Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-17
Woman Suffrage in the Senate
and Bogus Railroad Leg
islation in the House.
The House Railroad Committee
Charged With smothering
Important Bills.
Which is indignantly Denied
and a Demand Made t.
Take it AL Back.
The Whole Forming a Pathetic
Farce for the CAppers
Special Dispatch to THH BBB.

Special Dispatch to Thu BBB.
LINCOLN, February 16. 1t will bea
blessing to the tax payer Of Nebraska
when this Legislature adjourns. Its
work to day show WIS that nothing is to
be expected from 1t except jo5bery.
The senate FILTERED sway nearly q
whole day in the frivolous debate over
the dead issue Of woman suffrage, aud
the house outraged decency and dis.
graced itself by its shameless disregard
Of the popular demand for the aboli-
ton of the present system of railroad
assessment and relief from extortion
by restrictive railroad legislation.
Nine-tenths of the legislature pledged
their sacred honor bsfore the election
to carry ont these needed reforms,
but, recreant TO this trust, they have
not only shirked their duty, but
added insult to injury by deviaing a
RAILROAD bill through the cappers Of
the house committee that has not g
single redeeming feature. This bill,
amended in unimportant particulars,
will in effect simply take $4,000 cut
of the treasury for a bogus commits
sion that Is to gather stats les most
of which are already embodied In the
reports of the United States commits
sioner of railroads. No provision is
made fer q reduction Of pas.
senger or freight rates and
no relief Ia afforded from
legalizsd highway robbery BY
monopolies in any direction. In 9th
err words, Nebraska is to submit for
nearly three years longer to the ar
bitrary and rapacious exactions Of
railroads. True, there is decided op.
position to this brazen attempt to
legalize the plundering of the people
for three years longer, but there is a
lamentabls want of leadership and
back-bone in the hause. ~rnoiawSers,
with the exception of Roberts, are
all actively enlisted in the railroad In
terest. Speaker Humphrey, Bierbow-
or, Grout, Whedon, Field, and even
Holman, are ob%structing every effort
to redress the grievance that
caused the anti-monopoly revolt last
fall. While the republicans must bsar
the responsibility for the failure of
this Legislators to redeem it's pledge,
there are more rotten democrats in IL
according to their number than there
are republicans. These democratic
jobbers and monopoly stool pigeons
have shown their hand at every stage.
They vote for nearly every job and
steal, and are always ready to sustain
Humphrey and his gang of republican
monopoiists in opposition to any
measure tending to limit the exact
ions of railroads. After patching up
the house railroad bill, Roberts NOV
ed that the senate bill to
fix maximum passenger and
freight rates which had been
referred to the committee i
railroads bs returned to the house
tomorrow morning 81 as to give an
opportunity for it's consideration.
Mr.. Roberts in support of the reso'
luton charged the railroad COMMITTEES
with keeping important bills iromthree
to four weeks so that they could not
be properly considered by the house.
The reference to the committee, was.
In his opinion, an effort 20 smother the
bill. Whedon rose in high dudgeor
over the imputati) IN that reelected up
on any member OF the house. 1t wal
the first time during this session tina
any n had been charged with wilful
ly impeding legislation, and hi
requested Roberts to withdraw hi
motion and the record be expunget
80 that future generations, wher
these members are dead, nhould no
Impute bad motives othem. Grout a
chairman assured the house that hi
would expedite the matter, but could
not say when the committee would b,
able to act. Roberts fnsll!
consented to have the record ex
plunged. This dramatic incident ere
ated considerable of a sensation, bu
way down deep among the ring5ter
1t was regarded as a patheti
farce. The Grand Island membe
who supported the capitol job had tn
satisfaction to-day to have his bi
locating a normal school at Gran
Island defeated by a vote OF Al to q
In the senate the capitol lobby hav
succeeded In securing a majority RI
port fayoring the appropriation. Th
minority report, adverse to the bill
will be handed In tomorrow.