Omaha daily bee., 1897-03-26
SENATE IS RUNNING WILD
Sending Bills Through with Very Little
Legislative Formality.
JUDICIAL GERRYMANDER DECIDED UPON
Dill 10 Divide the Big District Allows
the Division OF the District
Containing Douglas Coun-
ty Also.


committee this forenoon. The approaching
end OF the session was evidenced in the hasty
scramble of individual senators to get their
favorite bills in under cover. No pre-
tence Of consideration was made. II ma
jority could be secured the bills were ad-
vanced to third reading.
The senate took up bills on third reading
as soon as the chaplain had said his pray
ers. But one bill was ready, house roll No.
144, introduced by Burkett OF Lancaster.
1t makes grave robbing a felony instead of
a misdemeanor. The bill has already passed
the house and the senate sent 1t to the gov
ernor.
Mr.. Beal moved that senate file No. 312
be ordered engrossed for third reading.
1t proposes to cede to the Asylum for the
Insane at Lincoln $50 acres of state lands.
The state owns the land and no appropriation
is necessary. The motion was agreed to.
Mr.. Gondring asked that senate file No.
240 be engrossed for its final passage. This
is one of the important bills of the session,
although 1t has attacted but little attention.
1t authorizes the attorney general to COM
mence an action to recover from the sureties
of an official bond running to the state in
the county in which the sureties reside. At
present such suits have to be commenced in
Lancaster county. The bill was advanced
to third reading.
On motion of Mr.. Spencer of Lancaster
senate file No. 293 was ordered engrossed
for third reading. 1t is bill to require
school book companies furnishing books to
school districts in Nebraska under contract
to maintain supply house at the capital of
the state.
Mr.. Ransom moved to advance to third
reading senate file No 81, a bill introduced
by Mr.. Muflly. 1t provides that villages
may elect justice OF the peace and that
Slph pfHpia1 shall have tho ion Of a
police magistrate within the corporate limits
of the village.
Mr.. Graham moved to advance house roll
No. 80 and it was so ordered. 1t repeals abe
Russian thistle law enacted by the legisla-
ture two years ago.
On motion of Mr. Talbot senate file No.
IA was ordered engrossed for third reading.
1t is a bill authorizing judges Of the county
court to designate clerk as the official clerk
of the court and as such permits the clerk
so appointed to sign processes
JUDICIAL RE-APPORTIONMENTB BILL.
Mr.. Mutz brought up his bill, senate file
No. 164, providing for the division Of the
Fifteenth judicial district into two districts
and moved that it be advanced to a third
reading. This motion brought on a first
class controversy
Mr.. Murphy objected TO rushing action on
the bill. He wanted it considered in com
mittee of the whole so that he could offer
| amendments affecting his own district.
Mr.. MUTT entered vigorous protest. He
declared that any attempt to amend the bill
this late in the session was simply intended
to kill It,
Mr. Ransom took the floor and made a
speech, which resulted in the radical amend
| ment OF the whole judicial apportionment of
the state. He declared the bill ought to be
sent to the COMMITTEES of the whole and that
| it should be amended He said that the
| Second district in which Lancaster county
| is located, has three judges of the district
| court when two were sufficient. Tha Omaha
| district had seven judges and one judge at
| least should be dispensed with.
Mutz still protested that it was unfair and
unjust to amend his bill this late in the
session. There would be no time.
Ransom said he knew the plea of lack of
time would appeal to some senator's He
said there would be plenty of time. ''If the
| gang on the outside would keep it's hands
off," said Ransom, "this legislature would
| adjourn. Its work could have been finished
| by this time. But the machine on the out
side seems to be running this Legislature to
suit itself. 1t is holding back the appropri-
| alton bills to prevent Us from finishing our
work until its own plans are carried out.
AS long as the gang is running the legisla-
ture we will have plenty of time 10 amend
| this law"
Mr.. Talbot objected to Ransom's IDEAS.
| He said it was clearly an attempt to take
| another whack at Lincoln.
| Omaha, too" shouted Feltz of Keith.
| The motion to advance the judicial ap-
portonment bill to third reading was not
| agreed to-.
| Mr. Howell moved that senate files Nos. 1873
and 1S9 be ordered engrossed for third read
ing. He explained that the two bills taken
together simply empowered Forest Lawn
cemetery in Omaha to increase its area.
Jeffcoat said that the proposed increase in
area was for parking purposes only.
Fritz of Thurston wanted to know how
much more of the time of the session was to
be taken up with the consideration of bills
in the interest of Omaha exclusively. This
query was received with a round of ap-
plause in which the galleries joined. How
ellis motion was lost. He then moved to
advance house roll No. 1O2, to permit the
Order of the Eastern Star to incorporate.
His colleague, Mr.. Ransom, said the bill
ought not to pass as 1t was reflection on
the intelligence of the senate He explained
that the bill was clearly unconstitutional.
The motion was lost.
The senate then went into committee of
the whole to consider the judicial apporton-
ment bill with Mr.. Dearing of Cass in the
chair Then commenced fight which con-
tinued until late In the day. The bill was
found to be defective in its title and repeal
ing clause. Mr.. Mutz sent amendments to
the desk to correct the defects. They were
adopted and Mr., Gondrng discovered that
! the repeating clause agreed to referred to
the wrong section OF the statutes and that
instead Of repeating the old law relative to
the judicial apportionment it really
repealed the law relating to leg
islative apportionment. Had the mis-
take not been discovered the error
might have proven embarrassing in the
legislative campaign two years hence. The
mistake was duly corrected.
MAKING NEW DISTRICTS.
Mr. Jeffcoat sent to the secretary's desk
an amendment dividing the Fourth district
as at present constituted into two districts,
leaving Douglas and Sarpy still in the Fourth
district with six judges while a new dis
trlct to be known as the Seventeenth judicial
district is formed OF Washington and Burt
counties. The amendment was finally agreed
to-
Mr. Murphy then offered an amendment
which had the effect of dividing the First
district taking out the counties of Gage
and Jefferson and making OF them new
district to be known as the Eighteenth. The
amendment was agreed to. but as II was
so drawn as to result In confusion in num-
bering the districts the committee agreed
| TO rise and straighten out the details after
| dinner.
| After the noon recess, the senate listened
| to several committee reports and then again
went into committee OF the whole TO re-
sumo consideration of the judicial apportion-
| ment bill. Mr.. Murphy sent TO the secre-
| tarys desk substitute for his amendment
| offered before recess The substitute simply
| nf fn.a HfAa laaN