Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 89, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1915 — LEGISLATIVE NOTES. [ARTICLE]

LEGISLATIVE NOTES.

Senator McCormick’s Bill to Abolish Capitol Punishment Killed. The bill of Senator McCormick of this district, to abolish capitol punishment, which had passed the Seagate and been engrossed, was killed in the house Wednesday by striking out the enacting clause. This bin was Senator McCormick’s pet measure and fiad met with much favorable, comment from the pfess and public men of the state. Up to Thursday morning 301 bills had been introduced in the senate and 399 ip the house. Representative Feik of Garrett, who is known as the union labor representative, has introduced more bills perhaps, several times over, than any other member, and there is scarcely a one of them but ought to be killed and hilled hard, too. Feik’s bills, jf enacted into law, would give us about the freakiest legislation of any stat« in the union. *

Although the present session of the legislature is more than halt over, only' three bills had reached the governor’s desk up to Wednesday. They are the anti-lobby bill, a bill providing for the burial of honorably discharged soldiers and a bin giving the governor authority to appoint a United States senator In case of a vacancy. The latter two were signed Tuesday, and the first mentioned- received executive approval a fevv days ago. A large number of bills had reached the governor at this period in the session two years ago. / '

During the past couple of weeks a great deal of vicious legislation has been proposed, but it is not probable that a great number of bills " ill be passed this session, for which the people should be truly thankful. An example of some of tbisiJroposed legislation is that of a bill introduced W ednesday by Representative Morris, providing that a fine of from $5 to- $25 /he imposed for hunting or killing foxes for three years or for buying or selling theif skins. This is no doubt intended* to advance the price of poultry. Up in this section of the state, brother, we pay a bounty for the killing of foxes. Representative Wood’s bill, providing that county clerks take their office on January 1 following the expiration of their terms as at present fixed, was killed Wednesday. Had this bill become a law, it would have extended the terms of many of the county clerks several months, and that of Clerk Perkins, from May l to January 1.