The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-01-22
ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE .


Ily average but three and half days per week,
an early adjournment taking place each Fri
day over nominally to next Monday evening,
but really to the following Tuesday. AS at
former sessions, so at the present, among the
first bills introduced were several bristling
with hostility to the railroads. The natural
result of these was a free distribution of passes
to the members on Friday, enabling all of them
to 90 home, enjoy the delightful sensation of
a free ride, with pleasant consciousness that
their board bill at the capital was stopped,
that they could change their dirty linen for
clean linen at home without extra laundry
bills, while their pay goes right on as If they
were hard at work all the time at Springfield.
i Gov. Cullom sept to the senate the reap
pointment of Messrs. Bogue and Smith, as
Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners, fill
ing the place of Mr. Oberly by the appoint.
ment of VIM n. Robinson of Wayne. Instead
of promptly confirming the appointments
however the senate referred them to the rail
road committee, on the statement OF Senators
Mum and Marshall that there were complaints
against the board for m3teasance in office
which, before the appointments are confirmed,
should be investigated. There is also pro-
position pending to dispense with either the
canal or the r. r. e. w. board, and have but
one board to attend to the duties OF both. by
way of laying foundation for the proposed
investigation of the r. r. Il W. board, the
senate adopted resolution asking the old
board to furnish full details of all complaints
of extortion or discrimination by the roads,
and authorizing the Railroad committee to in
vestigate such complaints, with power to send
tor persons or papers
Various propositions on the subject of tenn
perance have already been presented some
proposing local option, others against granting
licenses, &c, but the one that will be mainly
pushed doubtless will be the proposed consti'
tutional amendment offered by Mr.. Rice, IN
substance, "That no person shall manufacture,
sell, or keep for sale in this state any alcohol,
whisky highwine wine, ale beer, or other in
toxicating liquors whatever, except for medic.
inal, scrlptural and mechanical purposes, and
the general assembly shall enforce this article
by appropriate legislation"
Hostility to railroads and other corporations
is cropping out in various forms, its latest
manifestation being proposition in the SEN
ate by one member to regulate charges on
palace and sleeping cars and to establish rates
for gas, while another proposes to prescribe
rules for the conduct of the life insurance
business.
Munn's resolution, to turn the Desplains
river into the canal, came up for general de-
bate in the senate on Wednesday, and threat
ened to pass, but the Chicago senators finally
STAYED off action on it for one week.
Both houses, as usual, are full of members
who are profoundly convinced that the present
revenue system Of this state Is the most vicious
ever devised and know exactly how to reform
it so as to give US the best system IN the world
but rs no two have the same plan joint reso
Tuition has been submitted and will probably
be adopted, to appoint a committee of seven
three by the speaker of the house, two by the
president of the senate, and two by the gov
ernor-whose duty it shall be to thoroughly
and extensively inquire and examine into
the revenue systems of the different states and
other nations to collect and digest the same
and report their findings to the next general
assembly, together with simple and economi
cal system OF raising revenue.
Meantime Senator Whiting proposes more
speedy and partial reform in one direction a,
least by the introduction of bill to prevent
the double taxation of mortgage property
1t provides IN substance that the owner of mort
gagged property may deduct from the full
value thereof the amount of the mortgaged up
on giving the name of the holder Of the mort
, gage, and the tax on the value of the mortgage
| shall be paid by the holder, who shall not be
taxed elsewhere on this amount. The tax or
the mortgage is to be lien on the property
and both taxes may be paid either by the mort
gage or mortgager, establishing claim O.
the one who pays upon the other
The speaker of the house, after sweating ove
3 the job for week, finally reported his stand
| ing committees on Wednesday. Baldwin is
| the head of the judiciary; Collins of corpora
l TONS Chatfee of railroads, Chisholm of finance
G Wright of appropriations, Allen of revenue
e Stratlon (of WILD OF canal and river improve
I ment, &c. Mr.. Vaughey's name appears or
: but one committee, that on canal and river i'm
= provement; Robinson is on two committees
G corporations and roads and bridges Will
ponderous father Ames is honored with place
! on Ave different committees, to wit, mining
!. public buildings, labor and manufactures, stat
f and municipal Indebtedness, and lastly, benz
e nimble and mighty hunter, he is TO help loo
: after our fish and game. None OF the La Sail
f comfy house members is honored with
L oh. ARM on q