Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-30

spirit OF the people on these questions. So IL
looks now extremely favorable for advanced
railroad legislation. The railroads took
another tack last week, but with what result
remains to be seen. Hon. A. B;
Cummins, Of this city, q well
known attorney for the Rock Island,
who was elected to the lower house ostcnsi-
bly, as an -prohibitionist, but really by
the confederated monopoies-railroads and
insurance companies-to represent their in
tcrcsts, has introduced long, cumbersome
and complicated bill granting power to the
railroad commissioners to fix rates for both
freight and passengers, and the whole power
of the corporations will be exertcd to pass
this bill.
A few days ago there was n meeting In this
city, of shippers made up to some extent of
men who desire special rates, and the rail
road problem was the chief topic of the dis
cussion. This convention endorsed, some
say unanimously, the Cummns bill, and the
corporation organs are industriously circu-
lating this fact to influence the actions of
the legislators and bring them over to its
support. However, the antimonoposts are
not to be caught by this chafl, and will, III
most to a man support the bill prepared by
Messrs Berryhill, Fcale, Custer, Upton and
other ant-monopoly leaders and approved by
President Kennedy, of the Farmers alliance.
This bill provides for the election of railroad
commissioners, fixes maximum freight
charges and grants power to the commission
ers to modify the rates, but in no case shall
they exceed the highest rate fixed by law.
The first contest in the railroad committee
OF the senate has resulted in Il victory for the
people, that body aftera sharp contest having
agreed to report back the bill requiring rail
roads to fence their lines, with a rccoinncn-
dation that it do pass.
NO OIL ROOM
has yet been opened in this city but Hon.
I.l, IL.
but now of Chicago, and j. f. Blythe. of Bur
lington attorneys for the Chicago Buring-
tor & Quincy, are on the ground viewing the
situation and hobnobbing with their funds in
the senate.
A vicious growl has gone up from the cor
poration organs all over the state over the
makeup of the railroad committees of the
house and senate. Speaker Redman placed
eight farmers before the house committee
and not a single corporation copper. Lieutcn-
ant Governor Hill was not able to do as well,
but he only gave the railroads three out of
the eleven members and it is II question if the
anti-monopolsts like McNay, of Calhoun. do
not actually have u majority of the commit
tee. The
SENSATION OF THE WEEK
Was the Introduction into both houses,
Thursday, of the bill supplementary to the
Clark law. 1t has been known for some time
that a committee of the State Temperance
Alliance and number of leading prohibitions
lists were busy preparing measure to abolish
saloon drug stores, but few were prepared to
believe that measure so radical and eX-
treme as the bill proposed would be the out
come. The bill absolutely takes away the
sale and handling of alcohol in all It's forms
from the druggists except for making tine
lures and compounds, and vests it in tho
hands of agents to be appointed by the dis
trict Judge Not more than four agents can
be appointed in any one county, and they are
so hedged about by the most erroneous and
eXacting conditions that, if the bill passes,
| it is questionable whether any one will under
| take the sale of liquors except in the largest
cities. The bill provides that all liquor
| packages shall be stamped, and that liquors
found III unstamped packages shall be sub
| ject 10 seizure; also that no person can pur-
chase Intoxicating liquor of any kind unless
he subscribes to an oath that it is
for some specified, lawful purpose.
The committees on the suppression of in
temperance, in both houses, are so consti-
tuted that the bill will very likely secure a
| favorable report and, radical and extreme as
| it is, the prohibitonists will give it strong
support and may be able. to secure enough
| votes to make it law. Should the bill pass,
| it will either wipe out the liquor traffic
entirely or create such a revulsion of public
! feeling that high license law similar to that
IN Nebraska will be enacted by the next
Legislature.
sCIiCnL BOOK DISCUSSION.
The legislators are all at sea on the school
book question and while Large majority are
| certainly of the opinion tat something
should be done to cheaper the price of school
books, none of the numerous plans proposed
meet with much favor. A number favor the
idea that the district should purchase the
books and furnish them to the pupils free,
while others believe that uniform system
should be published by The state and fur
nished at actual cost. Still others think that
the state should purchase all the books at
wholesale of the lowest bidders and furnish
them to the districts at this op,
ton. Some measure Of this kind
may get through, bnt the large
number of school book lobbyists in attend
ance will endeavor to SO confuse matters as
to make an action difficult. The teachers of
the state are by no means a unit on the ques-
ton. Many of them bitterly oppose the
adoption of a uniform system, claiming that
| it would prevent any Improvement in prog
ress either in the material or in the compost
ton. No one can deny but that thcle has
been decided change for the better in the
arrangement of type and forms as well as in
subject matter of school books in the last
few years and this argument has some weight
with legislators.
LEGISLATURE GOSSIP.
The house succeeded in passing one meas
ure this week--a bill appropriating 5000 to
| rebuild the kitchen and dining hall of the
| Soldiers Orphans Home at Davenport,
which was recently destroyed by fire Much
| of the time was given to committee work.
/ The registration bill passed two years ago
compelling the voters in all cities of the first
| class to register before every election proved
| an elephant on the hands of the republicans
and the author of the bill, Senator Hutchin-
| son, of Wopello, made haste to amend it's
| provisions so that registration will only be
| necessary once in four years. Every effort
| is being made to pass the bill, so it will not
| be necessary to register for the coming
spring election. REX.
|