Omaha daily bee., 1898-02-17
HABITCAL CRIMINAL ACT
Reported Without Opposition by Senate
Judiciary Committee.
PROVISIONS FOR REGULATING BAD MEN
Senate Public Health Committee Fa-
vors Bill AliowBng Ostcopaths
Prncticing I'm the stnte-other
Legislative Matters.

DES MONIES, Feb. 16.-(Special Tele-
gram)-The Ellison habitual criminal act
was reported out of the senate judiciary
committee this afternoon without opposition.
1t provides that on a third conviction for
burglary, breaking and entering, forgery,
counterfeiting, grand larceny or robbery, the
convicted person shall be sentenced to not
less than fifteen. nor more than thirty yearn
in the penitentiary A fourth conviction OF
any person over is years OF age for petty
larceny shall require sentence of three
years.
The senate public health committee started
trouble by recommending for passage the
Mitchell bill to allow. osteopaths to practice
IN the state. Such a measure was defeated
year ago after a long and bitter fight
between the regular schools Of medicine and
the osteopaths, resulting in the defeat OF the
latter.
Mrs. Belden has given up the fight for
suffrage. She says there is no hope OF secur-
ing favorable action on reconsideration, as
three members of the house, who voted for
the resolution cn Tuesday, have told her
they would not do 80 again, and there are no
converts to take their places.
The house committee on special Board of
Control has prepared its amendment to the
Board of Control bill, placing the board in
possession of supervisory powers over the
educational institutions The amendment TO
the amendment will be offered for insertion
in the Healy bill and consists of three or
four sections; it provides that the board
shall inspect the conduct of the business OF
Institutions, ascertain whether their moneys
have been expended according to law, and
may summon and swear witnesses in pro-
cess of these investigations. The senate
will oppose this.
MAY TAX MORTGAGES.
a., tn hol hat ha
house will go on record in favor of taxing
mortgages. After a long discussion this aft
ernoon the majority committee report was
rejected and the minority report adopted by
- vote of 72 to 81. At this point the dis
cussion was ended, but number of amend
ments were offered which will be consid-
cred today Not one Of the amendments is
adverse to the intent of the bill, all in
tended to strengthen rather than weaken
the measure. The Indications are that the
house will pass the bill, though the conserv-
ative element will make a hard fight against
it. 1t would be a radical piece of legisla-
tion and has been defeated time after time
in the past years. 'fhe democrats are solid
for the measure, which was brought out
on report signed by three democrats.
The ways and means committee who or
dered it in committee, are in some cases
supporting it on the floor One of the
amendments presented but not yet consid-
cred provides that no contract to evade the
law will be legal.
The house voted, without division, to seat
John Christie, jr., democrat, as the repre-
sentative of Wright ard Hancock counties.
The seat was contested by ]. c. Hurtshorn,
republican.
The house turned down two reports of
the ways and means committee this morn
ing The first matter up was the Van
Houten bill to authorize boards Of super
yisors to collect interest on county funds
deposited in banks, The bill was similar to
the Mitchell bill, which had passed the SEN
ate. The house committee had recon-
mended the bill be indefinitely postponed.
A minority report recommended passage
and the minority report was adopted, after
discussion, by vote of ~ to 20. The
Mitchell bill was substituted for the house
measure and on the question of passage
went through by vote Of 70 to 81.
LIVE STOCK INSPECTION.
The senate spent most OF the morning on
the Emmert live stock inspection bill
Lothrop's amendment to exempt the Sioux
City stock yards from the inspection be-
cause the federal government has an in
spector there, was pending at adjournment
yesterday. Lothrop spoke at length in favor
OF his amendment and when he sat down
his amendment was at once defeated, re-
ceivng IL votes to S2 negatives. After
this the discussion took a wide range and
at adjournment the measure was still! under
consideration.
The house resolution in favor Of annexa-
ton OF the Hawaiian islands was, after
some discussion and the presentation or mn-
iorty and minority reports from the COM
mittee indefinitely postponed by the senate,
20 to IS. Kilburn introduced an age OF con-
sent bill to raise the age OF consent to 'lS.
Lothrop presented new measure TO take
the control Of city water works out OF the
ba pdc of tho city council.