gambling halls and slot
machines, establish a state depart
ment of finance, set a minimum of
$40 month on old age pensions
and call special election to ap-
prove a proposed $l0,000,000 high
way bond issue.
Other bills pending would cut
the contribution of counties toward
old age pensions and other welfare
payments from Is 2/3 per cent to
either 10 or 1/3 per cent, APP
propriate $l5O,O00 for construction
of library and other buildings at
Montana State College and curb the
activities Of loan sharks
Both houses had passed last week
a bill to repeal the states Hitler
law giving the governor sole pow
err to hire and fire state employ
ees. BY weeks end the bill was in
joint committee, where disagree
ment between the two houses over
minor house amendment was to
be ironed out.
The Hitler law repeal bill had
sailed smoothly through the senate
but became the subject of strong
debate in the house, where its pro-
vision that the hiring power revert
to department heads was labeled
bureaucracy" by several members
of the democratic minority.
Killed, after considerable debate,
was bill by Sen. Leon c. Ohm
stead, r., Sweet Grass, which would
have provided for a closed pri-
mary election law in Montana.
II it had passed, voters would
have had to declare their party af-
filiations at least As days before
the primary and then would only
have been able to vote the ticket
of that party
Following death of Olmstead's
bill, one was introduced in the SEN
ate calling for "wide-open' pri-
mary-allowing voters to help nom
mate candidates of either party.
The last of five major appropria-
ton bills was introduced in the
house Saturday by the committee
on appropriations. All of them re-
Elected eagerness on the part of
legislators to hold state expendi-
lures to minimum during the COM
ing biennium Sharp reductions
were made in most instances from
the budget requests of the state
board OF examiners, but proposed
appropriations were still consider
ably above those of the past two
years. This was due in most in
stances to recognition of higher
costs of operation.
After first approving it on voice
vote by the committee of the whole,
the house killed a proposed me-
mortal to congress urging that a
constitutional amendment be sub
mitted to the states for ratification
to deprive Japanese-Americans
from holding their American citi-
zenship.
The resolution was strongly at
tackled by Rep Leo. c. Graybill, r.,
Cascade, as "unpatriotic and I'M
democratic" and "a fundamental at
tack on American citizenship"
"A large majority of our Japan
csc citizens are as loyal to the
United States as you and |, and
their citizenship should not only be
protected, but encouraged in these
times when they as Americans have
been betrayed by members Of their
: race across the Pacific Graybil
declared.
CONTINUED ON page 81