Omaha daily bee., 1891-03-19
IT'S FATE IS ALMOST SEALED.
Newberry's Maximum Rate Bill Goes
Through the Senate in Committed.
SEVERAL UNSATISFACTORY SECTIONS.
Much Debate over the Measure
Amendments Oficrcd aud Lost
Senator Swit1icr's Change
The Final Vote.

committee of the whole to consider Now
bcrry's maximum freight rate bill Senator
Collins in the chair. All the members save
Senator Coulter were present.
Senator Shea struggled into the hail loot
ing very poorly and evidently suffering from
the attack of sickness which has incapacitatcd
him during tho creator part of tho session.
Tie took his seat but was compelled later TO
retire from the chamber, having been over
come by the oppressive atmosphere. lie re-
turned, however and voted on the bill.
On motion of Senator Poynter the bill was
read section by section. The lobby was full
of railroad men and cappcrs from all parts OF
the state The latter had been brought to
cndoayor to influence their representatives
in their votes upon the bill The reading of
the measure, however, which comprises l9S
pages of embarrassing and to the uunitiatcd,
untelligiblc figures, proved too monotonous
for the lobby. The latter was accordingly
deserted and so remained till the last line OF
lcviathan had been reached.
When section = had been read Senator
Poynter moved that it he adopted, ana was
seconded by Senator Randall
Senator SwihlCr moved to amend by strik-
ing out the greater part of the section, the
features left being maximum rates ON the fol-
llaXsccd corn, oats, barley and other grains,
mill stuifs, hard and soft lumber laths,
shingles, doors, sash, blinds, salt, lime,
cement, stuCCo, horses mules, CATTLE hogs.
sheep hard and soft coal. He also moved to
insert as a separate section after section 3,
page 1870, the following: "On all articles
not herein mentioned the rate shall not eN-
coed the tariff in existence January |, lS9l."
In support Of tho amendment, the senator
said that in his county so far as ho was in
formed, the people do not urge n tarln mn.
The last mDaign had not been conducted on
that platform. lie was favorable to tho
passage of the bill, and would vote for 1t II 1t
should be amended SO far aS miscellaneous
articles were concerned in which he did not
think the farmer was interested. He had
also provided section which would render 1t
impossible to raise the rates on those articles,
above what they We're on the first OF the
present year. The amendment was voted
| down by 10 to T.
Senator Switzlcr then moved that as a
number of senator's had not paid any attcn-
| ton to the bin, that further reading of the
| same be dispensed WITH and the whole bd
acted upon at once.
| Senator KEEPER moved to lay the motion on
| the table. He denounced it as trick and
said it was imperativclY necessary that the
whole bill should be read,
| Senator Mates sad such was not the case.
| 1t was evident to every body that all of sec
tion had not been read If the senator
| wanted the whole measure to be read, he
| again go over the second section.
| The motion to lay Switzer's motion on the
| table prevailed.
Senator Mates thought this motion took
| the whole bill with it, but the chair held to
| the contrary.
KEEPER said that his motion was not an
| amendment of the bill.
! The chair ruled against the point of Mr..
! Mates.
| Senator Collins then took the floor and
| offered an amendment, in effect that all OF
| section 3 after the ninth line be stricken out
| and the following inserted. "rhat the rates
| on grain, wheat cattle, hogs, sheep, lumber,
| coal, salt, coal and stone IN carload lots shall
| not exceed threc-fuurths of the rates on the
| same articles on January /, 1891. and in all
| other cases the rates shall not be higher than
| were charged on the same date
| In support OF his measure the senator said
| that the people had demanded a maximum
| freig hit law. From the figures and best in.
| formation which he could obtain he had be-
| come satisfied that the bill raised instead of
| reducing the rates on commodities most COM
| monIy used by the producing, and especially
| by the agricultural classes The farmer
| was interested in getting coal, lumber and
| other articles required upon his farm. lie had
| little interest in the Thousand and one other
| things which entered into the bill. The rates
| on them were a benefit to the middle man.
| The senator then read from the table of COM
| palatiVe rates prepared by the board of trade
| of Beatrice showing that under the proposed
| bill the rates were much higher than they arc
| at the present time to a number OF points OF
| Nebraska. He would possibly be condemned
by class OF people who simply demanded a
maximum rate bill without knowing ali that
it implied. He then referred TO Newberry' g
blunder in his first hill, showing that he
simply copied al old Iowa meas ure without
understanding it at all.
Senator KEEPER then quoted from both
Iowa and Nebraska rates and showed that
the latter under the proposed rates would pe
| lower.
Senator Collins admitted that that was the
case with regard to miscellaneous articles
| but not with staple commodities.
| Senator Shumway said that he had exam
incd the rates on grain, lumber and seVera
other materials to a number of points from
his own home and found that they would be
much higher under the Newbemy bill than
! they are now,
Senator Dysart said he was living at com
| pctng point, like senator Collins and there
the people received the benefit Of Compcti
tion in the rates. But the people away from
those places received no benefit The inde
pcndeuts did not desire to legislate for farm
crs only, but for the state
Senator Mates wanted to know if the sen
ator felt like benettiug the state why h
didn't vote down the bill,
SCI. ator Randall showed that under tn
proposed bill the rates Were much lower OF
| all essentials from his place. He wanted
those outside competing lines 10 get the beue
fit Of low rates, such as this bill afforded
|
| prices where there was no competition th
rates we're kept up
Senator Collins amendment was reieCte
, and the section was adopted.
senator Mates moved the body rise Tn
| notion was lost.
On motion Of Senator Moore the floor wa
{ ! cleared Of outsiders.
Senator Mates bitterly criticized section
| A. which provided that the law should not al
, | feet new roads for two years after their cor
D | struCtiou, on the ground that IT was unjust I
the roads that had come here years ago an
Q benefited property and suppned seed TO farm
. crs in time of want.
Senator Randall thought that new road
could not work as well aS could old ones, an
the section was intended to benefit then
= The section was adopted.
r On motion of Senator POyntcr, IL was d,
cidcd that when the committee rose IL sho IL
report the bill back for passage, The motto
$ prevailed.
y After the committee had reported a m
Il uon that the same be adopted was about
g be put when Senator EGg!e5ton moved th
l. call OF the house.
d This took the Independents by surpris
y Senator Poyuter for half an hour cndcavore
TO do away with the effects OF the order 4
the call, without effect
Senators Coulter and Shea were the on
= Sonators absent Coulter was excused ar
IL the sargoantat arms was sent after Senate