Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-10
NO BILL FOR MONTH
Member of Committee Says il Will Take
That Long to Complete the Work.
SNAP JUDGMENT TAKEN BY MINORITY
How the Kansas Bill Was Taken as Basis
After Being Once Turned Down.
BAD BLOOD AMONG DOUGLAS MEMBERS
Efforts to Defeat Water Works Bill Gets
Delegation by the Bars.
Up JUDGMENT TAKEN BY MINORITY
AD BLOOD AMONG DOUGLAS MEMBERS
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR CENTER OF FIRE
McAllister of Deuel. County Has His
ReappOrtiOnment bill Ready
for Introduction some
Time Today.
(Irrom a stan Correspondent.)

CTrom a Stan Correspondent
LINCOLN, Feb. 9.-(Special Telegram.)--
''In my judgment IL will require at least a
month for this committee to complete it's
work in proper shape" said a member of
the Joint revenue committee tonight in ref
erence to the task confronting a subcom-
mittee appointed to codify all the revisions
OF the revenue law made by the committee
at large. This committee consists Of these
members: Senators Brown and Pemberton,
Representatives Thompson, Sears, Loomis
and Sweezy. Its work is to whip into shape
all the fragments OF revision thus far pro-
duoed by the main committee. whose work
is incomplete Then the main committee is
to resume operations and play for the goal
by means of the codihcation OF the subcom-
mittee. Under the circumstances, therefore,
the Introduction of revenue bill is a very
indefinite proposition. Certainly there is
good reason for the general opinion that no
such bill will be ready this week and prob
ably not for a month. as the member
quoted intimates. This member does not
look for any sort Of complete revenue bill,
but merely few amendments.
BY this same gentleman the substitution
of the Kansas bill for the Nebraska law
last week explained. -Four of the
committee were absent" he said, and that
left ten at the meeting; six of these voted
to repudia:e the committees former action
In taking the Nebraska law and substituting
therefor the Kansas bill Four opposed it.
The four absentees were also against II,
so you the trick was turned by the
minority" He admitted that this split
the committee into two factions and gave
just grounds for the statement that minor
| ity and majority reports would eventually
| be made. But of course as he indicated,
| there may be a reconciliation before that
! time comes.
| 1t be definitely announced that the
committee has discarded the plan of ass
sessing all property at its fair cash value
and adopted instead the Iowa plan, urged
by John N. Baldwin, to list at full value
and assess at one-fourth.
Trouble over Water works.
The activity OF representatives et the
| Omaha water works to secure the annnll-
ment of the Howell Gilbert act, compelling
| Omaha to acquire and operate it's own wa
| ter. works plant, led to a most unusual
proceeding in the senate today, and ooca-
| stoned considerable ill-feeling between
| certain members from Douglas county and
| Lieutenant Governor McGilton.
]. NJ. Fairfield, E. NJ Fairfield and At,
torney Woolworth, all representing the wa
ter works company, in their vigorous eff
forts at overthrowing this newly enacted
! law, have had distributed throughout the
senate forms OF afidavits which, filled out
! and signed by senators, will show that the
| sigGatory parties swear that II. r. No. 81
was rot read in full in the senate the
! third time before being passed.. On this
basis the water works people declare their
determination of knocking out this meas
ure, even though It has acquired the gov-
read in full the third time the water COM
pany's attorneys, as has already been stated
in The Bee, claim the act is illegal and can
easily be defeated
This afternoon in open session of the
senate Lieutenant Governor McGilton adj
| vised members OF that body to refrain
from affxing their signatures to affldavita
OF this character.
The fact of a presiding officer advising
members of a branch OF the legislature In
such manner led to considerable excite-
ment. The lieutenant governors action
was naturally interpreted as indicating hts
own friendlness to the Howell Gilbert act
as opposed to the course being pursued
by the water works people. When asked
regarding his motive Mr.. McGilton said he
understood that many senators had already
signed this affidavit, and as he strongly
indorsed the measure he took this means,
not only with the thought of preventing
further signing Of the afidavit, but OF
placing himself on record in the matter.
Gilbert Not Worried.
Speaking of the vigorous fght that is be-
ing made to overthrow this law, Repre-
sentative Gilbert, a Joint author OF the
act, said:
1--WE are not in the least disturbed over
what our enemies are doing. We are cons
vinced that they can never invalidate this
act. Their course in making this fight on
such a minor technicality is evidence
enough that they themselves admit the le-
gality of the act and realize that II would
be futile to attack it on any grounds in-
volving its legality or constitutionality,
We have the opinions of the best lawyers
that the bill is all right. The people OF
Omaha want II and IL will stand"
The Fairhelds claim to have the sigma
, lures OF a number OF senators to their
Fdavits, but would not give out any
names, as they said they promised TO keer
them private. They seem to feel reason
ably sure of yet securing the defeat OF this
law Their opposition has led Gilbert and
other members OF the Douglas delegation
to remark that "this proves that the OmahI
Water Works company was not behind oul
bill"
Naming n water Board,
: During the day the Douglas county dell
: egation caucused on the matter Of recon-
mendations for the water board to be ap'
pointed by Governor Mickey under the pro
Visions Of the Gilbert Howell bill. In thii
= work they had the assistance Of Chairman
= Charles A. Goss OF the Douglas county re-
!, publican committee and William F. Gurley
who came down from Omaha for the pur
pose After consultation II was decided Il
!. recommend to the governor that he appoin
board consisting OF Isaac z. Congdon
y Guy C. Barton and Milton Barlow, repub
licans, and II. w Yates w. A. Paxton ant
n Euclid Martin democrats Governor Micke,
says he is getting great deal OF advio
n on this point by mail and otherwise.
m Revenue Men Not harmonious.
There is little doubt OF q lack OF har
mony among the revenue committeemer