The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-03-11
Saturday.

John o. Yeiser made an attempt to get MS
bill for the initiative and referendum rec
commended for passage in the house Satur-
day, and had it not been for Burkett OF
Lancaster he might have succeeded. Sixty
seven members answered to roll call. An
attempt was made to adjourn. This was
defeated and reports from standing COM
mittees announced. After the reading of
reports the house went into committee of
the whole. House roll No. 68, by Yeiser,
is the bill providing for the initiative and
referendum. 1t was the topic of a long
discussion and considerable amendment by
Yeiser. When section thirty was reached,
Clark of Lancaster moved that thes section
be stricken out and another substituted,
making the privileges of the initiative and
referendum applicable to cities only of the
metropolitan class. By a close vote Clark's
motion was lost and a division was not
called for. Then Clark moved that the
provisions of the act should not ap-
ply to cities having a population Of
of over 5000 inhabitants. He directed
attention to the fact that judges
and clerks of election could object to any
ordinance passed by the council, circulate
a petition, secure the names of Is per cent.
of the voters and earn a few dollars in fees
to put in their pockets. 1t was a most vic
ious measure. In large cities he said, it
would require 80 per cent. of the collected
taxes to hold elections under the law.
Clark of Richardson, then moved that
when the committe rose it report the bill
for indefinite postponement. Shull of Ne
maha opposed this. He thought it assump-
ton on the part of the gentleman from
Richardson to speak for the people of the
whole state. Clark declared that he had
spoken only for the people of his own
county. Shull pointed out that the initia-
tive and referendum had been made an
issue of the Populist campaign. Clark re-
piled that he had heard nothing Of it in his
bailiwick. Snyder of Sherman, spoke at
considerable length in favor of the bill.
Dobson of Fillmore made a savage assault
on the measure. He said he was a Pop
ulist, but not Populist enough to support
such a measure. Then he surprised
the whole house by voting squarely
against Clark's motion for indefinite
postponement. Wooster inveighed
bitterly against the bill. Burkett moved
that the committee rise. This was lost.
Clark of Lancaster's amendment that the
Dill should not apply TO clues OF The HrSC
class also failed. Then the measure was
amended providing that but one special
election should be held annually unless the
parties signing the petition should deposit
sufficient money to defray the expenses Of
the election, the money to be returned to
them in case the proposition was success
full at the polls. There was a fury of fill
clustering and a manifest disposition on the
part of the fusionists to shut off Burkett
from speaking on the question. He began,
however, at 1915, with the evident inten-
ton of talking against time. Sheldon had
moved that when the committee rose it
recommended the bill for passage. Burkett
said he was willing to stop talking and
allow the committee to rise and ask leave
to sit again, Bufkett yielded the feor q
few minutes to Pollard. The latter said
that the sitting committee had jumped the
bill into the house the first thing Saturday
morning, and he, for one, had time to look
it up and examine its provisions. Then
Sheldon Withdrew his motion and
moved that the committee rise and report
progress. This prevailed. Burkett had
carried his paint and forced a fair discus
sion on TejSer'S hill