, 1890-02-15
A Big LEGISLATIVE DAY.
Long and Earnest Discussions in
the House.
The Coal Weighing Bill and City
Assessment.
Several Important Measures in the
Upper Branch.
House of Representatives.
COAL WEIGHING,

oucuuen COhl WelguluR UHs MI
Thomas and the father of the measure
were the principals. A number of ques.
tons were ~propounded by Mr.. Adams,
while Messrs. Burritt, Kellogg and Nc
Cormick made remarks german to the
subject. The bill originally provided
that all coal mined should be weighed be
fore passing over screens. Discussion
was precipitated by Mr.. Snedden's
amendment in effect that the law apply
only where there was no specific conflict
ing agreement between employer and EN-,
ploye.
The coal miners of Wyoming have
every reason to be proud of their cham
pion. He is earnest, able and persever'
ing. Mr.. Snedden listens respectfully to
his antagonists and then makes a presen-
tation of his own side that would capture
the modern Jury nine times out of ten.
There's a pleasant ring in his rich Scotch
voice with enough "berl' to establish his
nativity. Men of his ~tenacity never sur.
render, and he is equipped with physique
for any sort of a fight.
Mr.. Snedden made an eloquent, al
most passionate plea for his people. He
pointed out the evils of the sys
tenn of screening. lately proposed by the
company. The whole trouble was that
coal was to be screened once or twice and
the miner paid for only what passed over
meshes of an inch and a quarter, while
the company sold the screenings at good
figures, making an enormous profit on
the labor of the miner and paying him
for much less coal than he brought to the
seuface. If a satisfactory arrangement
could be entered into the law need not
affect it, but the thing of beating a miner
out Of several hundred pounds on every
ton should be remedied. He had petit
lonesome of them unsolicited-from
the miners of Almy, Rock Springs and
Carbon. Kansas, Missouri and Iowa had
a law nearly identical with his bill. He
called attention to the late trouble at
Rock Springs and especially at Dana,
where white men struck and where
negroes brought from the Hooking valley
under false representations had refused to
accept the screening rule, as they could
make but 81 a day, and had returned to
the Hooking valley. Subsequently Mr..
Snedden arose to reply to statements
by Mr.. Thomas.
NJ Tho,,oa ,a,I H. all mould ha lat-
rimental 10 the miner, that he had lob
bied at Rock Springs all of Sunday and
could find but one man who dared say
that the Snedden bill was a coed one. AS
a matter of fact it Was Infamous. He
read from letters by Marx Hopkins and
ex Inspector Quealy, and both thought
a change in weighing would be harmful
to the men. The company had declared
that wages would not be lowered by the
screening system and certainly the men
could rely OIL the honor of a great corro-
ration. He explained the disturbance at
Rock Springs, saying it was caused by
the mistakes of a weigh boss. Mr..
Thomas had known of the operations of
the proposed law in Missouri, and knew
that it ruined a prosperous camp and
caused the assassination of Tom Wardell.
Mr.. Snedden was a trifle warm when
he took the floor and sneered at the re
puted honor of corporations and cited a
breach of faith. All they wanted was
justice. He could not see where a law of
this character could be infamous.
Mr.. Kellogg did not believe that miners
were angels, but their wishes certainly
deserved consideration in the house. He
would array himself on the side of tie
workingnIan and vote with Mr.. Snedden.
The debate was closed by Mr.. Burritt,
who lately visited the Almy mines and
while at Evanston heard with other in
stitution inspectors, delegations of miners
and officials. The percentage of
cranks was larger aplong the lat
ter than the former. Each
side had cause for complaint, and after
carefully considering the question, would
oppose legislation OF any sort on the sub
iect. These matters could be adjusted by
the men and their employers.
Mr.. Adams motion 10 refer the bill
and amendment to q select committee OF
FIVE carried.
/ T ASSESSMENT.
Another big medicine talk had in the
Republican legislative lodge was on Mr..
Schnitger's bill transferring tho work of
listing city property and collecting the
taxes from the municipal powers to the
county government. 1t provides that the
city trustees shall determine before April
l of each year the amount of revenue re.
quired for the current twelvemonth. On
this basis the county commissioners make
the levy and the county treasurer does
the collecting. The assessing fee is $25
for . valuation of half a million, and 81
for each 800, 600 over the big sun To
the county treasurer shall be paid 81 for
each 81 900 of tax collected.
This bill was unanimously endorsed at
the last meeting of the city council OF
Cheyenne. Mr.. Schnitger explained the
merits OF the bill, saying that considera-
Bile money would be saved by reducing the