Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-21
A SpaSm of Virtue AfliCtS the
House,
And They Demand to Know
Who Got That Flvs Hun
Ord Dolls Bribe.
An luves 3jgattug Committee Z n
poirttd-Doines An Bo3h
BRANCHES

iNry i"
TIE senate committed OF public
lands and ~ laiog5 male lis rep~rt On
Saturday on the capitol ap2r3priA.io
bill. The m,iorl+y report IS in tay,r
Of eating down th5 levy for tha NV
cspitol from n mill as II c,m9 fron
the house to thses q7arsorl IT a 1aiil
and also charging the sec;ion which
virtually gives the Contract to B,.a
Stous. T.4e mlaocisy rep r; comssin
the shape of q charge Of corruption
and reada Nc followp:
Your committee on Pablo lands
aud hnildipgs, having had under CON-
sideration house roll No. 1879, "A Hill
for an act to provide fer the taking
Down and removing the material en-
toring into the construction Of the old
capitol building, and to provide Cor
the erection Of the main building of
the capitol OF the ssate of Nebr xa,
and TO levy q tax of one mill or the
dollar and to appropriate the money
arising from said levy to pay for said
new capitol buiiding, would respect.
fully submit the following conclu .ionA
concerning the 50 e
The condition of the taxpayers Of
Nebraska is not sucb IA would hastily
a levy Of special taxes TO-. public
buildings that sre not absolutely
needed for the conducting of public
business. Ample accommoda tisns are
aft ,rded fer all branches OF u stste
government, including state officers,
supreme eourt and legislature in the
building that we a2H ocoupv, and
these accoalmodaticus will sutf % for
s. number of ys,rs. Il is Contrary TO
public policy and soand political econ
omy for the legisistufe 10 impose a
special tax in ang forrn that is in.
definite a. TO amount. 1t is Froponed
in thts bill To authorize d contract for
a building that will, according to the
generGl estimataa, COZ $45o,000, but
the bill instead oI appropriatlng q fixed
sum for tho budding imposes n nil. or
three ,fourths or o mill tex GA tbs
grand assessment roll of the state, re-
gardieaa as to the aggregate valuation
of the property to be taxed. Under
this pernicious System of special taxa
ton the building of the two wings Of
the capitol has created q deficiency
thatserious!y impairs the states credit;
there are now about $50, 600 in build.
ing warrants In the hands of claim.
ants on which amount the state is pay.
Ing interest.
Our constitution expressly prohibits
the legislature from mourning a greater
liability for the state ct any time than
an aggregate of $500, 600. Our inter
est bearing state debt at this time is
over $3.50, 600 and the appropriations
now pending will materially increase
this deficiency. If any special tax is
to be levied at this time IL should be
to reduce the state debt within the
constitutional limit. Beyond and
above all these considerations your
committee is impelled to report ad-
versely on this bill for the reason that
1t has good cause to believe that i'm.
proper influences have been exerted
and thai corrupt bargains have been
made IN securing the passage of this
bill. Your committee has reliable in
formation that at least one member of
the house was paid a large sum of
money for his support of this bill.
For these reasons your committee in
minority respectfully recommend that
this bill BE- not passed. All of which
is respectfully submitted.
S. S REYNOLDS
Senator Dolan introduced the fol.
lowing resolution
WHEREAS, One of the most
important matters for the con.
siderstion of this legislature Is the
regulation and control by law of rail.
road corporations, therefore be 1t
Resolved, That this senate will not
agree to a resolution fixing a day for
final adjournment Of the legislature
until some bill regulating passenger
and freight rates of railroad corpora
.tions snail be passed.
The resolution was adopted with but
one dissenting vote.
Senator Dech sent up the following
explanation of his vote to the presi
dent of the senate:
"Being positive that this resolution
Is not prompted by patriotic motives,
but for individual buncomb, but as
am willing to stay with them and fight
them TO the last ditch, l will vote
AYE"
The president in an apparent hut
very promptly decided that no such
thing should go upon the record, anG
- UNA fharofnra thrown ont
The bill that was go patched up il
the committee of the whole which
divides the state into ten judicial dis
t~ricts, oame OPP to-day on Its third
residing.
Senator Norris opposed the bill or
accoun5 of unjust and uutair division
of territory, population and business
He commended that Washington
county ought not to be attached to the
Seventh district, and IN this PROPOSE
ton ne was joined by Senator Butler,
and at one time it looked as though
the requisite two-thirds vote coulG
not be secured, but the senators ia
voring the bill gathered around snG
agreed to have it amended In tbs
house, and under this promise the op
position to the measur wss withdrawn
When the vote was called onl!
twenty.one votes we're recorded in it'
favor, but before the vote was an
nounced Senators Dolan and Harrison
changed their votes from "No" Il
AYE" and that being the requisit,
two.thirda the bill was declared passed
1t is thought by many that this bill
will not find fair sailing when Il
reaches the house.
Copies of the bids for constructing
the east wing of the new capitol, a
called for by a resolution of Senator
Brown, of Douglas, were sen
to the senate this morning, to