The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-04-19
TENNESSEE STATE NEWS.

years, to prohibit or allow the purchase, sale or
giving away of any article OF merchandise in
said city, town taxing district or county. This
is 4 local option measure.
The conference committee on the revenue bill
has about reached AN agreement on all the
amendments except those as to the electric light
section. The house amended the bill so as to
strike out the provision for tax on municipal
plants, which the senate put on larger cities.
The house also put straight tax of $3.50 on
plants in cities of over 100. 900 population, so
as to take Memphis from under the scale gradu-
ated according to power. The committe has so
far been unable to agree on these two amend
ments.
FIFTY-SEVENTH DAY.
The senate today passed the Vandeventer bill,
which makes it obligatory upon the railroad
commission to enforce the long and short haul
clause OF the commission law Heretofore the
commission has had the power to suspend this
section of the law whenever in Its Judgment it
was right to do so. The bill came from the
committee recommended for rejection, but Van
deventer moved to non-cOncur and the senate
sustained the motion by good majority. The
penalty for violation of this section of the
act, and under which the commission will have
to proceed in future in the event the house also
passes the bill, will be fine of 500 to $500 for
each Oifense.
The houss expressed its opposition to return
ing to the back-tax attorney system, and being
unable to otherwise reach an agreement as to
the method of collecting the s25O.0)O Of taxes
now delinquent, finally authorized the speaker
TO appoint committee to draft section OF the
assessment bill covering this point.
The house tabled the senate bill providing for
the organization of the State board OF agrlcul-
ture.
The report OF the committee on education was
submitted to the legislature this afternoon. The
report goes into details regarding the various
State institutions, and makes brief recommended
lions for the betterment OF the work. An in
crease of the annual appropriation to the nor
NAL college TO the amount of $500 is recon-
mended. The State superintendent of public
instruction is complimentei for his manage
ment OF the States educational facilities. The
accounts and management of the State institu-
tions were found to be commendable.
FIFTY EIGHTH DAY.
The senate went on record as favoring changes
in the organic law, when it adopted a resol utiOn
providing that the governor, secretary of State
comptroller and treasurer shall be elected by
popular vote for terms OF four years, none Of
them to be eligible for election until after an
intervening term; that county officers shall be
elected for four years and be ineligible, same a.
State officers; that election of county officials
shall be on the same date in November the
| national and State election; that the general
assembly shall have power to enact local road,
| fence and school laws.
The house also went on record as favorlng
changes by voting to submit a local option
| amendment to the constitution, the vote being
| rs for to against.
These amendments must go to the next gem
| eraI assembly, and il sanctioned by that body
must be submitted to the people in 1903.
1t is almost certain the house Will concur In
the amendments adopted by the senate. and vice
| versa
| The house passed the assessment bill. after
| providing for only three revenue agents, where
there now four but increasing their maxi.
| mum compensation to 81, 800 from $1,000. Sale.
of property on which taxes are delinquent will
be by the trustee, with no back tax attorneys.
FIFTY-NINTH DAY.
The committee to investigate the charges OF
| bribery, or attempted bribery in connection
with the defeat of tho Peeler local option bill
and other matters, submitte1 its report to the
| general assembly today. Some 600 pages OF
! evidence were taken. The committee says II
made a most thorough and searching examina.
ton, but that no evidence of wrongdoing on the
part OF any member OF the legislature was
| secured. The only suspicious evidence was the
| fact that the wholesale whisky men raised
! fund OF s., 400 with which to influence legisla-
ton, but there was no evidence to show that any
of this money was corruptly used.
| The proceedings in the house were enlivened
| by vicious attack by Mr.. RoystOn upon the
] editor OF the Nashville Banner concerning hi
| advocacy OF a dog law and his criticism OF the
| formers vote, Mr.. Gordon's efforts TO get in a
minority report criticsing the alleged ILL treat
ment of children by guards and others in the
| Tennessee Industrial School, and the defeat OF
| the bill to refund to the counties certain mer-
chants privileges taxes alleged to have been
| enormously collected.