Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-05-25
SENATE SITUATION.
CAPTAIN ALLEN SAYS UPPER
HOUSE Is NOT PUSHING
BUSINESS as IT MIGHT.
coNKITTEE cHAIRNEH SCORED
Carrying Bills Around in Their Pock'
cts to Prevent Legislation Hon.
CT. Clark's Bill to Aid the
State Fair.

Correspondence Of the LHDaHR.
JEFFERSON CrTv, No., May 16.-The
situation here this eveningis not what
II ought to be and does not produce q
feeling of gladness.
The Senate is not moving along like
1t desired to act upon all the impor-
tant bills now before it.
The judiciary committee, Senator
Young, Of Kansas City, chairman, has
not yet reported from his committee
the Fitzgerald franchise bill, although
public sentiment has demanded that
said bill be reported. True It is, that
the better part of that bill has been
incorporated at Senator Majors re-
quest in the Revenue and Taxation
Revised bill. Senator Major was forc-
ed to offer his amendment by the fact
that said franchise billwould, perhaps,
never be reported.
Last week Senator Tandy, OF st.
Louis county, offered resolution In
the Senate requiring the committees
to report certain bills therein named,
by number, and among the bills thus
designated was the Fitzgerald fran
ehise bill, the railroad freight charge
bill, the anti-cigarette bill and others,
and the resolution, certainly a very
fair and reasonable one, was voted
down "quick as lightning" The mis-
take Senator Tandy made was in not
demanding roll call on his resolution
and thus compel each senator to make
a record on the proposition.
The offense which chairman OF q
committee commits when he stub
bornly refuses to report bill and de-
family keeps IL In his desk Is grave
one, and If tolerated or condoned will
some day lead to serious results. The
remedy for such conduct is plain and
easy and 1t ought TO be applied, and
would be applied but for that nauseat-
ing nuisance called Senatorial Cour-
tesy.u
A condition confronts the Legisla-
ture--four or five hundred millions Of
dollars worth OF properly which does
not pay one cent OF taxes to State,
county, city or school district. A bill
is prepared laying the same tax upon
this species OF property as that laid
upon other property. 1t is discussed
and passed by the House and sent TO
the Senate, and is there referred (noi
to the. Ways and Means Committee,
to which all revenue bills are usually
referred) to the Judiciary Committee,
The chairman OF that committee, for
reasons satisfactory to himself, pock-
cts the bill and by his conduct says:
81 don't think this bill is of sufficient
Importance to require reporting, and
I will pocket it." He suits his action
to his thought, regardless Of what the
House or anybody thinks or says. The
session is nearly at an end-the end
comes, and the tax payers OF the
State are thus wronged; yea, the rich
are favored at the expense of the
poor by exempting from taxation
several hundred million dollars worth
of property, when the Constitution
plainly requires equal and uniform
taxation upon all property, real and
personal, excepting that named In the
Constitution. It is an outrage upon
the people that such exemption should
be made, and still greater outrage
that a public servant, sworn to sup
port the Constitution, should be per-
mitted by the Senate of Missouri tc
be the instrument OF such an outrage
Some day brave men, who love fair
dealing and common justice more
than they love their brother senator's
will bein the Senate and then there
will be q ''rattling Of dry bones"
The Senate passed last Monday what
is known as the st. Louis Street Rail-
way Consolidation bill. Those OPP
posing Is, embracing great many ol
the best people in the city Of 81
Louis, denounce 10 as shameful, hurt
full and infamous. 1t is said that this
bill actually oreates trust By per-
mitting and authorizing the II or II
street railway companies OF st. Louis
to sget oonsolidate-and
be and enjoy q monopoly. Thoss
lobbying for the bill we're exceeding
ly active and representing some forty
odd million dollars worth OF prop
erty in st. Louis alonei there is nc
custom and definite knowledge as Il
how they managed to get the bill
through the Senate. Senator Maiol
made an able and exhaustive speech
against 1t, but IL didn't stop the voteI
for the bill. This bill is now pending
in the House. What will be the re-
suit when the people'srepresentative
and the friends Of this bill "loch
horns" am unable to say.
II this Legislature adiourne nexl