The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-02-23
Senate True to Bill Favored by
the Administration, While House
Indorses Committee Measure.
WILL GO TO A CONFERENCE.
1t Is Believed That Ultimately
the Senate Bill Will Be
Agreed to by the
House.
BY A STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

BY A STAFF CORRESPONDENT.
Jefferson City, NO.. Feb. 22.-The Senate
to-day by unanimous vote passed fran
chise tax bill. The House to-day by SIM
liar vote passed another and different fran
chise tax bill The Senate passed the ao-
ministration bill. drawn by Judge Williams
of Boonville and indorsed by Governor
Dcckery. The House passed the committee
bill drawn along the same lines as the ad-
ministration bill, but carrying elaborate
machinery for the assessment and collection
of the tax
In the Senate this morning a love feast.
in which all the sore places left by the de-
bate of the day before were healed. pre-
ceded the vote. Senators Walker. Clay.
Martin and Rubey. who had led the fight
against the bill the day before, made
speeches in which they declared their alle-
glance to the administration measure.
Senators Clay and Martin good-na turedly
paid their respects to Senator Bradley, who
led the fight for the bill. They declared
that with brutal majority behind him he
had ridden rough-shod over senatorial cour-
tesy.
1T may be said" declared Senator Clay,
that l am trying now to climb into the
band wagon, but 1 say that was in the
franchise-tax band wagon before the gilt
tering sun shed its rays on the carpet-bag
OF the red-headed statesman from Johnson
County,
Moved to Reconsider Vote.
When the committee bill came up for final
passage in the House this afternoon, Repre-
sentative Clay moved to reconsider the vote
by which the bill had been sent to engross-
ment in order that he might submit an
amendment to section 19 of the bill.
This section reads:
- All property belonging to the corporations. com:
n1us:n IN section Of this act and all property In
ssy Of ~, sss
TONED or included in said section l. shall be as
sessed and taxed as heretofore provided By law,
clay's amendment proposed to strike out
from this section the words Including
franchises. II any they have
,hs hKepresensative rsan clay pointed out that II II
raise or to leave open the question whether
private corporations had a franchise. This
clause. Clay contended, changed the COM
mittee bin into a blanket measure. taxing
all corporations. private as well as quasi
public.
The committee bill was not fought as
hard In the House as II had been in the
Senate The defect which created opposi-
tion in the Senate-that the bill gave the
assessment Of the real property of local
corporations to local authorities, while II
gave the assessment of the franchises of
local corporations to State authorities-was
not adverted TO in the House. The Senate
once In the debate.
Opposed Any Amendment.
The members of the Ways and Means
Committee stood up q unit against any
amendment OF their bill The hall was filed
with Senators who had had a similar fight
in the Senate the day before. Senators
Clay and Martin. who led that fight, as well
as Walker. Rubey. Bradley and others.
were there.
Speaker whitecotton took the floor to
plead that the committee bill be passed
without changing the dotting Of an I or
the desk he occupied while he figured as an
insurgent In the Fortieth General Assem-
bly,. he made vigorous speech, which was
frequently applauded by the members ad-
verting to the excellence of the Ways and
Means Committee. and the thoroughness of
its work
The vote which followed Immediately on
Whitecotton's speech resulted in 109 against
reconsideration and 5 for reconsideration.
The eight were: Calvert, Clay. Hamilton.
January, Nelson. Short. Ward and Wolf.
Following this vote the bill was sent to
engrossment by q unanimous vote of III
ayes. without a single no.
Regarding subsequent proceedings. SEN
ators who are familiar with conditions in
the Senate declare their belief that the
Senate bill will be adopted ultimately by
the House. with little change. Group OF
and discussed the situation informally after
the vote in the House. They agreed that the
best course for the House was to amend
the Senate bill and to send 1t to confer
ence. They agreed that the majority In the
Senate would vote down the House bill at
Clay, Martin, Walker and other Senators
will make a strong fight for the adoption
OF the House bill when u reaches the SEN
ate. JOHN C. LEBENS.