The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-03-05

| The Rush bill for the consolidation of
| the city of Denver and the county of
Arapahoe will not be passed upon by
the Supreme Court before its passage
by the Senate. The unanimous vote to
send the measure to the Supreme Court
was reconsidered by the Senate by a
vote of II to 8. There was a pretty
sharp discussion on the motion to re-
J consider and it was bitterly denounced
| by Senators Stewart of Pueblo, Sell
| domridge of Ell Paso and several 9TH
erS.
Mr.. Lubers answered Speaker Mont
gomery's charges of undue influence
eXerted on the members. He said:
THE accusation of the speaker of this
House is an insult to every member on
this floor l deny that any undue in
fluence has been used upon me. You
have been opposed all the time and
hence are not included in my remarks"
interjected Colonel Montgomery. "Yes,
1 know that, but few days ago three
of my constituents came here. One of
them was banker. He wanted a copy
of the amendments recommended by
the finance committee. l told him that
1 could not get it for him, but l went
into the cloak room, sat down to n ta-
BILE and wrote on an original bill the
amendments That is all there was to
it, but a member of this House saw me
and told reporter that lobby was at
work on me. He knew it was a lie, be-
cause he walked around and heard
what was said. Merchants have writ
ten me pleading against the enactment
of this section, stating that 1t would ex-
pose their business affairs to business
rivals and commercial agencies. The
charge of corruption comes in poor
1
reputation is not spotless and he is in
no position to impugn the motives of
Others"
On Monday section AZ of the revenue
bill was adopted after numerous
amendments had been defeated. AS
adopted the section gave the assessor
power TO summon and examine prop
erty owner and also any other person
he deemed proper as to the property of
any taxpayer. a motion was made te
reconsider the adoption of the section
and after being carried one of the
amendments formerly defeated was
again presented. The point of order
that an amendment once defeated
could not again be presented except
after reconsideration of the vote by
which it was defeated was overruled
by Chairman Martin. Mr.. Montgomery
took the floor and in very vigorous
speech charged that undue influence
had occasioned the change of some
members. He said: "rhis section
gives the assessor power that he has
not heretofore possessed to bring to
light property which has persistently
avoided taxation. Undue influences
have been at work among the MEM
bers. a former speaker of this house,
with certain of his former lieutenants,
IL IL.
against this bill. There is no reason
except bad one for n member who
voted for the section after full discus
sion on Monday to be against 1t now.
1t has been stated to members by this
former speaker that the governor de-
sires n reconsideration of this section.
l am prepared to say that this is abso-
lutely false, unless the governor has
two opinions on the subject. / warn
members that corrupt influences are at
work and If this house reverses its ac-
ton it will come from that source"
The report of the coal strike commit
tee contains this hit at the Northern
Coal Company: Testimony was given
by the Northern company that the cap
italiZation of their company was the
sum of S2,0Oo,0oO, but the testimony of
other members of the company showed
that the real value of the property
owned by the company was about 49,
100000. They also showed that they
owned mine at Aguilar, one mine at
Toltec, and some acreage property in
Las Animas county, while all the bal
ance of their property rested in the
northern fields. From the testimony,
your committee gathered that the prop
erty in the northern fields was valued
mt something like S1,S0O,0OO, and as
the company claimed to have acted so
fairly to its members, and SO justly in
all other ways dealing with its en-
ployes and in its business life, the COM
mittee apprehended that If so, the same
condition would exist in regard to the
county where the property was situ-
ated, and therefore called upon the as
SCISSOR of the county to certify under
his hand and seal what property they
had turned in for taxation. The com
mittee receiving such report finds that
the property in Boulder county, which
they estimated to be at least worth
S1,700,0O0 or S1,S00,00O, is turned in for
taxation purposes at the sum of S139,-
S15. This amount includes the prop
erty of the Louisville Coal Mining
Company. which is valued foc taxation
at S23,660, and the total tax paid by
them was $5,519. 16."