Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1883-02-08
A Harvest Of Barren Regrets for
the Taxpayers Of Nebraska.
The Reform Legislature Pro-
viding Positions for Po.
litical Fossils.
Piling Up the Pay Roll the
Main Ambition of the
Monops.
Tho Ponderous Grout OF Otoo
Serves His Master Well,

LINCOLN, February THE legisls-
ture has now resumed wore In earnest,
So far the legislative mill has ground
out nothing but chaff. 1t now looks
as II the taxpayers of Nebraska would
not only have to settle o big tax biz,
but this legislature, from which 80
much economy and wholesome law.
making was expected, would saddle
upon them hoard of supernumerary
salary grabbers in the shape of state
geologists, state chemists, emigration
secretaries, railroad secretaries, med.
ical examiners, and other pensioners
of high and low degree. In spite of
the general demand for retrench-
ment there Is disposition on all
hands
TO ENLARGE THE STATE PAY ROLL
by the creation of all sorts of needless
officers, under various pretexts urged
by an active lobby of political barna les
who are out cf meat. The legitimate
ntate expenses necessarily grow from
year to year as our penitentiary, re-
form schools, asylums, charitable and
educational institutions are enlarged
and the numbers dependent on the
state for support and education in.
crease. To this must be- added the
demand for and consequent expense
of additional district judges and dis.
trict attorneys, together with the ex.
peuse incident to numerical increase
of the Legislature by nineteen members.
All this will make the state tax levy
MUCH HEAVIER FOR THE NEXT TWO
YEARS
than on any former period. In the
face of all this the legislature keeps on
framir & and recommending bills that
will pile mp the agony mountains high
and make the taxpayers fairly groan.
On the other hand, so far, not thing
has been done to relieve the people by
equaliziI & railroad taxes or by passing
any bill reducir G the passenger or
freight rates, The main feature of
the proceeding In the house to-day
was the debate over number of bills
that were considered In commjtte of the
whole. The most exciting discussion
was over Mr.. Towers
LANDLORDS LIEN BILL
on crops. Roberts opposed this
mVauuro with great deal of ability
vigor as calculated to put the poor
tenant farmer under the heel of money
lenders and land sharks. Wheedon
asked whether there was not q me.
ohanics lien on the state books, and
Roberts rstorted, "That was for pro.
tectlng mechanics and securing them
their wages" Tower argued in favor
OF the bill on the ground of Justice,
and the bill was finally recommended
although Its passage Is very doubtful.
A good part of the afternoon session
was wasted In debating half q dozen
unimportant bills that ought to have
gone in the waste basket, and finally
quite breeze was stirred up by Bier.
bowers bill for
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,
The bill creates geological corps
of three salaried officials; a geologist
at ~, 900 year; assistant geologist at
$1,000; chemist 81, 800 year each,
An appropriation OF $4, 900 is also
made for surveying expenses and
chemicals. The governor Ia to fill the
position with competent scientists and
experts OF known integrity. The
geological corps is required to make
the entire survey OF the sixty.fve
counties and the unorganized terri.
tory within eighteen months, and de-
posit the specimens of minerals, soils
and bones In the state university. The
collection of natural curiosities would
be more costly than rare. II the gov.
ernor can find renowned geolopist
for ~, 900 year to make personal
inspection and survey of seventy. SIX
thousand square miles In eighteen
months, he. will accomplish q feat
greater than Sampson when he slew a
thousand Philistines with the Jaw
bone of an ass.
FOUR YEARS AGO
wonderouB man from Otoe county.
Capt. Mitchell, as chairman of the
railroad committee of the house, dis
posed effectively of all the railroad
bills of that session by reporting back
"That no railroad legislation what.
ever was needed" To-day, another
ponderous son of Otoe, Mr.. Grout, as
chairman of the railroad COMMITTEES.
performed a similar feat by recon.
mending to the house that ali the bills
pending in the committee be shslved,
and that in their place the house
should substitute bill, which, If en-
acted, would be dead letter. The
bill, as outlined by Mr.. Grout, creates
board of commissioners, composed of
state officers, who are to be empowered
to regulate the railroad traffic. Mr..
Grout and majority of the committee
have doubtless taken their cue from
the railroad managers. who want
simply to defeat all regulation by
BILL THAT WOULD NOT HOLD WATER
before the courts. Grout's report says
the committee have consulted emil
nent eounsel-- meaning, of course,
John M. Thurston or Citizen Mason.
Had they consulted the constitution
of Nebraska they would have dIscov.
cred that the power to regulate rail-
road tariffs Is vested by 1t In the legis-
lsture and that body cannot delegate
Its power to any board of commission
ers, whether composed of state officers
or outsiders. Grout and his commit
tee have either fallen into O trap or
else they are playing stool pigeon.
Their report was accepted and the
bill held over for further conaidera-
tiou,