Omaha daily bee., 1895-03-21

The amendment was defeated, 81 10 DO
Governor Holcomb informed the house that
he had signed house roll No. 27S. Judd's seed |
grain note bill. The house then adjourned.
AGAINST THE SALE OF CIGARETTES. |
Senate Passes the Bill with an Amendment |
Allowing Voters to Buy Them.
LINCOLN, March 20.-(Special) 1.-THE anti |
cigarette bill as 1t passed the house was taken
up by the senate today, and after being
amended out of semblance to its original form
was recommended for passage. The bill as
1t passed the house absolutely prohibited the
manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the s ale
Of Nebraska. The bill as amended by the
senate permits the sale Of cigarettes to all
persons over 81 years of age.
The fight over the bill was Unexpectedly
animated, as it was not known that the bill
was coming up. Last night 1t claimed
that the bill had been lost or stolen, but the
action Of the senate in notifying the secre-
tary's office that the bill should be forthcom-
ing by 10 o'clock today had the desired effect.
The bill was found in the safe in the secre-
tary's office, tucked away between the leaves
of book. 1t was brought before the senate
Immediately after reconvenng at 2 o'clock
this afternoon.
Akers asked that the bill be read the third
time and placed on its final passage. To this
several senator's demurred. claiming that the
bill needed amendment in important particu-
lars.
Pope moved that the senate go into COM
mittee of the whole for the purpose of con-
sidering and amending the bill.
Mckesson moved as an amendment that
the bill be recommtted to the committee on
miscellaneous subjects, but Hahn demurred,
asking that it be sent to the judiciary COM
mttee.
McKesson accepted the suggestion, and al
tered his amendment accordingly He said,
in support of his amendment, that the senate
had already been too hasty in passing bills
seriously affecting the business interests of
| the state.
| After little verbal sparring McKesson
withdrew his amendment and the senate
| resolved itself into committee Of the whole,
| with Noyes in the chair.
DEBATING SUBSTITUTE.
Graham Immediately offered a substitute
that cigarettes containing any poisonous sub
| stance should not be sold in this state.
| McKesson supported the Graham substitute,
| claiming that a number Of wholesale business
| men of the state were already claiming that
| the senate was too much disposed to legislate
| against the business interests Of the state.
Akers at once proceeded to wax eloquent
| against the substitute. He said he was tired
| Of hearing over and over again the puerlle
| charge that the senate interfering with
| was not crime perpetrated in the state that
its author did not claim as business. He
did not care what crime was being practiced
in any part Of the state-the perpetrator of
the crime was always quick to resent the
| law as an interference with his business. No
legitimate business was touched by the anti
cigarette bill The senator from Gage was
only offering a substitute merely to kill the
bill.
Graham asked Senator Akers if it was a
rtTrnn tn Cnn tn,r
bacco, to person of mature age. He claimed
that that was all his substitute covered.
In reply to the question Akers said that
If the substitute had been offered early in
the session as an original bill he would prob
ably have supported it, but 1t was clearly
the purpose of the author of the substitute
to kill the original bill because it was well
known that at this late day in the session
the house would not concur in any substitute
the senate might offer.
Graham said that the question had moi
been well answered. Only yesterday the
house concurred in the senate amendments
to bill within an hour after they had been
, received.
sole determination of the author Of the sub
stitute to kill the original bill. He char
actcrzed the attempt to force the substitute
on the senate as new method of whipping
, the devil around the stump.
Tefft said that the most important bust
ness in Nebraska was the business of caring
for the boys of the state The only wa,
to get after the cigarette evil is to pass
bill leaving no loophole through which the
) dealer can escape.
McKesson said that he would go as far al
any member of the senate to protect The
youth of the state. but it seemed to him tha
: the senate has been too hasty in it's en-
, deavor to institute a general reform of al
abuses. One would have imagined at thC
, outset OF the present session that this wa
a popust legislature. 1t started in will
the idea that 1t was going to cure all evil!
J at one fell stroke.
originally in favor of this one reform, but
strong lobby had been at work and senti
: ment seemed to have changed He admitted
i that the senate had been q little hasty II
, passing some bills, and he cited as an exam
pie the State university half-mill levy bill
which, he asserted would have taken $16O,
3 900 out of the state treasury.
WOUND UP THE MATTER.
q Caldwell endeavored to postpone furthe
action by moving that the committee rise
report progress and ask leave to sit again
BY this time the galleries and the obb,
were filled with members of the house VIII
q had been attracted by the contest and by tn
/ miscellaneous assortment of visitors VIII
e usually throng the house galleries. Cald
y wells motion to rise was voted down. TIL
/ liar fate. Then the opponents of the bill, un
q der the leadership of Caldwell. began fgh
to kill the bill by tacking on amendments
i Half dozen amendments all aimed TO prac
8 tically nullify the bill, were offered by Cald
q well. and rejected as fast as offered. Whel
n the Hall county senator had exhausted hi
d ammunition and there seemed to be nothin
: left but to recommend the original bill 70
q passage Pope arose and stated that while h
/, had voted against all the amendments S
J., far offered he still believed that the bill wa
v too drastic in Its provisions. He therefor
offered an amendment which simply pro
"a hibited the sale of cigarettes to persons unde
d the age Of 81. After brief discussion tn
amendment was adopted and the bill recon-
,r mended for passage as so amended.
1t ROUTINE OF THE MORNING HOUR.
IS When the usual motion to dispense wit
70 the reading OF the Journal had been carrie
u y, this morning the senate took up routine worl
II McKesson moved that the committee O
:, ~ rules be instructed to purchase for the use
70 the senate 100 additional copies OF the legii
u latiye manual. from which a sufficient numbe
a. for the senate two years hence be reserve,
Ia The motion was agreed to-
IS Wright asked that unanimous consent /
rs given for the advancement TO third reat
10 ing OF senate file No. 1872. He explained thi
the bin simply repealed law passed fol
"A wears ago creating sanitary listricfs IN m