The Wrangell sentinel., 1949-01-21
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE

The special session of the 18th Legislature was in it's dying throes Sometime tomorrow i would gasp it's last and get ready for the regular session opening on Monday. To date, it has passed three laws the vital income tax bill and one to spend S75O for typewriters and one for S350 to finish paying for mimeograpl machines ordered two years ago.
 The special session had begged down on party lines. There were eight Republican and eight Demo- cratic votes in the Senate The GOPers wanted to see nothing pass that might do credit to the Democrats, and vice versa Such is the great American institutio called politics; a two-party sys- tenn nobody had been able to i'm prove on to date but when dead locked. one might as well go fish ing.
 The regular session. starting next week, might get down to cases. It had a far better chance. There could be no question of the legality of the regular session. The Organic Act, the Territory's constitution, was pretty definite about it. But the issue had been raised in the special session. The Senate had spent days arguing a. bout the legality of the extra-or- dinary session The anti group had made capital of it. Although the Territory's legal representative, the Attorney General, held firmly that the session was legal and was willing to go to court to prove il the Senate decided to call attorney R. E. Robertson. registered agent for 13 corporations. to give an opinion. Attorney Robertson hel it was illegal. Senator Anita Gar nick of Juneau. presented a bill of particulars several pages long on the illegality of the session. When questioned by other Sena- tors, she said the information had been prepared for her by Attorney Albert White of Juneau, general counselor for the Republican party in Alaska Senators Charles Jones and E. B. Collins. Republicans who had served in the first Legislature in 1913, were equally positive the session was illegal It was a way of delaying any constructive ac- tion during the extraordinary ses- sion. Finally after long pickering, more progressive-m minded Senators were able to force a vote on memorial which asked Congress to declare the the session illegal The memorial lost IS to 3. Senators Collins. Jones and Munz would not concede. Senator Garnick, after making a big issue, reversed her field and voted against the mem crial. It was the most remarkable change of pace seen so far in this Legislature.
 Meanwhile as some Senate Re publicans. backed by lobbyists dallied, the Territorial treasury re mained in the red. 1t promised to be further in if the lawmakers passed a bill they have drafted to spend S65, 5,493 to defray the cost of the session. Part of this would be $30 per day for each legislator $15 a day salary and s15 per diem. Some had considered putting in for extra mileage at Territorial expense but Speaker James Nolan and others in the Hou S e protested such action and it was dropped from the expense bill Mileage will be paid by the Feder- al government for the regular ses- sion.
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 The House had done it's job in short order and by Wednesday was virtually through passing revenue bills which were aimed to ease the Territory's financial headache. On- ly the property tax measure seemed to be having trouble in the House This is the bill to levy a two per cent 0ater amended to one per cent tax on all real and personal property. The hurdle was that in it's original form the measure would have permitted a levy up to 50 mills within incorporated towns as under the amended Organic Act municipalities can now tax up to 30 mills. Naturally, taxpayers in incorporated towns protested. The hslr nroh 1,1 x.,;lI h1 xu,;t+o,,