Omaha daily bee., 1890-05-26
TIE ExrRA SESSION.

For the fourth time since her admis-
sion into the union Nebraska's governor
has exercised his prerogative TO convene
the legislature in extraordinary session.
The people Of Nebraska will naturally
ask, has an emergency arisen that would
justify the governor in exercising this
prerogative2 Are the subjects set
forth in the proclamation of
such urgency and import that
the we'll being of this state demands inn
mediate action at the hands OF our law
makers2
The only answer Governor Thayer
would make Is that in his judgment the
emergency is imperative. How or by
what method of reasoning Governor
Thayer has reachedU this conclusion
THE BEE is at loss to divine. With
the exception of paper that has
pandered TO the sensational and played
the political clown to attract attention, a
paper that moreover is inimical to Gov
ernor Thayer personally and politically,
nobody that claims to speak for any con-
siderable number of citizens has ventured
to advocate an extra session of the legis-
lature.
But Governor Thayer assures the peo-
pie that he has assumed this grave re-
sponsibility without pressure from any
quarter and solely with q view to giving
the people of this state what is univer-
sally demanded by the masses.
We fear that the governor has made a
very serious mistake. We doubt very
much whether the legislature will be
able to formulate q carefully matured
maximum rate bill at special session
that must necessarily be limited. We
doubt whether the benefit which the
producers may derive from the passage
of such u bill at this time of the year
will offset the expense which the session
will involve. 1t may be safely predicted
that the railroads will exert all their in
genuity and influence to make the maxi
nam rate law obnoxious within the next
few months so as TO bring pressure upon
the next legislature for its repeal.
1t is also questionable whether legis-
lature whose members were not elected
on that issue and are not familiar with
the Australian ballot laws will be able to
mature in u very brief time a law that is
suited to our peculiar condition as an
agricultural state and would be in perfect
accord with our present already compli-
Gated election and registration laws.
In each of the half dozen states
that have adopted the Australian ballot
changes and variations from the origi-
nal Australian plan have been made to
suit their local conditions. Further
more, this is not a year in which to try
the experiment in Nebraska. An eX-
traOrdinary number of candidates and
propositions are to be voted upon at the
fall election this year. We are to elect
a full state ticket, congressional ticket,
a Legislative ticket, minor local officers,
and vote on three distinct amendments
to the constitution. The most intelli-
gent citizen familiar with our present
mode of voting will be puzzled enough
without having to study the complicated
Australian plan.
There is no doubt that the people of
Nebraska have lost confidence in rail-
road commissions in general and the
we doubt whether the present legisla-
ture would be justified in abolishing the
board merely to relieve it's unpopular
members from the responsibility which
they are apparently anxious to unload
prior to the impending conventions.