The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-02-18
Many Bills
Killed By
| Legislators
Gambling Measure Dies
Undebated, Unmourned;
State Clings to Hanging.
4sHITLER LAW" REPEAL
is SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
BY David Lochwig


HELENA - U.n - The Montana
legislature moved into its heaviest
week other than the final rush ne-
fore adjournment this week as
transmission day doomed and many
bills were still stalled in the house
of their origin.
Transmission Wednesday -
is the day when all senate bills
must have gone to the house and
all bills originating in the house
must be in the senate.
AS some of the more controver-
sial measures began to come up for
consideration last week and time
began to grow short, both houses
started to kill bills with merciless
abandon
Included were two bills intro
duced in the House by Rep Frank
W. Horrigan, r., Granite, chairman
of the powerful appropriations COM
mittee, which would have suspend
ed the state income tax for the
duration of the war and for xix
months thereafter.
The income tax bills died on I'M
favorable committee reports with
out debate, Horrigan making no at
tempt to revive them. A bill was
still under consideration in the Sem
ate, however, to give taxpayers
heavily burdened by federal levies a
break by halving the state income
tax.
Already given favorable COM
mittee report, it was expected to
have fair chance of passage de-
spite the opposition of Gov. Sam c.
Ford, as expressed in his biennial
message, to any tampering with the
states tax structure at the present
session.
Another bill which died unde-
bated and apparently unmourned,
was house bill to legalize gambling
halls in Montana under a stiff Ii
cense fee. Late in the week it was
Joined in the limbo of forgotten
legislation by btu to legalize slot
machines under local county OPP
ton
Another bill was still clinglng des-
perately to life, however, which
would legalize slot machines in tav-
ems under state licensing.
The senate, meanwhile, killed a
bill to replace Montana's antiquat-
ed "galloping gallows" system Of
executions by lethal gas chamber,
with all executions to take place at
the state prison in Deer Lodge.
Although the house had previ-
ously done to death the appropria-
ton for the proposed gas chamber
proponents of the allegedly more
humane system of capital punish
ment did not give up without q
fight.
The bill precipitated considerable
debate in the upper chamber and
it was only on the plea Of Presi-
dent PROTEIN w E. Kelley, D..
Powell, that centering all execu-
tons at the prison would perma-
nently cast fog OF depression
over his home town of Deer Lodge
that the bill was defeated.
Considerable controversy center
ed around the state water conserva.
ton board during the week. The
senate debated at length and tenta-
lively approved bill which woulc
drastically limit the powers of tht
board, and the house appropria
tons committee introduced bill
cutting its biennial appropriation b,
a cool 100000 This was done OF
the theory wartime restrictions vii
limit the amount of work which TIN
board can undertake.
Numerous bills were in botl
houses having to dc with the stat'
liquor control board. 0ne-which it
proponents insisted was ION the lev
eI"-would have abolished tn,
board and transferred its function
to the state railroad and public serv
ice commission. 1t was killed.
Sen. E. J. Stromnes, D., Cascade
promised to submit an amendmen
to another liquor bill which woul,
institute liquor rationing in Mon
tana, despite the assurance Of til
Continued on page 81