The Lamar register., 1901-03-06

The Senate passed S. B. 176 whit
ford), to limit the life of franchises and
compel the owners thereof to pay two
and one-half per cent. of their gross re-
ceipts into the city treasury, after
amending it to omit telephones.
The Senate passed bill amending
Article V. of the constitution and fixing
the compensation of the members of
the Legislature at S63O, with the usual
mileage. The idea is that this will do
away with extra sessions, and shorten
the regular ones to sixty days, as the
senators will be able to complete their
work and go home whenever ready.
Extra sessions are limited to thirty
days, with the usual per diem. On the
other hand the tilibusters will only
have to hold out sixty days.
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 $2,OO0,0OO but the testimony of
other members of the company showed
that the real value of the property
owned by the company was about $3,-
100000. They also showed that they
owned n mine ut 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
at something like S1,SOOOOO, 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 stu
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 Mt least worth
81 100000 or 81 100000, is turned in for
taxation purposes at the sum of $780,
S75. This amount includes the prop
erty of the Louisville Coal Mining
Company, which is valued for taxation
at $23.6GO, and the total tax paid by
them was $5,51916."
Former Speaker w. G. Smith, of the
state House of Representatives, has
made n sweeping denial of charges of
lobbying, preferred by Speaker Mont
gomery.' Mr.. Smiths denial was given
in the following terms: "The charges
made by Speaker Montgomery that l
have been using undue influence upon
members of the Legislature to induce
them to make certain amendments to
the revenue bill are absolutely false. 1
am earnestly in favor of strong reve-
nue. bill that will give the state sufii-
cicnt means to provide for. its needs.
Like n great many other business men,
l have believed there are some provis-
ions in House bill No. 1 that are vicious
and ruinous to the states interest. and
it has pleased me to see some of these
bad features in the bill corrected. j
have suggested to a few members that
if they could conscientiously- support
some of these amendments they would
be doing the state a good service. Any
statements by. Mr.. Montgomery, or any
one else. or any insinuations, that
have used any improper means to in
tiuence members in these or any other
matters are wholly false. court the
fullest investigation. and will aid any
committee appointed to investigate the
charges to the fullest extent of my abil-
ity. Upon no subject, and by no source