Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-22
SNAP SHOTS At THE LEGISLATORS

Holdrego Citizen; The state legislature
had a tussle with the foot ball question the
other day and IL Is a question which showed
UP to the best advantage.
Wilber Democrat: There is a bill before
the legislature to require teachers In district
schools to teach vocal music after July, 1898
IL should be amended by adding playing the
fiddle and dancing an Irish jig, and strikipg'
out reading, writing and arithmetic.
Hastings Journal: There should be a law
passed to compel children Of school age to
attend school. There are many children
idllug their time about tho streets aud cou-
tinually drifting into and pulling other chill
dren into bad company, which they would not
be doing II kept in school.
Papillion Times: We cannot understand
how a man Of Speaker Gafin's ability and
good heart can ruthlessly waste the time vt
the house trying to stop the innocent game
Of football. all the while closing his ewes 10
the fact that Legislation is needed TO stop the
game OF theft which the corporations play.
Crete Vidette: There is some talk In the
legislature about abolishiug the soldiers
home at Milford and consolidating Il WIKI
the Grand island home. 1t does seem that
such a course would be the part OF wisdom.
This expense Of running two homes Is almost
double and the hard times are crying loud
for economical reform.
Tccumseh journal: There appears to he
a disposition on the part Of some Of the mcm-
bcrs of the legislature to injure the Nebraska
press. yet 1t is probably a fact that but FOR
tho assistance Of the p"css during the lato
campaign many Of these same statesmen
would now be cutting cord wood for a liv-
ing instead Of making laws.
Polk County Democrat: Surely a populist
legislature that believes In helping every
iaboring man to better his condition will
not sanction and endorse a further reduction
Of the legal rates of printing in this state.
Wa do not believe a majority Of the legiYla-
ture will agree to support the measure OF
Senator Dundas. Time will tell who are tho
genuine friends Of the reform forces.
Kearney Hub: The legislative pruning
knife is cutting so deep that 1t is penetrate
ing the vitals Of the populist party. This
thing Of reducing salaries of county officials.
Institution officials and employees, and the
clerks at the state house the moment the
new party gets into power and leaving the
salaries of the big wigs untouched, is not
calculated TO fire ardor in the populist breast.
Minden Courier: Senator Howell sized up
the situation and struck the keynote in the
legislature the other day when he intro
duced a resolution stating that at the last
election members were elected pledged to
certain reforms, and that they had been
in session thirty days and nothing had been
done. This is a frank acknowledgment
coming from a populist, yet the Courier
wants something said about the work OF
the Legislature. There is nothing to say.
Holdrege Citizen: One of the good bills
before the state Legislature which we be-
lieve should become a law is the bill re-
curing both husband and wife to sign a
chattel mortgage Of furniture. This is a
law which we think is much needed in the
cities to prohibit some worthless fellow to
mortgage his furniture to some money
shark to get a few dollars to blow in. 1t
is to be hoped that the state legislature Will
stop playing with politics long enough to
pass the bill.
Hastings Journal: That state printing bill
should be passed, as 1t is a start in the dt-
rection Of right and justice to the people OF
Nebraska. The state should own it's own
printing plant and do all It's own work
within It's walls. The school book business
alone would save the state a vast sum OF
money and middle men and pools would
have no chance for a rake-off. California
has one of the best equipped state printing
shops and book binderies in the United
States. This institution is one Of the great
est savings to the state she has ever had.
Tilden Citizen: A bill has been intro
duced in the state legislature to cut down
more than one-half the rates for publishing
legal notices in newspapers. We don't know
why newspaper rates should be reduced by
the majesty of the law any more than law
yers' and officers fees, or, in fact. any other
fees, but it seems that our reform legiSla-
ture must reform something or somebody,
and of course the first thing that would
pop into their brilliant minds would be to
cut down the printers fees. If the reformers
would just stop and consider a moment they
would scarcely succeed in calling to mind a
single person who has been robbed and
ground into the dust by the "plutocratic"