LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY IN ALASKA. AUGUST 19, 1912.-Ordered to be printed. Mr. FLOOD, from the committee of conference, submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 38.] The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 38) to create a legislative assembly in the Territory of Alaska, to confer legislative power thereon, and for other purposes, having met, after full and free conference have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows: That the Senate recede from its amendments numbered 4, 5, 6, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 41, 42, 43, 46, 47, 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, and 63. That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendments of the Senate numbered 1, 2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44, 45, 48, 51, 52, 58, 61, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, and 70, and agree to the same. Amendment numbered 3: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 3, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: After "thereof," in line 8 of the proposed amendment, insert: Provided further, That this provision shall not operate to prevent the legislature from imposing other and additional taxes or licenses. And the Senate agree to the same. Amendments numbered 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendments of the Senate numbered 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: In lieu of the language in the bill and the proposed amendments strike out all after "years," page 18, line 3, of the bill, down to and including "election," line 2, page 4, of the bill, and insert: And each representative shall possess the same qualifications as are prescribed for members of the senate and the persons receiving the highest number of legal votes in each judicial division cast in said election for senator or representative shall be deemed and declared elected to such office: Provided, That in the event of a tie vote the candidates thus affected shall settle the question by lot. In case of a vacancy in either branch of the legislature the governor shall order an election to fill such vacancy, giving due and proper notice thereof. And the Senate agree to the same. Amendment numbered 16: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 16, and agree to the same with an amendment, as follows: In lieu of the language proposed to be stricken out insert of the legislature; and the Senate agree to the same. Amendment numbered 17: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 17, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: In lieu of the language proposed to be stricken out insert the legis lature is; and the Senate agree to the same. Amendment numbered 68: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 68, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: Strike out all after the word "thereof," in line 12 of the proposed amendment, down to and including "and" in line 15; and the Senate agree to the same. H. D. FLOOD, W. C. HOUSTON, Managers on the part of the House. GEO. E. CHAMBERLAIN, Managers on the part of the Senate. Amendments Nos. 4, 5, 6, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 41, 42, 43, 46, 47, 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, and 63, on all of which the Senate recedes, relate to the general amendment proposed by the Senate striking out the upper house of the Alaska Legislature. The bill as passed by the House provided a legislative body of two houses, the upper house, or senate, to consist of 8 members and the lower house to consist of 16 members. The Senate amended the bill by striking out the upper house, and all the above amendments were made by the Senate to make the bill conform to that. The Senate has receded and the bill is left in that respect as it was originally passed by this House. Amendment No. 1, made by the Senate, provides that the Alaska Legislature shall have no authority to alter, amend, modify, or repeal the laws in force in Alaska in relation to fur-seal laws passed by Congress. The conferees receded from the disagreement of the House on this amendment and agreed to the same. Amendment No. 2 reserves to Congress exclusive authority to pass laws relating to fur-bearing animals in Alaska. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. as mere The Amendment No. 18 strikes out the words "and no more, surplusage, on page 4, line 8, in section 4 of the bill, in the sentence providing for mileage to be paid to members of the legislature. conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 19 requires the governor in calling an extraordinary session of the legislature to set forth the object and give at least 30 days written notice to each member of the legislature of the meeting. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendments No. 20 and No. 21 reduce the length of the extraordinary session of the Alaska Legislature, when called by the governor, from 30 to 15 days. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 22 relates to the power of the governor to call an extraordinary session of the Alaska Legislature, and limits his power to those cases "when requested to do so by the President of the United States, or when any grave public danger or necessity may require it;" the Senate amendment strikes out the word "grave;" the conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 29 corrects the title of the legislature by striking out "legislative assembly" and inserting "legislature;" the conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 30 is a recast of a sentence prohibiting the legislature from intermixing several unrelated matters in one act, and expressing the same idea more concisely and in fewer words; the conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendments Nos. 31, 32, 33, and 34 affect only verbiage and correct the style and grammar, without materially changing the meaning of the House bill; the conferees receded from the House disagreement to these Senate amendments and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 35 limits the authority of the Legislature of Alaska to the creation of corporations or associations whose chief business shall be in the Territory of Alaska. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendments Nos. 36, 37, and 38 make verbal changes in the proviso which requires "That all authorized indebtedness shall be paid in the order of its creation." The conferees receded from the House disagreement to these Senate amendments and agreed thereto. Amendments Nos. 39, 40, 44, 45, 48, 51, 52, 64, 65, and 66 merely correct clerical mistakes and verbal surplusage. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to these Senate amendments and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 58 requires that when a bill has been passed by either house of the Alaska Legislature it shall be enrolled before being sent to the other house. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 61 provides that no law passed by the Legislature of Alaska shall be in force until "at the expiration of 90 days thereafter, unless sooner given effect by a two-thirds vote of said legislature." The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 67 is a new section changing the date of the election for Delegate to Congress from Alaska from the month of August so that it shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 1914 and every two years thereafter, so that the Delegate election and that for members of the legislature may then and thereafter be held at the same time under the same law passed by Congress. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 69 gives the Committees on Territories in the Senate and House authority to jointly codify, compile, publish, and annotate all the laws of the United States applicable to Alaska, to employ assistance for that purpose, and appropriates $5,000 to pay therefor. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 70 merely corrects the numbering of sections in the bill. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 3 is a prohibition against the Legislature of Alaska from repealing those laws passed by Congress providing for taxes on business and trade in Alaska which go to make up the "Alaska fund" in the United States Treasury, and which fund is expended in Alaska for roads, bridges, and trails, the care of insane, and the support of schools. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment and agreed to the same with an amendment as follows: After the word "thereof," in line 8 of the proposed amendment, insert: Provided further, That this provision shall not operate to prevent the legislature from imposing other and additional taxes or licenses. Amendments Nos. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 all relate to the general subject of striking out the upper house of the Alaska Legislature, the practice in case of a tie vote, and election to fill a vacancy. The upper house having been restored in conference, the conferees receded from the House disagreement to these amendments and agreed to the same with amendments fitting them to the doublechamber plan. Amendments Nos. 16 and 17 change the words "legislative assembly" to "legislature," to conform to the general rule. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to these Senate amendments and agreed thereto. Amendment No. 68 is a new section creating a railroad commission, to be appointed by the President, to examine into and report to Congress on railroad.routes in Alaska, and making an appropriation of $25,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to defray the expenses of said commission. The conferees receded from the House disagreement to this Senate amendment, and agreed thereto with an amendment striking out the clause requiring a report on "the best system of constructing and operating railroads and coal mines in said Territory for the use of the Government in naval and military operations." H. D. FLOOD, W. C. HOUSTON, W. W. WEDEMEYER, Managers on the part of the House. O |